Open Thread

December 27th, 2009 10:42 AM

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: the Christmas Day bombing.

A U.S. official said that Nigerian banker Umaru Mutallab, the father of the accused man, warned officials at the American embassy in Lagos, Nigeria that he feared his son had been "radicalized" during trips outside the West African country. Mr. Mutallab's concerns about his son weren't specific, nor did they point to any imminent threat against the U.S., according to the official. But the State Department did share the father's views with officials from the U.S. government's intelligence and counterterrorism bureaus, according to the official. "The father contacted us and expressed concerns about the radicalization of his son," said the U.S. official. "This information was then shared across the inter-agency." The official said he was still confirming the exact date of when Mr. Mutallab contacted the U.S. embassy, but believed it was recently.

Did someone drop the ball on this?