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US says it will review terror watch list

24 January 2010 03:22 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ziya Agazade â€“ APA. The United States has promised to review Nigeria â€˜s inclusion in its terror watch list of countries, APA reported quoting Nigerian mass media.

White House National Security Council Spokesman, Mike Hammer, told journalists at the US Foreign Press Center in Washington DC that already, the US Homeland Security Secretary, Ms. Janet Napolitano, would be personally reviewing each of the countries listed including Nigeria .

Hammer, in a response to why Nigeriaâ€˜s name was added to the list of countries according to Empowered Newswire on Saturday said, â€After the incident, it was clear that we needed to take measures that protect aviation industry.

â€œThe listing in no way is meant to be discriminatory against any individual or nationality. What is important is that we need to take some measures but already, Secretary Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security has said she would personally review each of the countries listed and this is an evolving process.â€

Just on Wednesday, Democrat senator and the chairman of the US Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, said that â€œadding a handful of countries to heightened security lists does not prevent terrorists from coming into this country and may alienate those we need as allies.â€

Leahy made this statement as he presided over the hearing on the failed terror attempt on a Detroit flight by a Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, on December 25, 2009.