Or did things just not go according to plan?

 Loading ...

As most of you know, a botched attempt was made on Christmas Day to blow up a U.S. plane headed to Detroit.  Not only that, but Al Qaeda has come forward claiming responsibility for the attempted attack.  Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (the arrested and detained suspect) boarded a Nigerian plane, followed by a plane in the Netherlands headed to Detroit.  An explosive chemical was sewn into his clothes, and he was strapped with a device that was to be used to detonate the explosives.  The amount of explosive on the suspect was enough to blow a hole in the aircraft.  The suspect made sure to seat himself near the wing, over a fuel-line, in order to maximize the damage and destroy the plane.  The attempt failed when the explosive content simply set him on fire.  Passengers on board the flight to Detroit, reported hearing a popping sound.  One man on board took action, apprehending the suspect until others came to help (See Northwest Flight 253 Hero).

Many details came to surface after the failed attempt.  The Nigerian suspect’s parents had noticed their son went missing for over a month and, prior to that, had started exhibiting bizzare behavior.  They notified the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria that their son had “turned radical,” and could perhaps become a potential threat to the U.S.  Still, Abdulmutallab managed to board two planes, with explosives, and get into the U.S. 

Credit the parents for notifying the proper authorities.  Credit the brave men & women on board Northwest Flight 253.  However, this incident could have turned out to be a tragedy.  Someone has to take the blame. 

What do you think?  Who dropped the ball?  Should foreign security take the blame for allowing him on the flight in the first place?  Should U.S. security take the blame for not having him on a no-fly list?