US Senators for tighter rules on No-Fly list

Washington, May 12 (ANI): Top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee have called on the Obama administration to improve upon the conditions in the no-fly list and also add the Pakistani Taliban to the official list of terrorist organizations.

After being briefed about the Times Square bombing plot, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the committee's Democratic chairwoman, and Senator Christopher S. Bond of Missouri, the Republican vice chairman, said the tightened requirements for airlines to check the no-fly list were still not adequate.

The Department of Homeland Security has ordered airlines to check the list within two hours of being told of an update, but Senator Feinstein said the delay should be reduced to 30 minutes and also called on the Transportation Security Administration to take over the no-fly list checks from airlines with greater speed.

The New York Times quoted Feinstein, as saying that Faisal Shahzad "was almost completely under the radar," and as a person living legally in the United States appears to represent a new wave of homegrown terrorists.

Senator Bond said: "This is not something that should be waiting on a list for people to review hours later."

Both senators called for the State Department to add the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, to the government's list of designated terrorist organizations.

The same demand was made separately by a group of senators led by Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Senator Bond said that based on Tuesday's briefing, he thought the evidence was less definitive. Senator Feinstein said she disagreed with Senator Bond, but would not elaborate, saying the evidence was classified. (ANI)