Suspect: 20 Others Trained to Blow Up Jets
By CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian and investigative producer Pat Milton.
British Intelligence has confirmed perhaps the most chilling boast that accused Christmas Day bomber Umar Abdulmutallab made to investigators after his arrest: that close to 20 other young Muslim men were being prepared in Yemen to use the same technique to blow up airliners, CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports exclusively.
"I think the fact we know that there are other operatives being trained by al Qaeda in Yemen is extremely troubling, and is the most dangerous dimension to come out of the December 25th event," said CBS News national security analyst Juan Zarate.
That is why, sources say, the U.S. government issued this directive last Sunday - announcing "enhanced screening" for "every individual" on U.S.-bound flights from 14 countries, including Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen.
Special Report: The Christmas Day Terror Attack
In addition, a team of FBI agents is now on the ground in the West African nation of Ghana, having arrived last Saturday, attempting to piece together Abdulmutallab's whereabouts and activities in the two weeks prior to the attempted attack on Flight 253.
FBI in Ghana to Track Abdulmutallab's Steps
Timeline of Abdulmutallab's Actions
According to a government official, Abdulmutallab first arrived in the Ghana capitol of Addis Ababa on December 9 after spending five months in Yemen.
U.S officials strongly suspect Abdulmutallab met Al Qaeda operatives in Ghana who may well have offered final preparations for his suicide mission investigating if it was there that the would-be bomber obtained the specially-designed underwear packed with highly explosive powder.
Christmas Terror Suspect Pleads Not Guilty
"One of the keys is to get to London, to Ghana, to Nigeria, to Yemen to find out who Abdulmutalab was talking to, what he was doing, what else may be at play here with respect to a pipeline coming out of Yemen to hit the United States," Zarate said.
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved. British Intelligence has confirmed perhaps the most chilling boast that accused Christmas Day bomber Umar Abdulmutallab made to investigators after his arrest: that close to 20 other young Muslim men were being prepared in Yemen to use the same technique to blow up airliners, CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports exclusively.
"I think the fact we know that there are other operatives being trained by al Qaeda in Yemen is extremely troubling, and is the most dangerous dimension to come out of the December 25th event," said CBS News national security analyst Juan Zarate.
That is why, sources say, the U.S. government issued this directive last Sunday - announcing "enhanced screening" for "every individual" on U.S.-bound flights from 14 countries, including Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen.
Special Report: The Christmas Day Terror Attack
In addition, a team of FBI agents is now on the ground in the West African nation of Ghana, having arrived last Saturday, attempting to piece together Abdulmutallab's whereabouts and activities in the two weeks prior to the attempted attack on Flight 253.
FBI in Ghana to Track Abdulmutallab's Steps
Timeline of Abdulmutallab's Actions
According to a government official, Abdulmutallab first arrived in the Ghana capitol of Addis Ababa on December 9 after spending five months in Yemen.
U.S officials strongly suspect Abdulmutallab met Al Qaeda operatives in Ghana who may well have offered final preparations for his suicide mission investigating if it was there that the would-be bomber obtained the specially-designed underwear packed with highly explosive powder.
Christmas Terror Suspect Pleads Not Guilty
"One of the keys is to get to London, to Ghana, to Nigeria, to Yemen to find out who Abdulmutalab was talking to, what he was doing, what else may be at play here with respect to a pipeline coming out of Yemen to hit the United States," Zarate said.
We need to remember the prime directive: organize the bottom 99% who are being terrorized by the top 1%. Get with your groups and lets have a huge convention to decide who will run the country when we take it back from the elites. It is not black or white or Repub or Dem.
brianbwb-2009 4:06AM EST
Kidding aside, do you really think that Al-Qaeda would be happy that Abdul is spouting off secrets of more hijackings? You would think they want that a secret wouldn't ya?"
Not supposed to break character, Grasshopper.
Of course they would be happy, no big secret revealed.
If one trained, do you not already suspect others?
Only detail is number of trainees, could be lie, could be 200 trainees, maybe 2,000, who know?
Child only know of 20.
Again good tactic, cause panic.
Make "white" man afraid, "white" man then begin harming Africans, including African Americans.
Confucius say, "Then poop really hit fan."
brianbwb-2009 4:06AM EST
Kidding aside, do you really think that Al-Qaeda would be happy that Abdul is spouting off secrets of more hijackings? You would think they want that a secret wouldn't ya?"
Not supposed to break character, Grasshopper.
Of course they would be happy, no big secret revealed.
If one trained, do you not already suspect others?
Only detail is number of trainees, could be lie, could be 200 trainees, maybe 2,000, who know?
Child only know of 20.
Again good tactic, cause panic.
Make "white" man afraid, "white" man then begin harming Africans, including African Americans.
Confucius say, "Then poop really hit fan."
When you write,
"According to a government official, Abdulmutallab first arrived in the Ghana capitol of Addis Ababa on December 9 after spending five months in Yemen."
Does it mean that the government official lied, seeing as though Addis Ababa is the capitol of Ethiopia, thousands of miles from Ghana, whose capitol is Accra?
Did he actually say "Addis Ababa, capitol of Ghana"
Or did you somehow hear it wrong, somehow mistaking Addis Ababa for Accra, or maybe "capitol of Ethiopia" for "capitol of Ghana"?
If we are going to send more soldiers to get their faces blown off, and be again humiliated in a "third world" country, we wouldn't want to have them in the wrong country, now would we?
brianbwb-2009
Master.....don't fly Yemen Air....too dangerous master..."
Ah, Grasshopper, Confucius say plane than land in Detroit, not Yemen Air.
Yes master....one got through the cracks. Don't fly Delta Airlines to the United States from Yemen master...you are all wise master
You must use all senses, be aware of all details, even those which seem unimportant.
Understanding is key to winning battle, grasshopper.