US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Monday admitted security failures as it emerged that a Nigerian man who tried to blow up a Christmas Day flight to Detroit had been on a government database of people with ties to terrorism, according to dpa. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, has been charged with attempting to destroy a Northwest Airlines plane carrying 278 passengers from Amsterdam to Detroit on Friday. The explosive failed to detonate and he was subdued by passengers. "Our system did not work in this instance. No one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way," Napolitano told US broadcaster NBC. US President Barack Obama was expected to make a statement later Monday. Abdulmutallab held a US visa but was also on the government"s TIDE database of people that may have links to terrorism. Napolitano called it a "generic list" with half-a-million names. She conceded the suspect had not been placed on a no-fly list. "What do we need to do to change perhaps the rules that have been in place since 2006 for moving somebody from the generic TIDE database to a more elevated status? All of that under review right now," Napolitano told NBC. Abdulmutallab"s father said he had warned US officials in the country that his son was missing and that he feared his son had become radicalized, according to Nigerian media. Critics have also questioned why airport screening could not detect the pentaerythritol (PETN) explosive material he smuggled onto the flight. Napolitano said advanced technologies have yet to be deployed at all airports. Passengers have faced tighter security measures on flights to the United States since the incident, including stiffer luggage checks at airports and being forced to remain in their seats for the final hour of their journey.
