The Anonymous Widower

Obama Says Security Failed

I was one of millions who said it yesterday and now Barack Obama says it.

President Barack Obama has said a systemic failure allowed a known extremist with explosives to get onto a US-bound plane last week.

Mr Obama said he considered the intelligence and security failures to be “totally unacceptable”.

I have never had any direct contact with the so-called security services either here, in Europe or the United States.  But I have heard quite a few horrendous tales of incompetence, especially where their computing is concerned.

As to the computing that is to be expected, as most government computer systems either don’t work or are very much over budget and so late that they are out-of-date before they are introduced.  Who’s to say that the security services machines are as on-the-ball as those of say Ryanair? Are they independently audited for a start?

But to return to the case of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.  He was flagged up to the security services at least a month before he was due to travel by his worried father and he was also banned from Britain.  As he had a valid Nigerian passport and US visa, surely this should have been shown up when he booked his flight.

So one computer wasn’t talking to another!

But we are not talking massive numbers as only hundreds of thousands are on these watch database, not millions.  We’re also talking genuine passports, which have numbers. 

So did someone get a digit wrong?

December 30, 2009 - Posted by AnonW | Computing, News, Transport/Travel | Barack Obama, Crime, Security, Terrorism