Passenger Tries to Blow Up Jet Arriving in Detroit

WASHINGTON (Dec. 25) -- A Northwest Airlines passenger from Nigeria, who said he was acting on al-Qaida's instructions, set off an explosive device Friday in a failed terrorist attack on the plane as it was landing in Detroit, federal officials said.

Flight 253 with 278 passengers aboard was 20 minutes from the airport when it sounded like a firecracker had exploded, witnesses said. One passenger jumped over others and tried to subdue the man. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to a front row seat with his pants cut off and his legs burned.

The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel, but were not specified.

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. Others had slightly different spellings.

One law enforcement source said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over U.S. soil.

"It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase," said Peter Smith, a passenger from the Netherlands. "First there was a pop, and then (there) was smoke."

At least one passenger acted heroically.

Smith said the passenger, sitting opposite the man, climbed over passengers, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man. The heroic passenger appeared to have been burned.

The incident was reminiscent of convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid, who tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, but was subdued by other passengers. Reid is serving a life sentence.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., ranking GOP member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the flight began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit.

A statement Delta, which acquired Northwest, said, "Upon approach to Detroit, a passenger caused a disturbance onboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253. The passenger was subdued immediately and the crew requested that law enforcement meet the flight upon arrival.

"The flight, operated by Northwest using an Airbus 330-300 aircraft with 278 passengers onboard, landed safely. The passenger was taken into custody and questioned by law enforcement authorities."

The FBI and the Homeland Security Department issued an intelligence note on Nov. 20 about the threat picture for the 2009 holiday season from Thanksgiving through Jan. 1. At the time, intelligence officials said they had no specific information about attack plans by al-Qaida or other terrorist groups. The intelligence note was obtained by The Associated Press.

President Barack Obama was notified of the incident and discussed it with security officials, the White House said. It said he is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates from his vacation spot in Hawaii.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about Flight 253 on Friday until it was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. That is when the pilot declared an emergency and landed without incident shortly thereafter, Cory said. The plane landed at 12:51 p.m. EST.

One U.S. intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.

The passenger was being questioned Friday evening. An intelligence source said the Nigerian passenger was being held and treated in an Ann Arbor, Mich., hospital.

All the sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.

The official said an official determination of a terrorist act would have to come from the attorney general. The official added that additional security measures were being taken without raising the airline threat level, but declined to describe them.

The White House was coordinating briefings for the president through the Homeland Security Department, the Transportation Security Administration and the FBI.

A law enforcement source said the explosives may have been strapped to the man's body but investigators weren't immediately certain, partly because of the struggle with other passengers.

One passenger from the flight was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said. She didn't know the person's condition, or whether the person was a man or woman. She referred all inquiries to the FBI.

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Passenger Syed Jafri, a U.S. citizen who had flown from the United Arab Emirates, said the incident occurred during the plane's descent. Jafri said he was seated three rows behind the passenger and said he saw a glow, and noticed a smoke smell. Then, he said, "a young man behind me jumped on him."

"Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic," he said.

Rich Griffith, a passenger from Pontiac, said he was seated too far in the back to see what had happened. But he said he didn't mind being detained on the plane for several hours. "It's frustrating if you don't want to keep your country safe," he said. "We can't have what's going on everywhere else happening here."

J.P. Karas, 55, of Wyandotte, Mich., said he was driving down a road near the airport and saw a Delta jet at the end of the runway, surrounded by police cars, an ambulance, a bus and some TV trucks.

"I don't ever recall seeing a plane on that runway ever before and I pass by there frequently," he said.

Karas said it was difficult to tell what was going on, but it looked like the front wheel was off the runway.

"We encourage those with future travel plans to stay in touch with their airline and to visit www.tsa.gov for updates," Homeland Security Department said in a statement.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has been briefed on the incident and is closely monitoring the situation.

The department encouraged travelers to be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior to law enforcement officials.


Jakes reported from Baghdad, Iraq. Randi Berris in West Bloomfield, Mich., and Devlin Barrett, Shelley Adler, Eileen Sullivan, Pamela Hess and Joan Lowy in Washington, and Philip Elliott in Kailua, Hawaii, contributed to this report.

AP sources: Al-Qaida link in failed plane attack

ROMULUS, Mich. -A Nigerian man who said he was an agent for al-Qaida tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane Friday as it was preparing to land in Detroit, but travelers who smelled smoke and heard what sounded like firecrackers rushed to subdue him, the passengers and federal officials said.

Flight 253 with 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard was about 20 minutes from the airport when passengers heard popping noises, witnesses said. At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to the front of the plane with his pants cut off and his legs burned, a passenger said.

One U.S. intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.

"It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase," said Peter Smith, a traveler from the Netherlands. "First there was a pop, and then (there) was smoke."

Smith said a passenger sitting opposite the man climbed over people, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man. Syed Jafri, another passenger, said he saw a glow and smelled smoke. Then, he said, "a young man behind me jumped on him."

"Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic," said Jafri. Smith said the heroic passenger appeared to have been burned.

The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. It did not specify what those were.

The incident was reminiscent of Richard Reid, who tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, but was subdued by other passengers. Reid is serving a life sentence.

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect in Friday's attempted attack as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. One law enforcement official said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over U.S. soil. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.

Another law enforcement official, also speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the case, said Mutallab's name had surfaced earlier on at least one U.S. intelligence database, but not to the extent that he was placed on a watch list or a no-fly list.

The Mutallab was being questioned Friday evening. An intelligence official said the Nigerian passenger was being held and treated in an Ann Arbor, Mich., hospital. One passenger was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said. She referred all inquiries to the FBI.

The trauma burn center at the hospital said it did not have Abdul Mutallab in its unit.

Flight 253 began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit, said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., the ranking GOP member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

A spokeswoman for police at the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam declined comment about the case or about security procedures at the airport for Flight 253. Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest with a heavy load of transit passengers from Africa and Asia to North America, strictly enforces European security regulations including only allowing small amounts of liquid in hand luggage that must be placed inside clear plastic bags.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about the flight until it was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. That is when the pilot declared an emergency, she said. The flight landed at 12:51 p.m. EST, she said.

Delta Air Lines Inc., which bought Northwest last year, said that "upon approach to Detroit, a passenger caused a disturbance." It said the passenger was subdued immediately and the crew asked that law enforcement officials meet the flight.

"The passenger was taken into custody and questioned by law enforcement authorities," the airline said.
According to the airline, eight flight attendants and three pilots were on board.

Smith said while he was leaving the plane, he looked at where the man had been sitting and saw a pillow that seemed to have been burned. Melinda Dennis, who was seated in the front row of the plane, said the man involved was brought to the front row and seated near her. She said his legs appeared to be badly burned and his pants were cut off. She said he was taken off the plane handcuffed to a stretcher.

President Barack Obama was notified of the incident and discussed it with security officials, the White House said. It said he is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates from his vacation spot in Hawaii.

Federal officials said there would be heightened security for both domestic and international flights at airports across the country, but the intensified levels would likely be "layered," differing from location to location depending on alerts, security concerns and other factors.

Passengers can expect to see heightened screening, more bomb-sniffing dog and officer units and behavioral-detection specialists at some airports, but there will also be unspecified less visible precautions as well, officials said.

The FBI and the Homeland Security Department issued an intelligence note on Nov. 20 about the threat picture for the holiday season, which was obtained by The Associated Press. At the time, officials said they had no specific information about attack plans by al-Qaida or other terrorist groups.

In 2003, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden purportedly marked Nigeria for liberation in a recording posted on the Internet, calling on Muslims in the oil-rich country to rise up against one of the "regimes who are slaves of America." But links to al-Qaida remained rare, though security forces claimed to break up such a linked terror cell in November 2007.

Security at Nigeria's two major international airports in the capital Abuja and in its megacity Lagos remain a point of concern. Uniformed federal police officers often focus their time on keeping hagglers and taxi drivers out. Bags quickly pass through X-ray scanners and those watching incoming passengers do not typically conduct tests for explosive residue on passengers' carry-on baggage nor shoes.

At the gate, airline workers often check passengers again with handheld metal detectors before they board their flight.

Delta, which is days away from obtaining a single operating certificate from the FAA to fully integrate itself and Northwest, has been hosting military personnel who have to travel over the holidays in a lounge at the Detroit airport.

—
Margasak reported from Washington. Associated Press Writers Lara Jakes in Baghdad, Randi Berris in West Bloomfield, Mich., Larry Lage in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Devlin Barrett, Shelley Adler, Eileen Sullivan, Pamela Hess, Harry R. Weber and Joan Lowy in Washington, Jon Gambrell in Lagos, Nigeria, Arthur Max in Amsterdam and Philip Elliott in Kailua, Hawaii, contributed to this report.

Thank God he was unsuccessful. Merry Christmas. Excuse me while I puke.

Rep. Peter King: Why Was Known Terror Suspect Allowed to Fly?

A Christmas Day attempt by a Nigerian man who claimed he was acting on orders from al Qaeda to ignite an incendiary device on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 as it approached Detroit from Amsterdam has caused airport security to be ramped up during peak holiday travel. The Obama White House has called the incident "an attempted act of terrorism."

While the official threat level has not been raised, "there will be things going on that you don't see and I don't see," Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, told Politics Daily. U.S. law enforcement agencies "will also be in very close contact with our allies, with all our terrorist agencies operating at full throttle." King predicted "delays will probably be minimal. I think its going to be more surveillance, more watching. I would not expect significant delays."

Homeland Security Press Secretary Sara Kuban said "passengers may notice additional screening measures putting into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights."

King told Politics Daily the 23-year-old suspect, who he identified as Abdul Mudallad, was not on a terrorist no fly list--but was on the U.S. database of suspected terrorists, King said. Though Mudallad claims to have been acting on direct orders from al Qaeda, ties have not been confirmed and he may have been inspired by, rather than acting in concert with, that particular terror group.



Mudallad suffered third degree burns while igniting the device, King said, with the injuries not life threatening. "It was a somewhat sophisticated device, I'm not supposed to go into any of the details, but it was different, described to me as different from what's been used before, which maybe explains why he got on, how he was able to get through security." A liquid or a match was not used to set it off.

Delta, in the process of a merger with Northwest, said in a statement that the suspect was "subdued immediately" while "the crew requested that law enforcement meet the flight upon arrival." The 278-passenger flight landed safely with no other serious injuries.

"What could have been a catastrophe turns out the only one seriously injured was the suspect himself," King said.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said Obama, vacationing in Hawaii, was told of the incident between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Hawaii time by a military aide. In a statement, Burton said, "The President subsequently convened a secure conference call with John Brennan, his Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism Adviser, and Denis McDonough, (National Security Council) Chief of Staff. He asked to arrange a subsequent secure call and in that call instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel. The President is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates. There is currently no change to his schedule."

King told Politics Daily that Mudallad had "definite terrorist connections" and was part of a "terrorist nexus. ..his terrorist connections did not lend themselves to aviation threats, that's why he was not on a no-fly list which to me does not really make sense; if you're a terrorist you're a terrorist." And King said he had been told that Mudallad had "definite al Qaeda links." Mudallad boarded a flight in Lagos, Nigeria and switched planes in Amsterdam to the Detroit bound aircraft.

King said said authorities did have "a file on him. He was in a database, but the decision was made that he did not go on a no fly list because it did not involve aviation threats, aviation issues."

Because of a "significant terrorist presence" in Nigeria, King said, "maybe he should have been on the terrorist no fly list."

Late Friday night, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee-which oversees civil aviation--said the White House reached out to him about flight 253. "Any terrorist attempt on our citizens is extremely serious. The Senate Commerce Committee will hold hearings in January to look in to this incident and related security matters."

I say....Off with his head...and may Allah give him 40 male virgins!!!

I'm glad the passengers restrained him. It would have been terrible to hear of a successful terrorist attack on Christmas Day.

Canada's response to the Christmas Day flight
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http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/091226/national/airlines_security_measures

2nd Man Arrested on Jet in Detroit

WASHINGTON (Dec. 27) - The Associated Press has learned that a second Nigerian man has been taken into custody aboard a jetliner in Detroit after locking himself in the airliner's bathroom.

A law enforcement official tells the AP that the incident took place aboard the same Northwest flight that was attacked on Christmas Day. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the incident was ongoing.

A Delta spokeswoman says all 256 passengers have been safely taken off the plane. Delta operates the Northwest flight.

thank god the only thing he managed to light ablaze was his own nigerian ASS!!!

(CBS/AP) Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the attempted Christmas bombing of a U.S.-bound airliner that resulted in the arrest of 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

According to law enforcement officials, Abdulmutallab smuggled a small bag holding a potentially deadly concoction of liquid and powder - identified as the chemical compound PETN - on board Northwest Flight 253.

An apparent malfunction in a device designed to detonate the PETN may have been all that saved the 278 passengers and the crew aboard the flight, which was moments from landing in Detroit. No undercover air marshal was on board and passengers and crew subdued the suspect when he tried to set off the explosion. He succeeded only in starting a fire on himself.

Abdulmutallab is currently in a federal prison in Michigan, transferred there Sunday by federal marshals after being treated in a hospital for burns sustained during the attack, reports CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod.

A federal judge in Detroit postponed until Jan. 8 a hearing on a request by the government to obtain a DNA sample from Abdulmutallab. No reason was given.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/28/national/main6030616.shtml

This scares the daylights out of me. As most of you probably already know, the planes that were hijacked on 9-11 were taken fron Newark airport. (If you didn't know, you do now, lol) That is the airport that I fly from every time I fly anywhere. It was stated that it was watched for six months, being scoped out by the terrorists, prior to 9-11. I can't even could on one hand, how many times in that six month period, that I had flown to & from Newark Airport.

I often wonder if I had SEEN them, scoping out the airport. Did I run into them on one of my trips to & from Florida or Georgia? I even had Tasha with me a few of the times. I had flown to Georgia to pick her up, to come here for a few weeks that summer. I flew back with her as well.

The planes fly overhead, here where I live. I am less than 30 minutes from Newark Airport. When I sit out in my hot tub, overhead, there are planes flying, either taking off or landing, minutes apart.

How scary Fysty! I am watching the President's news conference right now. There was no undercover marshall on board, why? I thought all flights to or from this country had marshalls?? Thank God those passengers were quick thinking, this is another Christmas miracle.

Way too scary! I'm afraid to think of what else is in store for the US.

It is very scary to think that a malfunction may have been all that saved that plane from blowing up. As a country, we can never let our guard down against terrorism no matter how many years pass.

Obama says U.S. doing 'everything in our power' to prevent terror

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/28/airline.terror.attempt/index.html

The first secretary of homeland security, Tom Ridge, talks about the attempted terror attack on Christmas Day. What does he think can be done to prevent it from happening again? Tonight on "Larry King Live ," 9 ET.

Romulus, Michigan (CNN) -- President Obama warned Monday that the United States would respond aggressively to terrorism such as last week's botched attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner.

"Those who would slaughter innocent men, women and children must know the United States will do more than simply strengthen our defenses," Obama said.

Obama said the government was doing "everything in our power to keep you and your families safe and secure during this busy holiday season."

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attempted Christmas Day terrorist attack on a plane about to land in the U.S., saying it was in retaliation for alleged U.S. strikes on Yemeni soil.

In the statement, published on radical Islamist Web sites, the group hailed the "brother" who carried out the "heroic attack." The group said it tested a "new kind of explosives" in the attack, and hailed the fact that the explosives "passed through security."

The group threatened further attacks, saying, "since Americans support their leaders they should expect more from us."

"We have prepared men who love to die," the statement dated Saturday said.

A suspect, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, is being held for allegedly trying to blow up the flight carrying 300 passengers.

Part of the explosive device was sewn into AbdulMutallab's underwear, a law enforcement official told CNN Monday.

A preliminary FBI analysis found that the device AbdulMutallab allegedly carried aboard the flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, contained the explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate, known as PETN. The source could provide no details on the device.

The amount of explosive involved was sufficient to blow a hole in the aircraft, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN Sunday.

Authorities have focused their investigation on how AbdulMutallab, 23, allegedly smuggled the explosives aboard the flight and who might have helped him.

"We're ascertaining why it was that he was not flagged in a more specific way when he purchased his ticket, given the information that we think was available, allegedly was available," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told CNN's "American Morning" Monday.

AbdulMutallab, a Nigerian who had a multiple-entry visa to the United States, had been added to a watch list of 550,000 potential terrorist threats after the information provided by his father was forwarded to the National Counter-Terrorism Center, a senior administration official said. But "the info on him was not deemed specific enough to pull his visa or put him on a no-fly list," the official said.

"Now, we are going to be looking at that process and how those lists are created, maintained, updated, exchanged and the like, because clearly this individual should not have been able to board this plane carrying that material," Napolitano said.

Napolitano told CNN on Sunday there was no indication that the failed attack was part of any larger international terrorist plot.

Tighter security measures in the wake of the incident triggered long lines at security checkpoints at airports in the United States and abroad. President Obama has ordered a review of security procedures. Both the House and Senate plan to hold hearings on the incident.

Do you feel safe in the skies?

AbdulMutallab's family said Monday it had told authorities about his "out of character" behavior and hoped that authorities would intervene.

The 23-year-old suspect was studying abroad when he "disappeared" and stopped communicating with his family members, they said Monday in a statement. His father, Umaru AbdulMutallab, contacted Nigerian security agencies two months ago and foreign security agencies six weeks ago, the statement said.

"We were hopeful that they would find and return him home," the family said. "It was while we were waiting for the outcome of their investigation that we arose to the shocking news of that day."

The suspect's family said his behavior prompted it to seek help.

"The disappearance and cessation of communication which got his mother and father concerned to report to the security agencies are completely out of character and a very recent development, as before then, from very early childhood, Farouk, to the best of parental monitoring, had never shown any attitude, conduct or association that would give concern," his family said.

The father of the suspect contacted the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria with concerns his son had "become radicalized" and was planning something, a senior U.S. administration official said.

"After his father contacted the embassy recently, we coded his visa file so that, had he attempted to renew his visa months from now, it would have triggered an in-depth review of his application," a U.S. official said.

The embassy -- which has law enforcement, security and intelligence representatives on staff -- reported the father's concern to other agencies, the official said.

Passengers on the Christmas Day flight described a chaotic scene that began with a popping sound as the plane was making its final approach, followed by flames erupting at AbdulMutallab's seat.

The suspect was moved Sunday from a hospital where he was treated for his burns to an undisclosed location in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

He is charged with attempting to destroy the plane and placing a destructive device on the aircraft.

AbdulMutallab's trip originated in Lagos, Nigeria. There, he did not check in a bag as he flew on a KLM flight to Amsterdam, said Harold Demuren, director-general of Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority.

Demuren said the suspect underwent regular screening -- walking through a metal detector and having his shoulder bag scanned through an X-ray machine.

He then underwent "secondary screening" at the boarding gate for the KLM flight, according to officials of the Dutch airline.

In Amsterdam, AbdulMutallab boarded the Northwest Airlines flight to the United States.

The Netherlands' national coordinator for counterterrorism told CNN that AbdulMutallab had gone through "normal security procedures" in Amsterdam before boarding the flight to Detroit.

Over the weekend in Britain, where the suspect studied engineering at a London university, police searched AbdulMutallab's last known address.

Scotland Yard detectives on Sunday interviewed Michael Rimmer, a former high-school teacher who described AbdulMutallab as a "very devout" Muslim who had once expressed sympathy for Afghanistan's Taliban insurgency during a classroom discussion.

But Rimmer, who taught AbdulMutallab at a school in the west African nation of Togo, said it was not clear whether the then-teenager was simply playing devil's advocate during the class.

A federal security bulletin obtained by CNN said AbdulMutallab claimed the explosive device used Friday "was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used."

Yemeni authorities said they will take immediate action once the attempted bombing suspect's alleged link to the country is officially identified.