"Even if he had not been placed on that list, American authorities had one final chance to intercede. Before a plane can take off for the United States, details on every passenger are forwarded electronically to the Department of Homeland Security. There is also an electronic summary of each passenger’s airline reservation — which in Mr. Abdulmutallab’s case would most likely have included the fact that his ticket had been bought with cash and that he had not checked any bags.
The Homeland Security Department, with this information, can request that a passenger like Mr. Abdulmutallab get extra scrutiny by airport officials before the plane takes off. But no action was taken, as department officials said they had no reason to believe he presented a threat."
The above NYT paragraph is most damning to our intelligence community because if I were to ask you how you would use information about reservations from people soon to board a plane to our country, you would say that those who paid cash and checked no bags should be stopped and scrutinized. It is so obvious!
The Homeland Security Department, with this information, can request that a passenger like Mr. Abdulmutallab get extra scrutiny by airport officials before the plane takes off. But no action was taken, as department officials said they had no reason to believe he presented a threat."
The above NYT paragraph is most damning to our intelligence community because if I were to ask you how you would use information about reservations from people soon to board a plane to our country, you would say that those who paid cash and checked no bags should be stopped and scrutinized. It is so obvious!
