A White House official tells TPM that the White House believes the incident today on a Northwest Airlines flight in which a passenger reportedly tried to detonate an explosive device was an attempted act of terrorism.
Earlier, Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton made the following announcement about the incident:
The President was notified of the incident this morning between 9:00 and 9:30 Hawaii time by the President’s military aide. The President subsequently convened a secure conference call with John Brennan, his Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism Adviser, and Denis McDonough, NSS Chief of Staff. He asked to arrange a subsequent secure call and in that call instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel. The President is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates. There is currently no change to his schedule.
Late Update: Aides also say that Obama appreciates the actions of the crew and the passengers.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement there may be new screening procedures in place this weekend, though the threat level will remain unchanged.
Officials are not disclosing the specific measures.
