Managerial Dysfunction in Intelligence Sharing Regarding the 2009 Christmas Day Bombing

• In Event: Organizational Dynamics of Police Misconduct

Abstract

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called underwear bomber or the 2009 Christmas Day Bomber, attempted to blow-up a commercial airliner with almost 300 people onboard in route from Amsterdam to Detroit, MI. Subsequent investigations highlighted communication and intelligence failures among government agencies, specifically how the would-be suicide bomber’s links to the al-Qaeda terrorist group in the Arabian Peninsula (AQPA) were not acted upon prior to the plane flight. Through an analysis of managerial dysfunction, the paper spotlights organizational structures that impede administrative functioning and accountability, concluding with policy implications and suggestions for reform.

Authors

• Rebecca Mitcham, Sam Houston State University

• Michael S. Vaughn, Sam Houston State University