Terror 'dots' not connected, says grim Obama

A grim-faced Barack Obama blamed a deep failure of national intelligence for the botched Christmas Day plane terror attack over Detroit, saying the government had enough information but could not “connect those dots”.

Speaking last night after a blunt meeting with his security team, the US president said there had been even more “red flags” than had already been acknowledged – that an al Qaida affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula planned to strike the US and that it was working with the man accused of trying to blow up the plane with nearly 300 passengers and crew aboard.