News / USA

Obama Summons Top Officials on Security

TEXT SIZE - +

U.S. President Barack Obama has summoned top U.S. intelligence and security officials to discuss security needs after last month's attempted bombing of a U.S. jetliner.

President Obama had meetings scheduled Monday at the White House with the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as with his top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan.  Mr. Obama holds similar discussions with security officials Tuesday.

The president ordered an inter-agency review to determine how a young man with alleged ties to al-Qaida was able to sneak explosives onto the Northwest Airlines flight.  The explosives did not detonate, and passengers subdued the Nigerian suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

Nigeria is protesting new security measures its citizens and those of 13 other countries now face on U.S.-bound flights, saying the policies amount to discrimination.  Nigerian Information Minister Dora Akunyili said Monday, "It is unfair to discriminate against more than 150 million people becaue of the behavior of one person."

On Sunday, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration issued new rules requiring people traveling from or through high-risk countries to go through tighter screening on flights headed for the U.S.  The countries include Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria, which are listed by the State Department as state sponsors of terrorism.

Also subject to more stringent screening are travelers from Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.

Nigerian officials say Abdulmutallab, the son of a prominent Nigerian banker, appears to have received his terrorist training abroad.  The would-be bomber told U.S. investigators that he received training from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen.

The U.S. also has revised its terror watch lists following the foiled attack on the U.S.-bound jet.

 


Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

You May Like

Video Egypt's Conservative Rural Vote Appears Split

Early speculation after the first two-day round is showing a race too close to call More

NATO Continues Plans for Missile Defense

While Afghanistan dominated talks in Chicago, member states also reaffirmed their commitment to ballistic-missile defense More

War Declared on Invasive Leaping Asian Carp

When Asian carp were first imported decades ago, few foresaw their environmental impact. More

This forum has been closed.
Comments
     
There are no comments in this forum. Be first and add one
The Student Union

It’s Not Too Late To Get Admission for the Fall

More

An ‘A’ Won’t Get You a Career, But a Good Education Might

More

Here’s Exactly What a College Application Form Looks Like

More

Travel Tips for International Students in America

More

Events for International Students: May 21-25

More
Read more
Ted Landphair

The Golden Gate Bridge — A Diamond Over the Rough

More

The Empire State Building: No. 2 in New York, 1 in Our Hearts

More

On California’s Royal Road, Traces of ‘New Spain’

More

Heart of the Heartland

More

So You Want to be Famous!

More
Read more