Obama Takes Responsibility For Failure To Halt Attempted Attack, Promises Security Overhaul

Following a review of Christmas day’s attempted terrorist attack onboard flight 253, President Barack Obama accepted responsibility for the intelligence community’s failure to prevent a young Nigerian man from nearly detonating an explosive mid-flight.

“Ultimately the buck stops with me,” Obama said in a statement Thursday. “When the system fails it is my responsibility.”

Obama promised a slate of security measures aimed at streamlining government agencies’ ability to share data. Specifically, the intelligence community will be required to take a more aggressive approach when following leads, share gathered information faster and with a wider audience and ultimately develop the means to analyze vast amounts of data with greater ease.

Agencies will also be expected to establish internal review systems to track down potential missteps surrounding the attempt. White House Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan will brief the president on the agencies’ progress within a month.

In addition, the president stressed the importance of maintaining security at airports and pledged to expand the no-fly list and pursue technology more equipped to detect potential threats.

Obama Acknowledges Mistakes Surrounding Flight 253, Pledges Action

Following a day of meetings with national and homeland security officials, President Barack Obama acknowledged Tuesday that while the intelligence community received significant information regarding the attempted terrorist attack aboard flight 253 Christmas eve, they failed to “connect those dots.”

“This was not a failure to collect intelligence. This was a failure to integrate and understand the intelligence we already had,” said Obama.

“The system has failed in a potentially disastrous way,” the president added. “It is my responsibility to find out why and to correct that failure.”

The president promised a wide-range of improvements in U.S. security, including an overhaul of the terrorist watch and no-fly lists.

Obama added that the Christmas eve incident will not deter his administration’s plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, but explained that Yemeni prisoners will not be transfered back to their country.