WASHINGTON – President Obama yesterday ordered intelligence agencies to streamline how terrorism threats are pursued and analyzed, saying the government has to respond aggressively to the failures that allowed a Nigerian man to ignite an explosive on a jetliner on Christmas Day.
Mr. Obama directed the Homeland Security Department to acquire $1 billion in advanced-technology equipment, including body scanners, for screening passengers at airports.
He said intelligence reports involving threats would be distributed more widely among agencies. He instructed the State Department to review its visa policy to make it more difficult for people with connections to terrorism to receive visas, while making it simpler to revoke U.S. visas when questions arise.
“We are at war,” Mr. Obama said, releasing an unclassified version of a report on the attempted attack. He pledged not to “succumb to a siege mentality” sacrificing America’s civil liberties for security, but he called for expanding the criteria for adding people to terrorism watch lists.
No comments:
Post a Comment