Report: Al-Qaida Bomb Plot Against Jet Thwarted

Staff / Truthdig May 8, 2012 The CIA foiled an elaborate new underwear bomb plot by an al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen that was intended to bring down a U.S.-bound airliner, The Associated Press reported Monday. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Abdulmutallab Pleads Guilty, Sounds Warning Note in Detroit Court

Staff / Truthdig Oct 13, 2011 It's a busy week in homeland security here in the US, what with the news of an alleged Iranian attempt on the life of a key Saudi diplomat (a case that wasn't exactly news to select members of the Obama administration), and now a new chapter to an even older story with a prepackaged, media-generated catchphrase you may recall: "underwear bomber". Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Mutallab Challenge

Gbemisola Olujobi / Truthdig Jan 13, 2010 Christmas 2009 was not particularly cheery in Nigeria. A poor economic climate, an epileptic power supply and scarcity of petroleum products ensured that the celebrations were low-key. As if these challenges were not enough, news of an attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner by a Nigerian filtered in on Christmas Day. The nation’s heart sank. The tag that has now been put on the country is a new one for Nigeria. Money laundering? Sadly, yes. Internet scamming? Another sad yes. But suicide bombing? Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

‘Left, Right & Center’: Dems Doomed? Should Geithner Go?

Staff / Truthdig Jan 9, 2010 The gang's all here for this week's episode of "Left, Right & Center," and it's a good thing, considering the, er, sheer amount of material to cover. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's not exactly winning the hearts of millions these days, but should he step down? Plus: bad news on the employment front (sigh); the Democratic outlook for 2010; and what big banks are (and aren't) doing for customers -- and what Americans can do about it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

White House Releasing Details of Flight 253 Security Issues

Staff / Truthdig Jan 8, 2010 The White House's decision to release information that points to why US intelligence agencies failed to nab the foiled underwear bomber before he boarded Northwest Flight 253 on Dec 25 may have something to do with publicly shaming those agencies (continued). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama Slams Intel Agencies for Christmas Day Attack Attempt

Staff / Truthdig Jan 6, 2010 Barack Obama gave U.S. intelligence agencies the presidential equivalent of a knuckle-rapping Tuesday for their failure to connect the dots and nab Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab before a fellow passenger on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was forced to foil his underwear bomb plot the old-fashioned way. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Halts Transfer of Gitmo Prisoners to Yemen

Staff / Truthdig Jan 6, 2010 Perhaps unsurprisingly, the US government has decided that now is not the best time to transfer Yemeni detainees back to their homeland from Guantánamo Bay prison in Cuba More than 80 Yemeni prisoners -- almost half of the entire group at Gitmo -- will stay put for the time being, as the situation between the U and Yemen remains tense. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Global War on Stealth Underwear

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Dec 30, 2009 There is no “war” against terrorism What George W Bush launched and Barack Obama insists on perpetuating does not qualify Not if by war one means doing the obvious and checking a highly suspicious air traveler’s underwear to see if explosives have been sewn in. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Yemeni Official: More Counterterrorism Support Needed From West

Staff / Truthdig Dec 30, 2009 The Christmas Day incident on Northwest Flight 253 has brought Yemen further onto the U.S. radar, and now Yemen's foreign minister, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, is calling for more help from the West to deal with what he considers to be a sizable al-Qaida network operating within his country. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Al-Qaida Claims Responsibility for U.S. Plane Attack Attempt

Staff / Truthdig Dec 29, 2009 A branch of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has announced its affiliation with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian who allegedly tried to set off an explosive device aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )