US official admits security failed in terrorist attempt

The Obama Administration admitted yesterday that air travel security failed when a Nigerian man with suspected ties to Islamic militants allegedly was able to smuggle deadly explosives onto a US-bound flight in an attempt to blow it up.

Asked on NBC's Today Show yesterday if the security system "failed miserably," US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano replied: "It did."

The family of 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is facing charges in the Christmas Day incident aboard the Amsterdam to Detroit flight, said they had reported his disappearance to security agencies months ago after becoming concerned about his increasing militancy.

Under US questioning, the suspect had claimed al Qaeda operatives in Yemen supplied him with an explosive device and trained him on how to detonate it, an official said.

Mr Abdulmutallab was overpowered by passengers and crew on the Northwest Airlines flight 253 after setting alight an explosive device attached to his body. He was treated for burns and is in federal prison awaiting trial in the incident.

President Barack Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, is under pressure from opposition Republicans who have been critical of his response to the scare and have questioned whether his administration is doing enough to contain security threats. The Democratic president was scheduled to make his first public statement on the incident yesterday.

The December 25 scare dashed Mr Obama's hope of spending his vacation basking in the afterglow of the Senate's passage of healthcare reform, his signature domestic issue, and switching gears to focus on US job growth as he wraps up his first year in office.

Instead, the White House has spent the past few days seeking to reassuring the public that the President is paying close attention and is focused on keeping Americans safe.

"The President is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates," White House spokesman Bill Burton said.

The first federal court hearing for the suspect, which had been due to take place yesterday afternoon in Detroit, has been cancelled, a spokeswoman for prosecutors said.

US Attorneys had been expected to seek a search warrant to collect a swab of DNA from the suspect. No reason was given for the cancellation of the hearing before US District Judge Paul Borman. Bail for Mr Abdulmutallab is scheduled to be set at a January 8 hearing in Detroit.

The US Transportation Security Administration said it had stepped up pre-flight screening in the United States and Europe. The security scare drove airline stocks down in early trading yesterday in New York.