Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano acknowledged Monday that the system aimed to keep air travel safe failed to prevent suspected terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from attempting to blow up a plane heading for Detroit on Christmas.
During an interview on NBC's "Today Show," Napolitano said the system "failed miserably" in preventing Abdulmutallab from boarding the plane.
Abdulmutallab passed through security at two airports in Nigeria and Amsterdam, Netherlands. He carried the explosives he intended to use in his underwear.
Despite the fact that Abdulmutallab was on a database of suspected terrorists, he was not on a "no-fly" list. His father had also apparently warned the U.S. embassy in Nigeria about Abdulmutallab, but he was allowed to board the plane anyway.
During the flight, Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate his explosives, but his explosive mixture did not properly detonate. He was then restrained by other passengers.
"And that's why we are asking - how did this individual get on the plane?" Napolitano said during the interview. "Why wasn't the explosive material detected?"
She noted that "an extensive review is under way" to determine how Abdulmutallab was allowed passage on the plane in the first place.
This was a turnaround from Napolitano's previous statement, in which she said during an interview with CNN that "the system worked."
"Everybody played an important role here," Napolitano said in the interview. "The passengers and crew of the flight took appropriate action."
She added, "Within literally an hour to 90 minutes of the incident occurring, all 128 flights in the air had been notified to take some special measures in light of what had occurred on the Northwest Airlines flight."
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