A U.S. grand jury has indicted the suspect in the Christmas Day (December 25) bombing attempt of a U.S. jetliner.
The six-count indictment was filed Wednesday in (the state of) Michigan.
The suspect, 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is charged
with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder.
He was previously charged with trying to blow up the Northwest Airlines
plane for allegedly trying to detonate explosives concealed in his
clothing as the plane approached Detroit. Nearly 300 people were on the
flight from Amsterdam.
The Obama administration says it will release a preliminary report Thursday on the security breach.
President Obama, after meeting with top security and intelligence
officials Tuesday, said the system failed in a "potentially disastrous
way." He said U.S. intelligence agencies had enough evidence to stop
Abdulmutallab from boarding the flight but failed to make the necessary
connections.
REST OPT
The president has asked for specific recommendations to correct the
intelligence failures. He also promised changes to airport security and
screening protocols, and said the nation's no-fly and terrorist
watchlists were being updated.
National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair promised to "outthink,
outwork and defeat" new terrorist tactics and said intelligence
agencies will do what is necessary to prevent future terrorist attacks.
Mr. Obama ordered the reviews to determine how Abdulmutallab could have
brought explosives onto the U.S.-bound flight -- even after the
suspect's father warned U.S. officials about his son's radical views,
resulting in Abdulmutallab being placed on a terror watch.
Despite the criticism, the president's aides say the focus is on
solving problems, and not on assigning blame to any one intelligence
official.
The U.S. government has increased security screening for people
traveling "from or through nations that are state sponsors of
terrorism" as well as "other countries of interest," including
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The suspect has
reportedly said he trained with al-Qaida operatives in Yemen.