Obama ordering changes after anti-terror foul-ups

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Christmas airline bombing suspect was flagged for extra screening after he was already on the plane and headed for Detroit, officials said Thursday, as President Barack Obama got ready to outline government missteps in the near-catastrophe and order fixes.

The White House was to make public a declassified account of how a suspected terrorist slipped through post-Sept. 11 security to board the plane with an explosive. Obama's national security adviser said that people who read the report will feel a "certain shock" about all the missed warning signs.

Obama was to address the nation about the findings Thursday afternoon. A government official said the president will order U.S. agencies to move faster and more accurately in adding suspects to a watch list designed to stop terrorists before they strike.

This would mean that individuals, like the suspect in the attempted bombing of the Detroit-bound airplane, with potential ties to terrorist organizations or violent extremists, would be included in the watch list more rapidly. The government's much smaller "no-fly" list is drawn from the most worrisome names on the watch list.

It was expected that building up the lists would require additional resources.

The official, who is familiar with the president's strategy, was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Obama's remarks Thursday follow a promise earlier in the week to reveal new steps to thwart future terror plots.

No firings over the December security debacle are expected for now.