The U.S. has apparently nearly doubled its no-fly list since the Christmas Day attack near Detroit, according to an intelligence official.

Since last year's failed attempt by terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab to blow up a Detroit-bound plane, the official says the government's list of suspected terrorists has grown from 3,400 to 6,000.

The change comes after President Barack Obama ordered a review and update of the no-fly list after the Detroit attack.

The list is one the most high profile methods of counterterrorism employed by the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

"TSA uses the No-Fly List and the Selectee List, two important subsets within the Terrorist Screening Database managed by the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center, to determine who may board, who requires further screening and who should be referred to appropriate law enforcement personnel," acting Transportation Security Administration administrator Gale Rossides explained.

The hope is that as the government takes a more active role in reviewing the list there will be fewer terror incidents as well as fewer cases of mistaken identity.