Transportation Security Administration agent Paul Marshall helps an international traveler at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Mich., Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Obama: 'Systemic failure' has occured
Updated: Tuesday, 29 Dec 2009, 4:21 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 29 Dec 2009, 4:06 PM CST
HONOLULU (AP) - President Barack Obama says he wants a preliminary accounting completed by Thursday into what went wrong that allowed explosives to make it onto a Detroit-bound airliner last week.
He says "it's essential we diagnosis the problems quickly."
The president said Tuesday "a systemic failure has occurred" that led a "catastrophic breach of security" and allowed a 23-year-old Nigerian to board a plane to the United States despite warnings from the suspect's father. The suspect -- described by Obama as "a known extremist" -- is accused of trying to destroy the plane on Christmas Day as it approached Detroit.
Obama says deficiencies in the system allowed the suspect to get as far as he did. Obama says he wants to hear exactly what went wrong.
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