Nearly 300 innocent passengers and crew members on Northwest Flight 253 received what looks to be a Christmas miracle when they were not killed by an alleged terrorist who set off an explosive onboard. While the media is already raising questions about airline security, there is a more cogent question that needs to be answered: why is the federal government still giving visas to terrorists? Significant policy changes are necessary.
The criminal complaint filed by the FBI against Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab after his arrest at the Detroit airport accuses him of a “willful attempt to destroy an aircraft.” It cites preliminary analysis of the explosive in his possession as containing PETN, which was the explosive to be used in the foiled 2006 terrorist plot to blow up several commercial planes over the Atlantic. Early reports indicate Mr. Abdulmutallab, who is Nigerian, was given a visa with a two-year validity to enter the U.S. to attend a “religious ceremony.” (One wonders if that ceremony was to be his own martyrdom.) He confessed to receiving terrorist training during a recent trip to Yemen. It was also reported that Mr. Abdulmutallab was in a law enforcement intelligence database of people with suspected ties to terrorists.
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