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Updated 12/31/2009 05:43 PM

Officials Release Preliminary Report On Attempted Airline Attack

By: NY1 News

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President Barack Obama was briefed Thursday on preliminary reports on the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airplane on Christmas Day.

The president said he spoke with his Homeland Security and Counterterrorism adviser and now plans to meet with the officials involved in the review early next week.

Obama ordered a review of intelligence and travel policies to find out why U.S. intelligence agencies didn't piece together information that could have prevented the alleged bomber from boarding the plane.

The suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, above, was able fly to the United States with a valid visa even though his father had warned the government he was an extremist.

U.S. officials say there wasn't enough information to elevate Abdulmutallab to an official terror watch list or no-fly list.

The Nigerian man was able to get on the flight with explosives in his underwear, despite going through an extensive security screening at an Amsterdam airport.

An al-Qaida faction in Yemen is claiming responsibility for the attempted attack.

In wake of the security breach, homeland security officials are rushing to bring in more full body scanners to U.S. airports.

The United States currently has only 19 machines, but the Transportation Security Administration has ordered 150 more to be installed by early 2010.