Obama orders review of security screening at airports

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered a review of the security screening procedure at airports following a failed bombing attack at a Delta airlines flight on the Christmas Day, said a government official on Sunday.

White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said when appearing on an ABC program and NBC program that the president, who is on his Christmas and New Year holiday in his hometown, Hawaii, has been constantly briefed by his national security staff on the incident.

Gibbs referred to the case that a 23-year-old Nigerian, identified as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, attempted to set off an explosive device on a Delta/Northwest Flight from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan.

The U.S. authorities earlier confirmed that the suspect's name was not on the U.S. "no fly" list since he was not considered as a hard-core member of any terrorist groups, but it has since last month been added to a broad watch list that includes people with known or suspected contact or ties to a terrorist or terrorist organization.

Gibbs said that the watch list does not automatically bring tighter screening of individuals, so the president has ordered a review of the procedures for determining which people on the list undergo more stringent checking.

President Obama also called for a review to "figure out why an individual with the chemical explosive he had on him could get on a plane in Amsterdam and fly into the U.S.," he said.

A preliminary analysis by the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed that the device contained PETN, a high explosive, and investigators also found what appear to be the remnants of the syringe from the vicinity of Abdulmutallab's seat, which was believed to have been part of the device.

"The president is very confident that this government is taking the steps that are necessary to take our fight to those who see to do us harm," said Gibbs.