US President Obama admitted the failure on part of intelligence agencies in detecting the terrorists’ attempt to blow an American airline, and pledged to defeat al-Qaeda at all costs.

Briefing media after meeting with Security Chief in Washington, the US president told the reporters that US security agencies had enough intelligence to disrupt a plot to blow up a plane last month, but failed to act. The intelligence community had failed to ‘connect the dots’, Mr Obama said. Obama however assured all out efforts to protect the Americans. He noted that a Nigerian man namely Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, became a member of al-Qaeda network in Yemen. The president reiterated his plan to close down Guantanamo Bay prison.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian government expressed concern over the strict screening made mandatory for Nigerian citizens at US airports. Nigerian Foreign Minister told the reporters that he had told the US envoy that such checking measures were intolerable for his country.