US Terror Watch List Tops 400K

New standards imposed after attempted 'underwear bombing'

(NEWSER) - One year ago, the US no-fly list was at about 10,000 names; today, it has more than doubled to around 21,000. The list has been growing at a quick clip ever since the failed Christmas 2009 "underwear bomber" plot , after which the government lowered the standards required to place people on the list. The new standards would have ensured that would-be bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was on the list, which would have helped officials to catch him before he attempted to carry out his plot, the AP explains. More»

Officials change criteria in Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's wake

(NEWSER) - Be careful: The feds learned a lesson from the underwear bomber , and now all it takes is a single tip to land you on the terrorist watch list. Concerns were raised after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab wasn’t placed on the list, despite his father informing US officials of his son’s radicalization. Now, the criteria have been altered so that credible single-source tips can lead to a name’s placement on the list, the Washington Post reports. More»

Prez will detail improvements to watch-list system today

(NEWSER) - In the midst of beefing up airport security after the Detroit terror attempt, the US is expanding passenger surveillance lists, adding "probably dozens" of names to the no-fly and watch lists, the White House tells the BBC . The new names have been moved to the lists from TIDE, the vast terrorist information database where intelligence about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab stalled out. More»

'The US will do more than simply strengthen our defenses'

(NEWSER) - Breaking his public silence on the issue, President Obama said today the US "will not rest until we find all who were involved" in the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines plane. He has ordered a comprehensive review of the terrorism watch-list system. "The American people should be assured that we are doing everything possible to keep you and your families safe," said Obama, wearing a blazer but no tie as he took a break from his vacation in his native Hawaii. More»

(NEWSER) - Al Qaeda is weak militarily and “has been rejected by a great majority of Muslims,” Steve Coll writes in the New Yorker, but the terrorist organization and its affiliates can still create a “shock” like today's bombings in Jakarta. Despite the group's apparent inability to pull off a major attack like Sept. 11, “bombings like the one in Jakarta will recur for an indefinite time.” The only solution is for the US to assume “a posture of strategic patience about terrorism that is durable, vigilant, and proportional.” More»