U.S. Failed to Catch Suspect's Active Visa
By CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian.
CBS News has learned the State Department system designed to keep track of active U.S. visas twice failed to reveal Nigerian terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had been issued an active visa allowing him multiple entries into the United States.
According to a law enforcement source, the first failure came on Nov. 19, 2009, the very same day Abdulmutallab father's, Dr. Umaru Mutallab, a prominent banking official in Nigeria, expressed deep concern to officials at the U.S. Embassy in Abjua, Nigeria, that his 23-year-old son had fallen under the influence of "religious extremists" in Yemen.
The second failure to flag an active visa belonging to Abdulmuttalab occurred the very next day in Washington, after Mutallab's concerns were forwarded to officials there. It was only after the Christmas Day terror attack in Detroit that U.S. officials learned that Abdulmuttalab had been issued a visa by the U.S. Embassy in London valid from June 16, 2008, through June 12, 2010.
More Coverage from CBSNews.com:
Al Qaeda: We Planned Flight 253 Bombing
Officials: In-Flight Restrictions Eased
Tracing Bomb Suspect's Journey to Detroit
Expert: New Security Steps a Smokescreen
Al Qaeda's Yemen Branch Rising in Stature
Many Questions, Few Answers in Terror Case
U.S. Failed to Catch Suspect's Active Visa
Abdulmutallab Shocks Family, Friends
Would-Be Bomber Used Powerful Explosive
Who Is Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab?
Tightening Security in U.S.
?2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. CBS News has learned the State Department system designed to keep track of active U.S. visas twice failed to reveal Nigerian terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had been issued an active visa allowing him multiple entries into the United States.
According to a law enforcement source, the first failure came on Nov. 19, 2009, the very same day Abdulmutallab father's, Dr. Umaru Mutallab, a prominent banking official in Nigeria, expressed deep concern to officials at the U.S. Embassy in Abjua, Nigeria, that his 23-year-old son had fallen under the influence of "religious extremists" in Yemen.
The second failure to flag an active visa belonging to Abdulmuttalab occurred the very next day in Washington, after Mutallab's concerns were forwarded to officials there. It was only after the Christmas Day terror attack in Detroit that U.S. officials learned that Abdulmuttalab had been issued a visa by the U.S. Embassy in London valid from June 16, 2008, through June 12, 2010.
More Coverage from CBSNews.com:
Al Qaeda: We Planned Flight 253 Bombing
Officials: In-Flight Restrictions Eased
Tracing Bomb Suspect's Journey to Detroit
Expert: New Security Steps a Smokescreen
Al Qaeda's Yemen Branch Rising in Stature
Many Questions, Few Answers in Terror Case
U.S. Failed to Catch Suspect's Active Visa
Abdulmutallab Shocks Family, Friends
Would-Be Bomber Used Powerful Explosive
Who Is Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab?
Tightening Security in U.S.
?2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved
Recommended
- VA Hid Suicide Risk, Internal E-Mails Show
- How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders?
- Gardasil Researcher Speaks Out
- Exclusive: Rape in America: Justice Denied
- Congress Went to Denmark, You Got the Bill
- Watchdogs on Alert for Haiti Charity Fraud
- Growing Threat Of Russia's Mob Play Video
- Medicare Disadvantage
We are so screwed....
This is not only normal, but is to be expected. My own personal experiences with US embassies around the world enlightened me long ago that those posts are peopled with the worst of American arrogance and racism.
As so often happens as to be considered S.O.P., a local person in a non- European country, who is highly educated, and with an important place in local society, is regarded as just another n-word, and ignored by the arrogant excuses for humanity "representing" the US.
What more, the man was willing to turn in his own son. Bet he knows better now.
The US State Dept, is rife with the cronies, sons and daughters of ex-Dixiecrats, current Neoconderthals, and the arrogant, corrupt slime at the bottoms of all barrels. It is generally common knowledge that they are not at all to be trusted, either by the locals, or by the citizens and expats of the country they are supposed to represent.
I learned my lesson at the Paul Wolfowitz-run US embassy in Indonesia, their reneging on agreements (and the attitude they showed while doing it)cost me at least USD $2,500, and temporarily set back my work building a viable business presence there.
I made myself a promise, to never again lift a finger in aid of a US embassy.
This is not only normal, but is to be expected. My own personal experiences with US embassies around the world enlightened me long ago that those posts are peopled with the worst of American arrogance and racism.
As so often happens as to be considered S.O.P., a local person in a non- European country, who is highly educated, and with an important place in local society, is regarded as just another n-word, and ignored by the arrogant excuses for humanity "representing" the US.
What more, the man was willing to turn in his own son. Bet he knows better now.
The US State Dept, is rife with the cronies, sons and daughters of ex-Dixiecrats, current Neoconderthals, and the arrogant, corrupt slime at the bottoms of all barrels. It is generally common knowledge that they are not at all to be trusted, either by the locals, or by the citizens and expats of the country they are supposed to represent.
I learned my lesson at the Paul Wolfowitz-run US embassy in Indonesia, their reneging on agreements (and the attitude they showed while doing it)cost me at least USD $2,500, and temporarily set back my work building a viable business presence there.
I made myself a promise, to never again lift a finger in aid of a US embassy.
Yes, eventhough this incident happened almost a year after Bush left office, he is still getting the blame. I suppose that if a toilet backs up in the White House TODAY, it will be Bush's fault. When will you guys wakeup and smell the BS!!!!!"
Stop defending the idiots that CREATED the system that allowed this and didn't provide the funds or the know how for proper identification.
We woke up and smelled the BS well over a year ago and elected someone different. The Republicans and far right haven't figured that out yet. The trappings that Bush and his idiots put into place after 9/11 created more problems than they solved.
In addition, in case you haven't figured out how government works, we are still running under Georges' last budget and programs, won't be able to change much until we get past that.
Who was the U.S. President on June 16, 2008? George Bush, who approved this visa? The Bush administration and some low level clerk who didn't take the time to check it out.
So, when the toilet backs up, like it just did, where does the the glue stick? George Bush.
If any of us were flying to another country for a conference, for example, wouldn't we want the opportunity to clear our names before we were denied entry? You can fault the system for being slow. You can fault the bureaucracy for too much protocol. But you can't fault it for wanting to check things out first before pulling a visa.
You should be asking how someone on a watchlist can obtain one. Wjar is Homeland security and INS doing and what kind of systems are US embassies around the world using when they can miss something like this??
Depends on what country you are from.
Try being from an African, or Asian country (other than Japan).
You wouldn't stand a chance of getting a visa, unless AFTER you have shown that you are a property owner, with a permanent local job for more than two years, and a references from a US entity verifying your relationship, then the ignorant savages working for the US embassy MAY decide that Amerikka can tolerate one more non-"White".
If you are from a "White" country, all you have to do is show your round trip ticket.
This attitude will be the next entry point for those seeking to do damage, simply send a "White" sympathizer, they will get through with little or no check whatsoever.
Exclusive: 2 State Dept. Checks Before Alleged Terror Attack Didn't Discover Abdulmutallab had Active Visa Allowing Entry
Does this mean we can go back to Profiling Terroist again?