Terrorist Attack: US reviews security on aviation

By Chinyere Amalu
ABUJA—The United States authorities in further attempt to prevent a repeat of 25th December incident have ordered investigation into two areas of aviation security, placing passengers on watch lists and screening before boarding.
The investigation, according to Associated Press report, will look backwards and figure out if any signs were missed or any procedures can be changed.

Attempt by Vanguard to get reaction from the American Embassy in Nigeria was not successful as one of the information officers at the embassy said Ambassador Robin Sanders will talk at the right time, adding, “Our friends in the media will be the first to get any statement from the Embassy.”

Also Harold Demuren, the head of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, said Abdulmutallab’s ticket came from a KLM office in Accra, Ghana. “Abdulmutallab bought the $2,831 round-trip ticket from Lagos, Nigeria, to Detroit via Amsterdam on Dec. 16.”

According to the report, “the Obama administration has ordered investigations into the two areas of aviation security — how travelers are placed on watch lists and passengers screened — as critics continued to question how a young man on a watch list with a U.S. visa in his pocket and a powerful explosive hidden on his body was allowed to board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.”

The White House press office, traveling with President Barack Obama in Hawaii, said, early Monday, that the president would make a statement from the Kaneoho Marine Base in the morning. White House spokesman Bill Burton did not elaborate.

Billions of dollars have been spent on aviation security since the September 11 2001, terrorist attacks, when commercial airliners were hijacked and used as weapons.

“Much of that money has gone toward training and equipment that some security experts say could have detected the explosive device.”