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Attempt to Bring Down Detroit-Bound Airliner; Terror Suspect's Past; More Arrests in Iran After Protests

Aired December 28, 2009 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: CNN NEWSROOM continues with Tony Harris.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Monday, December 28th, and here are the top stories for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The botched attempt bring down a Northwest Airlines flight. New details on the Nigerian suspect and the terror investigation. How easy is it to sneak explosives on to an airplane? Maybe a whole lot easier than you think, as we will show you.

Iran's bloodiest weekend since June's disputed presidential election. Police open fire on crowds and round up hundreds of people.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And first this hour, the attempt to bring down a Detroit-bound airliner. Here's what we know right now.

Suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is out of the hospital where he was treated for burns. He has been moved to a federal prison outside Detroit.

Tighter security measures mean long lines at airports today. Passengers report pat-downs, seat restrictions, and even restroom checks if you take too long. Officials say air marshals have been called in from vacation.

And questions. The Obama administration is digging into the security breakdown. Republicans are demanding to know why the suspect's U.S. visa had not been revoked after red flags were raised.

There you have it, a bit of a snapshot of the attempted terror attack.

Let's get details with CNN Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve.

And Jeanne, we are hearing from the suspect's family this morning in Nigeria. What's in the statement.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's family says they will continue to cooperate fully with the probe, and it gives us a better idea of how long ago his father reached out to authorities to raise alarm bells about his son's radicalization. In a statement, the family says the father "... reported the matter to the Nigerian security agencies about two months ago, and to some foreign security agencies about a month and a half ago."

Today, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano acknowledged that systems for keeping dangerous people and material off of airplanes had failed. She'd been widely criticized for saying Sunday that some systems worked. On "AMERICAN MORNING," she tried to push back a bit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: What I said is moving forward, meaning once the incident happened, we were able to immediate notify the 128 flights in the air, as well as airports on the ground, domestically, internationally. Our law enforcement partner, our other allies instituted immediate safety procedure to make sure that this could not happen on other flights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: President Obama has ordered a sweeping review of airport screening procedures and watch list protocols. We are expecting the president to speak about the incident for the first time today. And we've heard that a court hearing in Detroit where the government was expected to seek authority to get a DNA sample from the suspect has been canceled.

And by the way, Tony, a source familiar with the investigation tells CNN the device that was carried by Abdulmutallab was powerful enough to have blown a hole in the aircraft and taken it down if it had detonated successfully. It did not, of course.

HARRIS: Jeanne -- yes -- my understanding is there are screening technologies that could have detected this PETN. Why aren't they more broadly deployed?

MESERVE: Yes. Well, there are some low-tech methods that could have caught PETN, explosive-sniffing dogs, for instance, pat-downs. And as for the more advanced technology, there are so-called puffer machines that pick up traces of explosives, but they've been really hard to maintain in dirty airport environments, and they're being used less and less.

There are also explosive detection swabs that could pick up PETN, but because they take time to do, they're only done on passengers designated for secondary screening. And this individual was not.

And then, finally, there are those body imaging machines that should have shown he had something on his person. About 40 of them are deployed here in the U.S.; another 150 are on order. But, you know, there's been a lot of pushback because they've been called electronic strip search. Some people say they're just too much of an invasion of privacy. You can bet, Tony, that that whole debate is going to be revisited now.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

Our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, for us.

Jeanne, thank you.

We should tell you we expect to hear from President Obama this afternoon, presumably on the attempted terror attack. The president will speak from Hawaii, where he and his family are on vacation, of course. We will bring you the president's statement.

Checking the wire now and the day's other big stories.

Deadly clashes in Iran. One of the holiest days of the Shia calendar turned into a political protest. Reports say at least eight people were killed and hundreds were arrested. Coming up, a live report from CNN International correspondent Reza Sayah at our Iran desk.

In Pakistan, a bombing in Karachi kills at least 25 and wounds more than 50. It happened during a major Shia Muslim street procession. Thousands of Shia Muslims are commemorating Ashura, a major religion observance. Shias are in the minority in Pakistan.

Back to our top story now.

We are digging into the background of the suspect in the attempt to bring down a Detroit-bound airliner. Police in the U.K. searched the suspect's London apartment for a second day today. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a mechanical engineering student, but Britain's home secretary says he had been barred from the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN JOHNSON, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: What we do know about Abdulmutallab is he was here on a legitimate student visa, studied on a degree course at UCL, hasn't been in this country for 14 months. Applied to come back on a student visa in May, was refused, which meant he automatically went on to our watch list and can't enter this country. Now, where he was radicalized, whether he was part of a wider plot, that's all the subject of the intensive inquiries that the Americans in particular are making at the moment, and that the U.K. security services and the police are helping them with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: All right.

British flyers to America are facing long lines today due to new security requirements. How did the suspect manage to sneak an explosive passed security agents? A former TSA administrator joins me live in the NEWSROOM. And Reynolds Wolf is tracking a cold blast that is putting a lot of the Midwest into the deep freeze. We'll talk to Reynolds in just a couple of minutes.

But first, here's the latest on the Dow, New York Stock Exchange. As you can see, we are in positive territory, up 12 points.

We're following these numbers throughout the day with Stephanie Elam, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

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HARRIS: We are digging into the background of the suspect and the attempt to bring down a Detroit-bound airliner.

CNN is talking to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's family and former classmates. We are also looking into his teen years, when he first started preaching to his friends about Islam.

CNN's Christian Purefoy joining us live now from Abuja, Nigeria.

And Christian, you've been talking to the suspect's family. What are they saying to you?

CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.

Yes, we've been speaking to the two sons, and they've just put out a statement, in fact, for the whole family saying that the entire family is very shocked at what's happened. They're gathered here in the city of Abuja, behind me, in what must be a very emotional gathering.

They say they really didn't expect this from their son, Farouk Abdulmutallab. And only about two months ago did the father go to Nigeria security services to say he is concerned that his son may have been radicalized. And then, about a month and a half ago, he went to the international security agencies.

It must have been a very difficult step for him. Before that, he says his son, well, was his son -- Tony.

HARRIS: Wow. All right.

And Christian, how are Nigerians responding to these developments?

PUREFOY: With shock. And really, they're quite ashamed of this man's actions. They don't condone it at all.

The Nigerian government has criticized it. The family criticized it. And the public as well. But it's a lot of soul searching. This man was a Nigerian, and there are many people out there who have similar sympathies.

Certainly, there's no American flag-burning going on in Nigeria ever, really. And the anti-western sentiment here is nothing like you'd find in the Middle East. But there are people out there that don't wish the West well, and so he's not alone in his sympathies. A lot of soul searching as to where Nigeria can go from here -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Christian Purefoy for us in Abuja, Nigeria.

Christian, appreciate it. Thank you.

Iranian reformist Web sites say several prominent activists have been arrested today, a day after massive opposition protests. Sunday's demonstrations which coincided with the Ashura religious holiday turned violent. Iranian authorities say at least eight people were killed, and state TV reports more than 300 arrested.

CNN International Correspondent Reza Sayah is monitoring the story from the Iran desk.

And Reza, let me start here. Since the disputed presidential elections in June, protesters that we have seen have turned public gatherings into rallies against President Ahmadinejad. Is that what is going on here?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's been their strategy, because the protests have been banned by the government. So, what they have done is target major calendar days, major holidays, and go out and hijack those public, government- sanctioned events. And that appears to be what's happening over the weekend. But based on what we saw over this weekend, these were the most intense protests we have seen since the June 12th elections, six months ago, and this is what those protests did to the streets of Tehran.

This is morning after, video from the streets of Tehran. On Monday morning, the streets filled with debris. You can see charred remains of security vehicles burned by protesters the previous day.

We saw some graphic, dramatic video come in over the past 48 hours, and those videos show that these security forces were out en masse, out on a mission to deliver a harsh crackdown to protesters. And that's the aftermath -- protesters with head wounds.

Witnesses were telling us security officials were going after protesters, smashing them in the head with batons. And that's perhaps why we've seen a lot of head wounds in these amateur videos.

Sunday was also a deadly day, perhaps the deadliest day since the June 12th elections. Eight people dead, according to state-run news agencies.

Among the dead, this man, if we can go to his picture, Mir Hossein Mousavi's nephew. Mir Hossein Mousavi, the opposition leader pictured on the left. His nephew pictured on the right. Let's go to video that's purported to be video of Mir Hossein Mousavi's nephew shortly after he was killed on Sunday. Opposition Web sites say he was killed in Revolution Square around noon Sunday, local time.

Now, Iran's state-run news agencies are painting an entirely different picture. They are saying all these killings were staged and not a single gunshot was fired, Tony. But when you look at these pieces of video, when you look at these pictures, they tell a completely different story -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right, Reza. We'll continue to follow this story with you from the Iran desk.

Appreciate it. Thank you.

Sick of high credit card rates, skyrocketing fees and shrinking credit lines? Well, Gerri Willis will show you how to change all of that. She is next with "Top Tips."

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HARRIS: So, you say you're tired of the high credit card rates, skyrocketing fees and shrinking credit limits. In the first of our series on financial resolutions, Gerri Willis tells us how we can find the best terms.

All right, Gerri. Where should we get started here?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: All right. Well, I know you're fed up with your credit cards, right?

HARRIS: Oh, yes.

WILLIS: Everybody is, I think. It's estimated you've paid, all of us have paid $110 this year in interest fees alone. And for Americans as a whole, that number is closer to $10 billion -- $10 billion.

OK. The worst offenders here are Capital One, Citi and Discover. Cardholders were shocked at those companies with a 32 percent rate increase since January. Thirty-two percent since last January.

Unfortunately (sic), the end of arbitrary rate hikes is coming soon. The House voted to enforce tougher credit rules with the CARD Act. That starts February 22, 2010.

So, the big question here, how can you get a card that fits your needs?

First off, you have to try to find a different bank. Local community banks typically have rates that are one to two percentage points lower than big bank cards -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Gerri, if you decide to switch credit cards, what should you ask for? WILLIS: Well, here's some things to think about.

First of all, if you have a good credit score, you should be able to get an interest rate below 10 percent. Ask for fees that are capped so they won't go up. And also, be sure you get a 25-day grace period. This gives you a longer amount of time to pay off your card bill, and you don't have one of those really quick turnarounds, Tony, where you have to send the check as soon as you get bill.

HARRIS: Right.

And what cards are, at least now, at the top of the list for experts?

WILLIS: Well, we talked to cardratings.com for some recommendations on good cards, because, as you know, there are thousands of cards out there.

HARRIS: Right.

WILLIS: Pentagon Federal Low Rate Visa Gold, this card has a 12.49 percent APR, low balance transfer fees if you decide to move on. Simmons First VISA Platinum, 7.25 percent APR, very low, and no balance transfer fees. IberiaBank Visa Classic, this has a 25-day grace period, low balance transfer fees.

So there's some ideas if you're mad and you're ready to leave and move on to a new credit card. And, of course, if you have any questions, send them to me at Gerri@CNN.com. We love to hear from you -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes, two out of three for me. I'm getting rid of these credit cards.

Gerri, appreciate it. Thank you.

WILLIS: I hear you.

HARRIS: Let's get you caught up now on our top stories.

Federal prosecutors hoping to get DNA from the suspect in the failed terror plot will have to wait. Today's court hearing has just been canceled. No word on why.

In Massachusetts, a series of suspicious fires has killed two people. At least nine house and car fires broke out in mostly residential areas of Northampton early Sunday. Authorities report three other attempts to set fires. They are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.

And Arizona police have arrested this man on charges that he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl on Christmas Day. She is now safe with her family, thanks to an alert police officer who spotted the pair in a brown pickup just hours after she was abducted from her apartment building. He is being called the hero of Flight 253, the Dutch passenger who took down the suspected terrorist. He tells us exactly what happened.

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HARRIS: You know, there are real concerns Yemen could become a full-blown sanctuary for al Qaeda much like Pakistan. It is the place where al Qaeda originated. And like Pakistan's rugged northwest territories, Yemen is a lawless badlands.

The central government is weak and unable to control militants. And vast swathes of land, that allowed al Qaeda's resurgence on the Arabian peninsula despite U.S. pressure for Yemen to crack down on militants.

Officials say the suspect in the attempted bombing of a Detroit- bound plane claimed ties to al Qaeda in Yemen. That was one point of discussion on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" with John King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDY CROWLEY, HOST: Are there signs that you add up and go, al Qaeda?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes. I absolutely agree with everything John has said. And, I mean, I think there is a recent terrorist attack that we should look at pretty carefully.

Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, who's the senior counterterrorism official in the Saudi kingdom, long a target of al Qaeda, he narrowly escaped being assassinated by a man concealing in his underwear a PETN bomb. Now, PETN is exactly the same explosive that was used in the Detroit plot.

It's quite an unusual explosive. It was also used in al Qaeda's attempt to bring down an American Airlines plane back in December of 2001, the so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid.

And in the case of the Prince Nayef assassination attempt, this guy originated in Yemen. As John has indicated, Yemen is probably -- I think it's probably the second most important place in the world right now for an al Qaeda presence, very similar to Afghanistan.

There's a civil war going on. It's a very poor country. The government doesn't control it.

Bin Laden's family, of course, comes from Yemen. The USS Cole attack was directed from Yemen. We've seen multiple attacks, attempted attacks, on the American embassy there.

Al Qaeda has a strong foothold in Yemen, and the fact that this guy has said that he got the device in Yemen I think just speaks for itself. I think that's very plausible.

(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: You know, he's called "Mr. Sunshine," and Brian Wesbury sees strong improvement in the economy, jobs and housing. Check it out at CNNMoney.com.

Let's get you updated on the foiled terror plot against a U.S. airliner on Christmas.

The suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has been moved from a hospital where he was treated for burns and placed in the custody of U.S. marshals. The Obama administration has ordered investigations into how passengers are screened after the suspect managed to get explosives on the plane. And homeland security officials have added extra air marshals on flights and stepped up security screening at airports.

Initially, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the system worked. That was met with fierce criticism from Republican, who call the Flight 253 episode the complete opposite, a failure of the system.

Today, on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," Napolitano backtracked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAPOLITANO: With all of the procedures we now have in place, now we have instituted new procedures moving forward, and we were able, immediately upon the passenger's apprehending this individual, to institute procedures for -- even for the planes that were already in the air so that moving forward, we could provide additional safety in the air environment. But we need to go back now, and the president has asked us to do a thorough review -- these are procedures that have been in place since the shoe bomber in 2006 -- what needs to be updated, improved, upgraded to see that this doesn't happen again.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: You have said that throughout this, the system worked smoothly. What exactly worked, in your opinion?

NAPOLITANO: Yes. That's a phrase taken out of context.

What I said is, moving forward -- meaning, once the incident happened -- we were able to immediately notify the 128 flights in the air, as well as airports on the ground, domestically, internationally. Our law enforcement partners, our other allies instituted immediate safety procedures to make sure that this could not happen on other flights, and that people were watching out for it on other flights, even as we focused on what went wrong part prior to this one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A Dutch tourist says he climbed over rows of seats to subdue the terror suspect on that Delta/Northwest Airlines flight. He told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield he heard a popping sound, saw smoke and took action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Did you help take the image or did you also help subdue the suspect? Which is it?

JASPER SCHURINGA, HELPED SUBDUE TERROR SUSPECT: Well, basically, you know, like I reacted on a bang. And then something like there was smoke piling up in the cabin so people were screaming fire, fire. The first thing, like, we all did is to check where the fire was. So and then I saw the suspect. He was trembling on the seat.

WHITFIELD: How many rows back were you?

SCHURINGA: Sorry?

WHITFIELD: Were you behind the suspect when this smoke --

SCHURINGA: No. I was on the right side of the plane and the suspect was on the left so there were quite some seats in between. So when I saw that suspect, he was getting on fire. And, you know, I freaked, of course. And without any agitation (sic), I just jumped over all the seats and I just jumped to the suspect and because I was thinking -- he is trying to blow up the plane. And so, you know, I was trying to search his body for -- you know, any explosives. And then I took some kind of object that was already melting and smoking out of him and I tried to put out the fire. And then, when I did that, I was also restraining the suspect.

And then the fire started beneath his seat. So with my hands and everything, it is a little burned up. I put out the fire and then other passengers helped me, as well. Of course, I was screaming for water, water because we really had to -- fire in the plane is not that good, of course. And so, but then the fire was actually getting a little worse because what I did, it didn't extinguish the fire.

So I grabbed the suspect out of the seat because if he was wearing any more explosives, it would be very dangerous because he was almost on fire and when I grabbed him from the seat, the chemical came and they came with fire extinguishers and they got clear of all the flames. And just to be sure, like I grabbed another attendant and we took him to first class and there we stripped him and contained him with handcuffs and we made sure he had no more weapons, no more bombs on him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Airline passengers are facing stepped up security screenings following the foiled terror attack on Christmas Day and a scare involving a sick passenger on the same route added to the tensions. CNN's Allan Chernoff joining us live now from the Detroit metropolitan airport.

Allan, today, how are passengers coping?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, I'd say passengers are coping by getting here very early for their flights and being patient. I've spoken with a fair number of passengers who have arrived three hours, even more, in advance for their domestic flights. They're recognizing that security is very tight here, that they will have to be very patient and take plenty of time to go through those security lines.

And we understand that the security here includes plain clothes officers who are experts in observing behavior. Anything suspicious, the passengers are being reminded not to leave their bags unattended, all the measures that we normally associate with airport security, but here today, in Detroit, they're being especially vigilant. The passengers, though, pretty much, they seem to be taking it in stride.

HARRIS: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think we're going to let, you know, any attempts like that stop us from, you know, living life normally like we do. You know? Just press on. You know? Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst and, you know, everybody stay vigilant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: The fact is, a lot of passengers have told me they're glad that security is tight particularly, after what they saw happen on Christmas Day. Tony?

HARRIS: Well, Allan, if you would, it wasn't just Christmas Day. Remind us of the false alarm that put so many people on edge at the same airport yesterday.

CHERNOFF: That's right. I think it is a perfect example of the heightened security consciousness that airline crews have, that law enforcement have.

Yesterday, that same flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, number 253, there was a passenger on board, same description, described as a Nigerian man in his 20s. He spent much of the flight in the bathroom and wouldn't come out when flight attendants tried to get him to return to his seat. The captain contacted his dispatcher.

They had law enforcement meet the plane in a remote area of the tarmac. The plane was surrounded by police cars, other law enforcement. One passenger counted 13 vehicles. They took the man off, questioned him, turned out to be a false alarm. He was suffering from food poisoning.

Nonetheless, they still scanned the entire plane, rescanned the baggage, had everyone wait for hours. Tony, people are being very cautious now.

HARRIS: I think we would be advised to add a few hours of preparation time, lead time to our domestic and international flights. Allan Chernoff for us this morning, Allan thank you. Where did security break down exactly on the flight 253 plot? A former TSA administrator joins me right here on CNN NEWSROOM.

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HARRIS: Let's get you to our top stories now.

Holiday travelers can expect long lines and extra security at the airports today after a failed terror attack on Christmas Day. Another passenger on board the Detroit-bound flight took this picture as the suspect was taken into custody.

Iranian security forces carrying out a massive crackdown on anti- government protests. An opposition website reporting that several more activists have been arrested today. Clashes between police and protesters yesterday left eight people dead and authorities reported 300 arrests.

In Pakistan, at least 25 people are dead, 50 others wounded, after a suicide blast that happened in a section of Karachi where thousands were commemorating Ashura (ph), a major religious observance for Shiite Muslims.

How did the suspect manage to sneak an explosive past security agents? A former TSA administrator joins me live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The suspect in the attempted bombing, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was put on a terror watch list last month but you should know there are at least four different watch lists. Abdulmutallab was on the least restrictive known as TIDE. It stands for Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment. About a half million names on are it.

Within that is a somewhat smaller group, about 400,000 people who are on the TSDB, that's Terrorist Screening Data Base. Among those are about 14,000 names on the selectee list which means they must undergo secondary screening before boarding a flight and finally there is the much talked about no-fly list, about 4,000 people who absolutely are forbidden from flying on commercial aircraft.

So there are lists, more lists, but beyond the lists, what more can be done to make air travel safer? Tom Blank is a former administrator of the TSA, the Transportation Security Administration and he is joining us from Washington.

Tom, thanks for your time. Let me start by suggesting a bit of what I expect you'll say to me.

Tom, you are not surprised, are you, that radicalized Muslims trained in some cases by al Qaeda are still trying to bring down aircraft? True?

TOM BLANK, FMR. DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR, TSA: Not at all. The threat's real and the threat's continuing. This better be a lightning bolt that will jolt us awake and come to the realization that we are not putting the resources to aviation security that we need to put to it. And that we have to recalibrate how security relates to our privacy considerations. We've become too lax and we need to understand that the threat is real and that we have a big job to do and we better attack it with a sense of urgency.

HARRIS: Wait a minute Tom. My understanding is that we've been spending billions in security and technology to better secure the homeland. Is this a question of resources or what here?

BLANK: Well, it is a question of resources. We know that the shoe bomber Richard Reid used PETN.

HARRIS: Right.

BLANK: We have known for a number of years that PETN is a threat. We have known that explosives at the checkpoint and our capability to detect them is a vulnerability that needs to be closed. Yet, we see the GAO issuing a report earlier this year saying that TSA has tested but not deployed some 10 checkpoint technologies that could be used to help defeat this kind of a threat.

HARRIS: Are the technologies any good? Testing and those technologies being any good are two different issues, right?

BLANK: Well, what we know is that the whole body imagers, the X ray technology is very good. It will find organics. It does a superb job for the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. It does a superb job at the border for customs and border protection and TSA, while they are now beginning to deploy it, needs to increase the urgency with which they're moving in that direction.

HARRIS: In your view, what's been the hold-up in further deploying it?

BLANK: Well, there's two things. One is resource fatigue, because it is slightly more expensive than what we're putting to it now and the second is that we've given too much credence to the ACLU and privacy considerations and those objections which spreads not only from the checkpoint imaging technologies, but it also inhibits our capability to do information sharing amongst global law enforcement and intelligence agencies that may well have produced enough additional derogatory information to move this Nigerian gentleman from the list that he was on to a higher threat level.

HARRIS: Tom, that's not acceptable. You know, we can debate the ACLU and the screening technology, but the idea that we're not better sharing the material is just unacceptable at this point, isn't it?

BLANK: Listen. We have gotten better at it over the years. There's no question. We have defeated a number of terrorist plots between Europe and the United States and elsewhere around the world. But it's simply a matter that we need to do more. We need to redouble our efforts with the understanding that we have come a long way. But we're simply not there yet. HARRIS: OK. So the president is ordering a security review. It's obviously the right thing to do and I guess you're getting at -- is there something else the president, this administration, homeland security should do as part of this review?

BLANK: Well...

HARRIS: Where would you start?

BLANK: First, the president is doing exactly the right thing because what his action means is that all the options are now out on the table. We are going rethink all of our assumptions. We're going to recalibrate our priorities relative to resources, relative to privacy and those concerns and have a robust debate. Capitol Hill is going to be a big part of it. Senator Lieberman sent these signals yesterday about the need to push down our privacy concerns and increase our security objectives and so I think this is going to lead to a robust debate that hopefully will improve things sooner rather than later.

HARRIS: How much enhanced security can you bring to the nation's airport system without just making it totally impractical for airlines to survive and make a profit in this country?

BLANK: Well, you can do quite a bit, actually. Let's remember that it was in 2002 when in the space of one year the TSA was able to purchase and deploy literally thousands of pieces of electronic equipment to screen all baggage with that advanced technology by December 31 of 2002. So with the kind of cooperation the TSA has undertake within the airports, with the airline community, you can actually do quite a bit very, very quickly and I would say that all the stakeholders are prepared to do that in the aftermath of this incident.

HARRIS: I got to ask you. Who pays the freight for that in terms of enhanced security, some of the things that you are talking about, who pay the freight?

BLANK: Well, either there's going to have to be new resources or there's going to have to be a reallocation of existing resources. So I would say part of the president's review is going to find those resources and determine where they come from and part of the interaction with Capitol Hill is going to be whether or not new resources are made available for the purpose because we have now awakened ourselves that we're behind the curve.

HARRIS: And the pass through will ultimately get to you and me, the flying public. Correct?

BLANK: The flying public will be better protected with a capability to find organic explosive materials at the checkpoint, both carry-on and on your person and the flying public will be better protected by an increased information sharing capability.

HARRIS: Tom Blank, Tom that was good stuff, thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks for your time. BLANK: Thank you.

HARRIS: There is a covert program designed to improve the screening system at our nation's airport. We'll show you exactly what undercover agents managed to clear through security. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: All right. Let's get started here with another check with our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve. And Jeanne, my understanding is you're following new information on new security directives tied to our top story today.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. You will recall that on Saturday, shortly after this Christmas Day attempt on an airliner, the Transportation Security Administration sent out a security directive to airlines telling them to take certain security measures. Now, CNN is hearing from multiple sources that the Transportation Security Administration is revising or modifying that directive that was given to the airlines.

Specifically, we've been hearing a lot about travelers having to stay in their seats for one hour prior to landing and also that they had to leave pillows, blankets and carry-ons stowed during that one hour before landing. What we are being told now is that that rule has been modified. That is now going to be at the discretion of the flight crew. If the flight crew feels that there's some situation developing on their aircraft, they're absolutely free to impose that rule. But it is at their discretion that they do so. It's not mandatory from the Federal government.

In addition, we know that on these flights, these -- I should mention, to clarify, these are flights inbounds from overseas to the United States. In addition, on those flights there had been a directive to disable the passenger communication systems that would govern things like the maps that you see in front of your seat on some flights. That order has also revised and modified by the TSA. That, too, also now up to the discretion of the flight crew. I should mention that the on-ground requirements remain in effect. Those are the requirements that there be pat downs and thorough examination of all carry-on bags before they go on the plane. Tony.

HARRIS: Jeanne, let me turn to a piece you filed a while ago. We were just as you were talking with Tom Blank, the former top official with the TSA about the screening equipment that is available, that is being tested that really gives you a body search. You filed a piece on this. Remind us of this piece.

MESERVE: This wasn't to do with the technology. What happened in early 2008 was this. We had exclusive access to covert testing being done by the TSA with a goal of improving screening systems and screener performance and what we saw there, Tony, might open your eyes and show you how someone with an explosive strapped to his body might indeed be able to get through airport security.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VOICE OF TSA COVERT TESTER: This is a back support. I'm putting a detonator into the plastic explosive.

MESERVE (voice-over): It isn't an actual improvised explosive device, just a very good copy that should set off alarms just like the real thing.

TESTER: Slide it in to get it deeper in there so that it's more difficult and concealed better.

MESERVE: This undercover team from the Transportation Security Administration applies a chemical that mimics explosive residue. Then they head for Tampa international airport. No one knows they're coming until the airport's top security official gets a call five minutes before the test begins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would ask that you not speak to anyone on your staff to alert them of this test.

MESERVE: At the checkpoint, the tester is wanded and patted down right where the fake IED is concealed, but the screener does not catch it. If this were a real bomb it just made it past security. TSA won't give exact numbers, but screeners fail these tests more often than they pass them.

DAVID HOLMES, TSA ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR: We're designing our test not so much to indicate or to show or highlight performance or absence of performance at a particular airport, but we're highlighting where the vulnerability exists at the airport. MESERVE: At Tampa the team breaks cover immediately to show the screener his mistakes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you do it again and we'll go over everything so I can show you exactly what you did wrong.

MESERVE: Again, wanding and patting misses the fake IED. Only when the tester tells the screener to go a step further and lift up the shirt does the screener find it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see it now.

MESERVE: Apparently aware of the consequences if this had been the real thing, the screener appears devastated, but every screener at this checkpoint will be taught today's lessons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all have to be sharp to stop them from coming into the sterile area. You know that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Now that test was run back in 2008. Since then we're told techniques for making and concealing bombs have evolved and so has screening, including changes to pat-down techniques, but it appears that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab didn't get a pat down or go through a body imaging device or have his possessions swabbed (ph) for explosives because he had never been tagged for any kind of additional scrutiny by airport security. Tony.

HARRIS: That's absolutely amazing. Jeanne Meserve for us, Jeanne appreciate it. Thank you.

And here's what we're working on for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM, more X-ray vision than ever before. Brian Todd shows us a new machine that supposedly can find all sorts of contraband at the airport. Could it have helped stop the Christmas terror plot? We'll take a look.

Plus, Diana (INAUDIBLE) reports from Baghdad on a match-making program for widows. It is breaking tradition by helping women find new husbands and fathers for their children.

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