University cleared ofblame over bomb plot

But University College London (UCL) was cleared of any blame over the plot as the report concluded there was no evidence that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was radicalised while studying at the institution.

Abdulmutallab allegedly attempted to ignite explosives stored in his underwear as Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam, carrying 280 passengers, made its final descent towards Detroit on December 25 last year.

The Nigerian, now known as Umar Farouk, studied for an engineering degree at UCL between 2005 and 2008, and was Islamic Society president from 2006 to 2007.

The inquiry, by an independent panel set up by the university’s council, found that while there was no evidence to suggest he was radicalised at UCL, the university’s approach to freedom of expression and visiting speakers left students open to risks in the future.

It called for improvements including a better vetting system for visiting speakers, more communication between staff and students, and a review of the university’s code of conduct on freedom of speech, in a bid to “reduce the future risk of students being radicalised”.

But it added: “They will clearly not eliminate the risk of radicalisation of UCL students. We consider that is an unrealistic aim without changing UCL’s fundamental educational mission and character.”

The panel also called for an “increased awareness of the provisions of the Terrorism Acts” by staff.