A CIA officer had been warned that the Jordanian double-agent who blew himself up at a US base in Afghanistan might have been working for al-Qaeda, yet did not tell his superiors. An internal inquiry into the attack at the base in Khost found a series of communications breakdowns, according to CIA director Leon Panetta. It discovered that a US agent in Amman was given a warning by Jordanian intelligence about the bomber, Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi. However the tip-off was dismissed because he suspected the Jordanian officer was jealous of a colleague's relationship with Balawi, according to the inquiry. The Jordanian officer even warned the CIA officer that Balawi "may be trying to lure us into an ambush."
The CIA inquiry found there were serious security lapses at the base. Balawi was not screened at the perimeter, and many officers gathered to greet him because he was considered reliable. Officers drew their guns when Balawi's exit from his vehicle aroused suspicions but the Jordanian detonated his vest soon afterward.
Mr Panetta said that none of the officials involved would be fired or disciplined, including the agent who did not pass on the warning. He claimed that the report indicated "systemic failures" rather than individual error, and that sweeping structural changes were called for.