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/
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