Obviously, we have no idea what the reason is that he was allowed to enter the country. Taking the high road here and assuming that he is a dangerous person, there are several disturbing problems with this incident.

If this man is on a terrorist alert list, what was he doing on a plane headed for the US? The idea of the list is to prevent incidents, not let these people board the planes and hope to divert the planes to different destinations somewhere en route. This shows that the system needs to be tightened if it is to be effective. It also shows why the recommendations of the 9/11 commission need to be enacted.

The other disturbing aspect of this incident shows a lack of cooperation and intelligence sharing with our closest and most suportive ally. The British foreign secretary complained directly to Secretary of State Colin Powell about the incident, indicating that the British disagreed with the action. Basically, if the man is dangerous to the US, he is also a threat to the British and for us not to share the info with them is alarming.