Barack Obama vows to combat al-Qaeda recruitment

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President Barack Obama has vowed to combat al-Qaeda's recruitment of young lone recruits for terrorist missions, following the failed Christmas Day plane attack.

By Alex Spillius in Washington
Published: 6:01PM GMT 08 Jan 2010

A senior aide said the effort would build on close co-operation with Britain on "counter-radicalisation", which had been under discussion before Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian who had studied at University College London, attempted to blow up a jet bound for Detroit.

The 23-year-old was due to make his first appearance in court on Friday to face six charges, including one of the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction that carries a life sentence.

Legal experts said that with so much evidence against Abdulmutallab, his lawyers are likely to submit a plea deal.

"This is not a case of mistaken identity or a whodunnit. For the defence, it's damage control," said Joseph Niskar, a leading defence lawyer in Detroit.

The FBI has said Abdulmutallab hid PETN explosives in his underwear which failed to ignite properly.

Since the botched attack, security at airports in the US and around the world has tightened as the Obama administration acknowledged that intelligence officers had the information to have prevented the suspect from flying but failed to "connect the dots".

Among several new measures, Mr Obama said he had asked intelligence agencies to focus al-Qaeda's effort to recruit individuals without known terrorist affiliations.

"That's why I've directed my national security team to develop a strategy that addresses the unique challenges posed by lone recruits," he said at the White House on Thursday evening.

Janet Napolitano, Secretary for Homeland Security, said the Americans had already been working with Britain on counter-radicalisation.

"How do we identify someone before they become radicalised to the point where they're ready to blow themselves up with others on a plane? How do we work with our allies like the UK on this? That's been a major topic of conversation between us and the UK over the prior months."

British security sources have said that Abdulmutallab was noted as associating with extremists during his three years in London, but believe he only resolved to carry out an attack during a stay to Yemen.

Source : Barack Obama vows to combat al-Qaeda recruitment - Telegraph