Family Life

01.07.10 | FL News Team

A soon-to-be released declassified report dealing with the missed clues that could've kept the accused would-be Christmas plane bomber under wraps will "shock" Americans, says a top White House aide. National Security Advisor James Jones told "USA Today" that the botched bombing of a Northwest Airlines jet on approach to Detroit could've been avoided altogether. A report coming out today will describe the trail that should've led straight to Umar Abdulmutallab before the 23-year-old Nigerian national and his hidden explosives got on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 along with nearly 300 other people. Abdulmutallab was indicted on six felony counts by a federal grand jury in Washington, DC yesterday.

 Jones said President Obama is "alarmed" that all the, quote, "bits of information that were available, patterns of behavior that were available" that weren't acted on. If there's any silver lining, it's that the system needs "tweaks" and not the complete overhaul that followed the 9-11 terror attacks. Jones vowed the White House knows how to "fix" the national security apparatus, including boosting staff levels at overworked intelligence agencies. He promised, quote, "We don't have to reinvent anything."