U.S. faces terror threat from within, Napolitano says

Pure Genius, I wonder how she figured all this out?

"One of the most striking elements of today's threat picture is that plots to attack America increasingly involve American residents and citizens,"

ore than 120 people have been indicted in federal court on terror-related charges. About 50 of them were U.S. citizens

Dammit Janet, at least you seem to be catching on.


USA Today
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano offered a sobering assessment of the terror threat facing the United States on Wednesday, saying it was at perhaps the "most heightened state" since the Sept. 11 attacks nearly a decade ago.

Napolitano, appearing before the House Homeland Security Committee, said the threat from al-Qaeda, the group that planned the assaults in 2001, has been augmented by al-Qaeda-inspired groups and the emergence of homegrown radicals in the USA.

"One of the most striking elements of today's threat picture is that plots to attack America increasingly involve American residents and citizens," she said. "We are now operating under the assumption, based on the latest intelligence and recent arrests, that individuals prepared to carry out terrorist attacks and acts of violence might be in the United States, and they could carry out acts of violence with little or no warning."

During the past two years, more than 120 people have been indicted in federal court on terror-related charges. About 50 of them were U.S. citizens, said Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., homeland committee chairman, citing Justice Department statistics.

Obama calls bomb attempt an intelligence "screw-up"

"We dodged a bullet but just barely," the White House quoted him as telling the security chiefs. "It was averted by brave individuals not because the system worked, and that is not acceptable."

Dodged a Bullet , That is a great understatement !
If The Obama administration really wants to clamp down on security loopholes , then I have a major suggestion For them ...
Try looking at Al Qaida and the Taliban along with Al Shabaab and Hamas As Terrorists !


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner was a potentially disastrous "screw up" by the intelligence community, President Barack Obama said on Tuesday as he vowed urgent action to plug holes in air security.

Sharpening his tone as he sought to limit political fallout over the intelligence breakdown, Obama said spy agencies had enough information to uncover the December 25 plot to blow up a Detroit-bound transatlantic flight from Amsterdam but failed to "connect those dots."

On Obama's first full day back from his Hawaii vacation, he faced the challenge of spotlighting national security -- suddenly pushed to the top of his agenda -- while not looking distracted from other pressing public concerns like reducing double-digit U.S. unemployment.

"We have to do better and we will do better. And we will do it quickly," Obama said after a two-hour meeting with his national security team to discuss what he has called "human and systemic failures" in the Christmas Day incident.

Obama used his sharpest language behind closed doors, telling more than two dozen security chiefs gathered in the Situation Room, "This was a screw-up that could have been disastrous," according to the White House.

"We dodged a bullet but just barely," the White House quoted him as telling the security chiefs. "It was averted by brave individuals not because the system worked, and that is not acceptable."