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Christmas day terror attack brings new security measures

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January 12, 2010

Lindsay Huth

Though Christmas day is thought of as a day for food, family and celebration, this Christmas’ attempted terror attack made it unique. Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab used explosive chemicals stored in his underwear to try to explode a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Fortunately, the 23-year-old’s attempt failed and he is currently being held in a prison in Michigan. If he is found guilty, Abdulmutallab could receive up to a lifetime prison sentence.

“This investigation is fast-paced, global and ongoing, and it has already yielded valuable intelligence that we will follow wherever it leads,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. “Anyone we find responsible for this alleged attack will be brought to justice using every tool, military or judicial, available to our government.”

It is now evident that the attack could have been prevented using knowledge the security already had. The Los Angeles Times reported that, based on intelligence officials had, they planned to investigate Abdulmutallab upon his descent in Detroit. Concerns were also brought forth by his father about his extremist activities but never taken seriously.

Kurt Haskell, a passenger on Flight 253, said on the Glenn Beck Program that he saw him in the airport with an affluent-looking Middle Eastern man who managed to get him on the flight despite his lack of a passport. On the flight, Haskell was eight rows behind the terrorist.

“I looked up and I could see smoke coming from Row 19 by the window on the left side of the plane,” Haskell told Beck. “So I got out of my seat and took a few steps up the aisle. And after I took about two or three steps, the seats around 19A burst into flames, the floor, the seats and up the wall to the base of the ceiling. While this was going on, I saw a man being pulled away into the first class part of the plane.”

New security measures for flying are being implemented, including full-body searches, bag inspections and limited passenger activity towards the end of flights.

“We’re looking at what happened here,” Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said to CBS News. “We’re looking to make sure that this sort of incident cannot recur, even as we change procedures and install new technology moving forward.”

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