President Barack Obama issued a statement Thursday after receiving preliminary assessments from reviews ordered on the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing.
According to Obama, he spoke with John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, about the preliminary assessments from the ongoing consultations he ordered into the human and systemic failures that occurred leading up to the attempted terrorist act.
He also spoke with Brennan about government-wide efforts at continued vigilance on homeland security and counterterrorism efforts.
In addition, Obama said he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to receive an update on both the Homeland Security Department's review of detection capabilities and the enhanced security measures in place since the attempted attack.
Finally, Obama said he anticipates receiving assessments from several agencies this evening and will review those tonight and over the course of the weekend.
The president will meet personally with relevant agency heads on Tuesday to discuss ongoing reviews as well as security enhancements and intelligence-sharing improvements in U.S. homeland security and counterterrorism operations.
On Christmas, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded an airline bound for Detroit with explosives sewn into his underwear. He attempted to detonate his explosives, but the explosives did not go off. He was restrained by crew and passengers and is currently in U.S. custody.
Abdulmutallab was able to board the plane despite the fact that his name was included in a list of suspected terrorists. He was also not on a 'no-fly' list despite the fact that he was a suspected terrorist.
This has drawn sharp criticism towards the Obama administration concerning the safety of air travel, including from former Vice President Dick Cheney, who accused Obama of pretending the U.S. is not at war.
Obama ordered reviews into how a suspected terrorist like Abdulmutallab was able to board the plane and why he wasn't on a 'no-fly' list.
As a result of the attempted bombing, there has been an increase in calls for full-body scanners at airports. The Transportation Security Administration currently has 40 operational full-body scanners, though it has purchased another 150 that it plans to deploy next year. It also plans to purchase 300 additional scanners next year.
The near-attack has also played a role in increased security measures for Thursday night's New Year's Eve celebration in New York's Time Square.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.