Radicalized at a British university?

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The alleged attempt to blow up a US airliner on Christmas Day sent a shock through the security system. Prosecutors say Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (pictured) tried to detonate a bomb sewn into his underwear. Abdulmutallab’s former London university is now launching a review into whether he became radicalized there. The World’s religion editor Jane Little reports. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• ‘Jet bomber’ case
• Religion coverage on The World

Yemen and national security

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Yemen didn’t feature in President Obama’s State of the Union address despite the country’s role in the attempted Christmas Day bombing. Washington has halted transfers of Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo because it’s concerned that some of them might join terrorist groups. Now Yemen says it will build a rehabilitation center for former detainees. The World’s Katy Clark looks at the success rate of such rehab programs. Download MP3

• In full: State of the Union address
• Audio Extra: Interview with terrorism expert John Horgan
• Yemen conference fails to excite Arab press interest
• On The World: Is Yemen in trouble?

Yemen’s fight with al Qaeda

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The US and its allies helping Yemen fight al-Qaeda should not pressure it to carry out reforms or resolve other internal conflicts, Yemen’s foreign minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi said this week. Jeb Sharp speaks with Ali Muthana, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Yemen about his country’s relationship with the US. Download MP3 (Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images)

• Embassy of Yemen in Washington DC
• Obama rules out sending US troops to Yemen
• The BBC’s Jeremy Bown: Yemen: Exotic, remote and ‘a little bit scary’

“We are at war”

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In his report about the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing, President Obama said “we are at war against al Qaeda.” The unclassified summary stated that US intelligence officials had received unspecified “discrete pieces of intelligence” to identify the alleged bomber as an al-Qaeda operative. The World’s Matthew Bell explores what the President means by being “at war”. Download MP3 (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

• Jeb Sharp talks with Matthew Bell about the President’s speech (Jan 7)
• Declassified report
• FAQ Jet bomber case
• Profile of ‘jet bomber’

The President’s report on Flight 253

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President Obama has spoken of the intelligence failures uncovered by the White House inquiry into the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing. He said the government had the relevant information – scattered around the system, as he put it – to possibly prevent the attack, but failure to follow up on the information, coupled with a failure of analysis, had left the US exposed. Anchor Jeb Sharp talks with The World’s Matthew Bell about the President’s speech. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Declassified report
• FAQ Jet bomber case
• Best of BBC: “I boarded a plane with an aerosol can”

Entire program – January 6, 2010

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Today on The World: The debate over how to fix the way US intelligence agencies process the information they collect; also, why one region in Spain – Catalonia – is considering a ban on bullfighting; plus – Chinese violin-makers are turning out top-quality instruments…and making Italian violin-makers nervous!

Failure “to connect the dots”

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Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair has promised action after sharp criticism from President Barack Obama over the failed attempt to blow up flight 253 on Christmas Day. The intelligence community had failed to “connect the dots”, Mr Obama said in a statement, adding: “That’s not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it.” Matthew Bell looks at the fallout after the President’s remarks. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• FAQ Jet bomber case
• Best of BBC: “I boarded a plane with an aerosol can”

New travel rules questioned

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New security screening procedures ordered by President Obama focus on passengers travelling from high-risk countries. Many countries on the US list are predominantly Muslim. University of Michigan professor Juan Cole tells anchor Marco Werman why he doesn’t think that’s such a good idea.

Fighting terrorism in Yemen

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The US and Yemen share an interest in stamping out the Yemen-based group, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which has been blamed for the attempt to blow up flight 253 to Detroit on Christmas Day. So Washington has ramped up counter-terrorism aid to the Yemeni government. Jeb Sharp talks with the BBC’s Jonathan Head, who is currently in Sana’a. Download MP3

• BBC profile of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
• The World’s Matthew Bell on AQAP (Dec 30)
• Matthew Bell on counter-terrorism activities in Yemen (Dec 29)