Airline Passenger Attempts to Light 'Substance' In-Flight
 

Passenger Subdued, Lit Substance In Air
December 25, 2009 - 3:01 PM | by: Mike Levine
per Mike Levine and Sarah Wolff, with help from WJBK FOX2 Detroit


A passenger on a Christmas-day flight from Amsterdam to Detroit was subdued after the passenger tried to ignite a powdery substance during landing, sources told FOX News.

The passenger is now in custody and witnesses are being interviewed by authorities, according to a statement from the Transportation Security Administration. One source described the suspect as Nigerian.

An FBI official would not say whether the suspect was trying to hijack or harm the plane, and a Department of Homeland Security official would not say whether investigators are looking into that as a possibility.

Northwest Flight 253 was carrying 278 passengers when it declared an emergency shortly before touching down at Wayne County International Airport, an airline official said. Some minor injuries were reported, the airline official said.

The FBI is leading an investigation into the incident, and agents from the Detroit Field Office are on the scene, according to an FBI official. The FBI official would not say whether agents from a Joint Terrorism Task Force were involved in the investigation.

Officials from the FBI and DHS, which oversees the TSA, would not offer any further information about the passenger's identity or possible motives.

The TSA statement said authorities will "continue to monitor the situation" and provide updates "as necessary."

"All passengers have deplaned and out of an abundance of caution, the plane was moved to a remote area where the plane and all baggage are currently being rescreened," the TSA statement said.

Flight 253 was scheduled to arrive in Detroit at 11:40am, but arrived shortly after noon, according to Northwest's web site.


http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2...plane-subdued/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1261...LEFTTopStories

Midair Bomb Attempt Fails

Man on Flight to Detroit Claims Al Qaeda Ties; Obama Tightens Security
DECEMBER 26, 2009
By PETER SPIEGEL, CAM SIMPSON and NEAL E. BOUDETTE
DETROIT--A passenger on a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight tried to detonate an explosive device that was strapped to his leg and later told investigators that he was trying to blow up the plane and had affiliations with al Qaeda, according to a senior U.S. official.

The passenger was identified by authorities as Abdul Mudallad, a 23-year-old Nigerian national, according to Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

The device was technologically advanced and potentially devastating, Mr. King said. "This was not a firecracker," he said.

Stephanie van Herk, a passenger from the Netherlands who was in seat 18B, said the Northwest plane had lowered its landing gear when she heard a loud bang. At first she thought the plane might have gotten a flat tire, but then she said saw a flame leap from the lap of a man sitting in the row behind her in the window seat, 19A.

"It was higher than the seat," said Ms. van Herk, who was traveling to Detroit on route to a vacation in New York.

"Then everyone started screaming. It was panic," Ms. van Herk, 22 years old, said. She said the flight attendants shouted, "What are you doing? What are you doing?"

Mr. King said the suspect's name did not appear on any of the terrorist watch lists maintained by U.S. authorities, but that the Nigerian national did turn up "hot" in other terrorism-related databases maintained by intelligence officials.

Mr. Mudallad suffered 3rd-degree burns when the device detonated on approach to Detroit, according to Mr. King. He said none of the other passengers was seriously injured.

The man told investigators that he was given the device by al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, where he was also given instructions on how to detonate it, the U.S. official said.

"This guy claims he is tied to al Qaeda, specifically in Yemen," the official said. "He claims he was on orders from al Qaeda in Yemen."

Bill Burton, a White House spokesman, said President Barack Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii, was notified of the incident after 9 a.m. local time and held two secure conference calls with his national security team to discuss the incident, but that his schedule had not changed.

"The president is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates," Mr. Burton said.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that airline passengers should expect to see additional screening measures put in place on both domestic and international flights.

The senior U.S. official said investigators were still trying to determine whether the suspect's claims of ties to al Qaeda were legitimate and what his motives were. Asked whether the man may have been sent to retaliate against recent U.S.-supported air strikes against al Qaeda targets in Yemen, the official said: "They are interested in finding that out now."
"There's definitely a terrorist nexus -- that's the term being used by the people I'm talking to in Washington," Mr. King said following his briefings Friday. He would not say, however, whether there was a direct link to al Qaeda.

Mr. King said authorities were scrambling to find out where a security breach might have occurred. The plane departed from Lagos, Nigeria, and had a stopover in Amsterdam before flying to Detroit, according to Mr. King. He also said there was no intelligence indicating it was part of a wider plot involving other attempted attacks, but that authorities weren't taking any chances.

One person was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center and was still hospitalized Friday evening, said hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice.

Shortly after the plane landed around 11:50 a.m. Detroit time, the Transportation Security Administration put out a statement indicating that "out of an abundance of caution" the jet's passengers were going through a special security screening and the luggage in the hold also was being re-examined.

Authorities were interviewing passengers, even as the plane sat at a remote corner of the airport surrounded by a phalanx of law-enforcement and emergency vehicles.

Once passengers realized the suspect's pants were on fire, they called for water, according to Ms. Van Herk, her sister, Dominique van Herk, and their cousin, Celeste van Herk.

The man was pulling his burning pants down, Stephanie van Herk said. She and several other passengers got water from the galley and the man was doused with water. Then a male Dutch passenger jumped on the perpetrator, Ms. van Herk said.

Once the man was subdued, he was taken to business class and his hands were bound, she said. A few moments later the plane was on the ground, and several security officers boarded the plane and took the suspect away, she said.

Though the plane had Delta markings, it was a Northwest Airlines flight. Northwest is part of Delta after a merger....

I don't understand the fascination with aircraft. There are much softer targets out there with better payoffs for them. I am amazed none of them have been hit.

Symbology?

Previous success?

TR

HELLO IT'S FRIKIN CHRISTMAS DAY!!!!
 

I was thinking the same thing TR......... Symbology on the previous success. Outside of the 911 and Embassies the best have been Aircrafts.

The one thing that made me come back here to psot was while watching Tv.. CNN to FOX. NOT one of then made the point to think about the day that this happen on.

HELLO IT'S FRIKIN CHRISTMAS DAY!!!! What a better day for AQ to hit an America Target!! One the one day or Holiday that America's are the softest?!?


So is this PC or just an over look on the news or me over thinking?

A Very Merry Christmas to you and yours from .......the Religion of Peace.

Seems to me there has been something in the news at least once a month for a few months now and maybe a bit longer than that. Fort Hood, a plane incident a couple weeks ago and the many arrest inside the US and places like Pakistan.

Might something in the works and opportunity could be around the corner.

Just my worthless .02 RL .......but if I was a betting man I'd say that if this "attempted man caused disaster" would have been successful, there would have been some out there would would have gotten around to pointing out plot similarities with a certain other Bojinka Plot from Jan 1995......

Let me see if I can remember who was involved in that plot besides Ramsi Yousef.... heavy set guy.....initials KSM...think he has a trial coming up in New York City soon....oh, it will come to me.....

As with the WTC bombing in 1993 - they stick with a target until they hit it hard.......

I maybe reading into this abit. But, I'm kind of wondering if the security breach and subsequent leaking of the TSA security screening handbook may also have had a role in the in method used to attempt to perpetrate this act of terrorism? I know that the flight originated outside their 'purview' but if there were more than one individual and or attacker they may also have originated from CONUS or other points of origin.

I'll tell you something about airline security.

A couple of years ago I prepared for a recreational trip to NY and packed a small backpack with all I needed for my four-day weekend up in the Big Apple. I decided to use a desert camouflaged 3-Day Assault pack that was manufactured by Camel Back. Anyway, I pulled all my military stuff out and put in some clothes and my laptop, etc.

I go through screening - no problems. My bag not only goes through the X-Ray machine, but is also searched by hand. I get on the plane and about two hours into the flight I begin to search in the bag for a spare battery for my laptop. Then, I feel something odd; it was not my spare battery. It was my SEAL 2000 knife that was given to me as a gift after I graduated from Ranger School back in the days. Some of you might have an idea of just how big and how heavy this full size, full tang blade is. And, it was not hidden anywhere. It was just in the very front pocket that has that mesh bag inside as well as a key chain keeper; you guys know which I'm referring to. This was Post-911 folks, and I innocently boarded a plane with a full size combat knife.

It's just amazing how disfunctional airline security is. I'm just glad that we don't have the same idiots working there rigging our parachutes here.

Fascination with delivery of an attack from overseas, the fear of flying factor, etc. Fear is key to the publicity locker. The point made about these people sticking with a target until they get it is worth noting. But, if this Godless creep had been successful in bringing down the aircraft, how long would it have taken NTSB to derive that it was brought down by a clown setting fire to his leg (or his whatever)?

Could it be that the failed attempt wasn't a failure at all? That the purpose was to get a terrorist in the news for arrest, trial, sentencing, etc? Especially with KSM coming up.

We need to look where they ain't, because that's where they could come from next. Increase surveillance at bus terminals, POE's, shipping terminals, homegrown cells, etc.

I guess I'm just suspicious of the obvious, wary of "advertisements".

They should have monkey stomped that fucker until he was no more than a bloodly pulp. :mad:

Glad everyone made it out ok.

Yes Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab wanted to be the new santa and give america a gift for Christmas... I hope he likes his 3rd degree burns....

An overt strategy by a group to incite fear and to foster the idea of a government's inability to protect its citizenry and economic interests is an element of UW - whether it falls under the defined umbrellas of terrorism or guerrilla warfare.

Since all American registered commercial aircraft nominally belong to the US Govt as a part of our emergency reserve fleet and many of our commercial airline pilots are also reserve pilots, attacking an American 'flag carrier' is the same - symbolically - as attacking the US Govt in the minds of such groups.

Attacking an airliner filled with ordinary people always makes the news and serves as a platform for any such group - no matter the size - to gain nearly instant global recognition of their so-called cause.

Additionally, such an attack sets into motion events which further harm and degrade a key component of our national and global economic systems - our somewhat fragile airline industry.

And so it goes...

Richard's $.02 :munchin