10 yrs after 9/11, FBI's $451m computer system 'finally working'

Nearly ten years after the Sept. 11, 2001 Al Qaeda-led terror attacks across the eastern part of the United States, the computer systems of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have finally been found to be working properly.

After years of frustration and hundreds of millions of dollars lost on a previous system that didn't work, the FBI has finally deployed a new 451 million dollar computer system called Sentinel.

"The deployment of Sentinel is an important step forward for FBI''s information technology," ABC News quoted FBI Director Robert Mueller, as saying, in a statement

According to the report, Sentinel follows a previous attempt by the FBI to create an electronic case management system called Virtual Case File, which was abandoned in 2005 after significant management and technical problems with government contractors caused 170 million dollars to be spent on a system that didn't work.

The web-based interface of Sentinel allows agents to widely search all FBI case files and data as they work investigations and track down leads effectively moving FBI agents and analysts away from paper based files to a streamlined computer program.

The FBI was sharply criticized after the 9/11 attacks for failing to piece together information about suspected terrorists obtaining flight training in the United States, the report said.

ALSO READ

Egypt's Hosni Mubarak talks for 1st time since detention

Nawaz Sharif: The Lion of Punjab roars in Pakistan

Brain can distinguish between types of laughter

Cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan wins two, loses one seat