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President Barack Obama said Tuesday "a systemic
failure" allowed the attempted Christmas Day attack on a
Detroit-bound flight from Amsterdam. He called it "totally
unacceptable."


      The president said he wants preliminary results by Thursday from
two investigations he has ordered to examine the many lapses that
occurred.


      "There was a mix of human and systemic failures that
contributed to this potential catastrophic breach of security,"
Obama said.


      It will take weeks for a more comprehensive investigation into
what allowed a 23-year-old Nigerian carrying explosives onto the
flight despite the fact the suspect had possible ties to al-Qaida,
Obama said.


      "It's essential that we diagnose the problems quickly," the
president said, interrupting his vacation for a second consecutive
day to address the incident, with more anger this time directed at
the flaws in the U.S. system.


      The suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was on one advisory
list, but never made it onto more restrictive lists that would have
caught the attention of U.S. counterterrorist screeners, despite
his father's warnings to U.S. Embassy officials in Nigeria last
month. Those warnings also did not result in Abdulmutallab's U.S.
visa being revoked.


      On top of that, airport security equipment did not detect the
bomb-making devices and materials he allegedly carried on board the
Northwest Airlines flight carrying nearly 300 people.


      Obama said many things went right after the incident, with
passengers and the flight crew subduing the man and government
officials working quickly to increase security. 


He singled out his
homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, backing her
much-criticized comments that the attempted terror attack showed
the aviation security system worked.


      "As Secretary Napolitano has said, once the suspect attempted
to take down Flight 253, after his attempt, it's clear that
passengers and crew, our homeland security systems, and our
aviation security took all appropriate actions," Obama said.


      Napolitano received so much criticism for her Sunday talk show
remarks that she did another round of interviews the following day
to say the system did not work in preventing Abdulmutallab from
getting on the plane with a bomb. But, she said, the response
system did work after the man was subdued. She contends her remarks
were taken out of context.


      Republicans are questioning her judgment and a few have called
for her resignation. The White House says her job is safe.


      However, Obama said: "What's also clear is this: When our
government has information on a known extremist and that
information is not shared and acted upon as it should have been ...
a systemic failure has occurred. And I consider that totally
unacceptable."


      The two reviews, which Obama said got under way on Sunday, are
looking at airport security procedures and the U.S. system of
terror watchlists.


      "It now appears that weeks ago this information was passed to a
component of our intelligence community but was not effectively
distributed so as to get the suspect's name on a no-fly list,"
Obama said. "Even without this one report, there were bits of
information available within the intelligence community that could
have and should have been pieced together."


      Had that happened, he said, "the warning signs would have
triggered red flags, and the suspect would have never been allowed
to board that plane for America."

Gallery

Obama orders reviews of watchlist and air safety

Napolitano concedes airline security system failed

Security reviews under way after airliner attack

Business and Economic News

President Barack Obama said Tuesday "a systemic
failure" allowed the attempted Christmas Day attack on a
Detroit-bound flight from Amsterdam. He called it "totally
unacceptable."


Obama: 'Systemic failure' allowed airliner attack

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