Christmas Day Bomber

The 23 years old terrorist, who attempted to bomb flight 253 to Detroit on Christmas day, is Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab; he was a mechanical engineering student at University Collage London (2005-2008). Abdul Mutallab is a Nigerian national who it has been reported is on a terrorist watch list, but in spite of that he was able on Christmas Eve to board the flight at Amsterdam airport with an undetected explosive device on his body. What’s wrong with this picture?

In May of this year his visa application to the UK was denied because the college he applied for was bogus and therefore did not exist, yet he was granted a visa to the US from the American Embassy in Abuja (the capital of Nigeria). Six month ago, his father a prominent Nigerian banker has told the US embassy in Nigeria that he was concerned about his son’s recent ‘unexplained’ time in Yemen!!!

It is a blessing that the passengers of the transatlantic flight were vigilant and acted bravely and swiftly to avert what could have been a catastrophic disaster on so many levels. To blow up a US flight over US soil on Christmas Day would have been this administration’s Tsunami, cementing the belief that the US is going soft on terror, and losing sight of the real enemy.

This incident is an alarming shock and a reminder that evil and evil-doers are among us and still active undeterred by congeniality. It is an eye-opener to individuals obsessed by the rights and civil liberties of those who are unconcerned by sacrificing innocent lives to further their causes. This is a gloomy prompt that we can not afford to drop our guard or take our eyes of the ball, but unfortunately that is exactly what happened in this case. It is our reminder that the entire advanced technology in the world is no equal to the tenacity, determination, and grit of our enemy because he has a one track mind and that is to destroy us and our freedom.

That brings up some questions:

1. Can we really afford to be civil and moral with those who regard neither and belief that all individuals with principles different to theirs are dispensable at any cost?
2. Do we really belief that being civilised to this particular enemy is going to weaken their resolve or make them become civil?
3. How many lost lives are too many and when will we say enough is enough?
4. How many foiled attempts can we afford before the next 9/11?
5. Who calls the shots and make the rules that protects us, the security and intelligence services, our leaders, the public or the enemy?

If the enemies’ aim is to keep us on our guard, hold us hostage limit our civility, control our movements, and dictate our liberty then they won! But if we are still at war then maybe we should consider fighting in a manner they can understand.