Could Internet Users Have Prevented The Detroit Terrorist Plot?
It seems that all of it couldve been avoided had someone answered one of his many questions he posted online.
The 23 year old Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab who went by the online name of Farouk1986starting posting message online in early 2005 about how he was having a hard time making friends, and fitting in at his boarding school. He also sought out guidance to help him with his Muslim beliefs but most of his messages went unanswered. Each message he posted seemed to show the decline in a person who friends in school say was one of the nicest and caring people in the world.
When the news broke that Umar was the suspect in the attempted terrorist attack many people and friends were all shocked except for his parents. Over the last couple of years Umars father Umaru felt his sons growing radical beliefs might lead to trouble, so he went into the U.S embassy in Nigeria to report his son. At the time a file was created but not much else was done after the terrorism center in Washington D.C decided that the information was not worth pursuing.
It makes you wonder how many times this whole thing couldve been stopped ahead of time. Obviously Umar was looking for help, and ended up finding it in the wrong place. His father warned officials that his son was probably going to harm innocent people but nobody really listened. If someone had taken time and replied to one of his many messages I wonder if it would have changed the outcome of a young man who came from a very privileged family but was led down the wrong path that almost cost hundreds of innocent people their lifes.