This statement was distributed Thursday by George Little, a spokesman for the Central Intelligence Agency.
Before the Detroit incident, the CIA collected and shared information about Abdulmutallab with other agencies. The CIA has taken a close look at how we can do even more to support our government’s efforts to disrupt terrorist plots. On January 5, Director Leon Panetta instructed the agency to implement a series of measures immediately, including:
1. The CIA will formally disseminate information on suspected extremists and terrorists within 48 hours;
2. The CIA will expand name traces on possible extremists and terrorists;
3. The CIA will review information on individuals from countries of concern to determine whether the agency should recommend changes to their status on US government watch-lists; and
4. The CIA will increase the number of analysts focused on Yemen and Africa, areas that have been of concern to the agency for a long time.