01 November 2010
U.S. Allies, Good Security Helped Prevent Cargo Bomb Attacks
Washington — The Obama administration credits the diligence and cooperation of security services from the United States and its partners overseas for identifying and neutralizing two bombs placed aboard cargo jets bound for the United States.
Both bombs originated from Yemen, which is home to the terror group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). President Obama said October 29 that the plot was a “credible terrorist threat” that counterterrorism professionals are taking very seriously.
AQAP “continues to plan attacks against our homeland, our citizens, and our friends and allies,” Obama said, adding that Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, had pledged his country’s full cooperation in the investigation into the attempted attacks.
“We will continue to strengthen our cooperation with the Yemeni government to disrupt plotting by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and to destroy this al-Qaida affiliate,” Obama said. “We’ll also continue our efforts to strengthen a more stable, secure and prosperous Yemen so that terrorist groups do not have the time and space they need to plan attacks from within its borders.”
According to news reports, explosive devices containing the plastic explosive PETN were placed inside printer toner cartridges in two separate packages that were addressed to synagogues in the U.S. city of Chicago. On October 29, one of the packages was intercepted on a cargo flight in the United Kingdom, and the other onboard a cargo flight in Dubai.
John Brennan, who is President Obama’s assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism, told reporters October 29 that al-Qaida and its affiliates have “tried to adapt to all of the obstacles and hurdles we’ve put in front of it,” and said the United States and its allies need to remain “very agile” and “make sure that we stay one step ahead of them.”
“They are looking to identify vulnerabilities in our system and take advantage of those vulnerabilities. But fortunately, because of … the good work of the people here, as well as the very important partnership that we have with our allies overseas, we’ve been able to stay ahead of them,” Brennan said.
Although counterterrorism cooperation with the Yemeni government needs to improve, Brennan said, it is “better than it’s ever been before” following a steady improvement over the past two years.
“We’re working very closely with them. And we found that they are courageous partners. Many Yemenis have lost their lives in the battle against al-Qaida,” he said.
He also praised the strong cooperation of the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates in the incidents, and in a separate October 29 statement said the United States is also grateful to Saudi Arabia for its “assistance in developing information that helped underscore the imminence of the threat emanating from Yemen.”
Brennan told reporters that the United States has built up “a very, very capable and robust intelligence, law enforcement, homeland security system” since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by al-Qaida.
“As a result of the strength of that system, information became available that we were able to act upon very quickly,” he said. “The redundant layers of security, the tremendous work of the counterterrorism professionals, law enforcement, homeland security, intelligence, was the reason why we were able to succeed.”
Brennan told NBC Television’s Meet the Press October 31 that U.S. officials believe the bomb maker is the same individual who constructed devices used by would-be Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on a U.S.-bound jet on December 25, 2009, as well as the August 2009 assassination attempt against Saudi intelligence chief Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.
“It’s a very sophisticated device in terms of how it was constructed, how it was concealed,” he said, and all three incidents “bear very similar types of traits and characteristics.”
“The bomb maker in Yemen who is putting these together is a very dangerous individual that we need to find and bring to justice,” Brennan said.
John Pistole, who is administrator of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), told CBS Television’s Early Show November 1 that he had ordered a temporary hold on any packages bound for the United States that originated in Yemen.
“We’ve also taken steps … working with the Yemeni authorities, to have a team of TSA experts in Sana’a there at the airport to provide additional screening and training and expertise, with additional equipment, to ensure that any packages that come out of Yemen, once that ban is lifted, will be more secure,” he said.
Pistole said that more than 7 billion pounds and millions of pieces of cargo are shipped worldwide every year and the Obama administration is working with aviation and security personnel from around the world in its efforts to secure items bound for the United States.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said November 1 that during the 2010 fiscal year, which ended September 30, the United States provided about $296 million in security and humanitarian assistance to Yemen. The Obama administration expects to send roughly the same amount in the 2011 fiscal year.
“We will continue to evaluate how we can best support Yemen in its fight against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which obviously has a dramatic impact on the United States,” Crowley said.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
