Administration Knew of Tactic Used in Airliner Attack Since Oct.

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Administration Knew of Tactic Used in Airliner Attack Since October

Monday, 04 Jan 2010 01:19 PM

By: David A. Patten

The Obama administration official who declared there was "no smoking gun" that could have alerted authorities about an al-Qaida plot to bring down a U.S. airliner over Detroit had received a personal, high-level briefing in October warning of a new al-Qaida tactic of hiding a bomb in an attacker's underwear.

On Fox News Sunday, John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security, told host Chris Wallace, "There was no smoking gun. There was no piece of intelligence that said, 'This guy's a terrorist. He's going to get on a plane.' No, not whatsoever."

Brennan's comment evoked derision from international expert Arnaud de Borchgrave Monday during an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV's Kathleen Walter.

"I would call that twaddle in all its unrational splendor," said de Borchgrave, author, syndicated columnist, and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It's ridiculous to maintain such a thing. But [brennan] is trying to put the best face possible on a very difficult situation. I've known him a long time, he's a highly competent man."

Despite Brennan's contention that no smoking gun preceded the attack, Newsweek reported that Brennan received a personal briefing in October from Muhammad bin Nayef, the Saudi Prince who narrowly survived an al-Qaida assassination attempt in August. Nayef was wounded in the explosion, which used the same technique, and the same PETN explosive material, that authorities say Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab employed to try to bring down a Northwest airliner on Christmas Day.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for both attacks.

An intelligence source told Newsweek bin Nayef personally briefed Brennan because "he didn't think [u.S. officials] were paying enough attention" to the growing al-Qaida threat in Yemen, Newsweek reported.

U.S. intelligence sources say they believe the same bomb maker built both devices.

Brennan told CNN that, although he personally toured the site of the bombing in Saudi Arabia and met with bin Nayef, "There was no indication, though, that al-Qaida was trying to use that type of attack and that modus operandi against aircraft."

In December 2002, however, convicted terrorist Richard Reid tried to ignite PETN hidden in his shoe, in an attempt to destroy American Airlines Flight 63. Authorities who analyzed the attack later concluded that, if successful, the explosion could have destroyed the aircraft.

Brennan's comment marked the second time a high-level Obama administration official appeared to downplay the extent of the lapse.

Immediately after the attempted Detroit bombing, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stated that the “system worked really smoothly.”

This despite the fact that a suspect with known terrorist inclinations boarded a U.S.-bound flight without being searched. She later said her remarks were taken out of context.

Brennan, who has served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, also directed strident criticism at former Vice President Dick Cheney, who recently stated: "But we are at war, and when President Obama pretends we aren't, it makes us less safe."

"It's disappointing to me that either the vice president and others have willfully mischaracterized President Obama's position and actions, or they're just ignorant of the facts," Brennan said.

"I think in either case, it doesn't speak well to sort of the reasons why they sort of went out and said these things."

President Obama has stated the intelligence lapse that allowed Abdulmutallab to board the flight without a thorough search reflected a "systemic failure."

The State Department Monday released further evidence to that support that view. It told The Associated Press that counterterrorism agencies were alerted that Abdulmutallab had possibly fallen under the influence of jihadists.

The alert about Abdulmutallab was transmitted to U.S. counter terror agencies on Nov. 20, according to the State Department.

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