uk terrorist attempts to blow up detroit plane

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6886600/Detroit-British-student-in-al-Qaeda-airline-bomb-attempt.html

The 23-year-old attempted to ignite an explosive device strapped to his leg as a Northwest Airlines flight carrying 278 passengers and 11 crew came in to land in Detroit, according to US security officials.

He suffered second degree burns before being overpowered by other passengers including one who jumped on him and was also burned.

Mutallab, whom US security sources said was a student at University College London, claimed to have picked up his device in Yemen and to be an agent of al-Qaeda.

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

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.

According to US intelligence officials, the explosive device was a mixture of powder and liquid.

Witnesses described seeing the suspect using a syringe to inject one substance into another before flames erupted; it raised the prospect that terrorists have discovered a form of explosives that cannot be detected by current airport screening.

The suspect was on an intelligence database but was not on the government’s no-fly list, meaning he was known to authorities but not considered a high risk.

A federal government source said there were no immediate plans to raise the US threat level which has been at "orange" since 2006.

Mutallab is belived to have boarded KLM Flight 588 in Lagos, Nigeria bound for Amsterdam. There he connected to Northwest Airlines 253, heading for Detroit in an Airbus A330 bearing the colours of the airline's new owner, Delta.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest, enforces European carry-on luggage regulations including only allowing liquids in containers of 100ml or less that must be placed inside clear plastic bags. Connecting passengers, including those at Schiphol, should routinely reclear security when connecting from another country.

Airports in Nigeria do not typically conduct tests for explosive residue on passengers' carry-on baggage and shoes. However, a spokesman for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said the airport in Lagos had cleared a US Transportation Security Administration audit in November.

A federal “situational awareness” bulletin stated. “The subject is claiming to have extremist affiliation and that the device was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used.”

“It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase,” said passenger Peter Smith. “First there was a pop, and then there was smoke.”

Another passenger Syed Jafri, who was three rows away, said: “There was a pop and everyone was startled. Then there was flames and fire and people started to panic. A young man behind me jumped on him.”

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.

A security briefing obtained by ABC News said that, following his arrest, Mutallab claimed to have been ordered by al-Qaeda to blow up a plane over US soil.

The briefing note said: "The subject is claiming to have extremist affiliation and that the device was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used."

Peter King, the senior Republican on the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, said: “He’s not just a wannabe, there’s a record that he has. It was a somewhat sophisticated device.”

Peter Hoekstra, the most senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said Mutallab may have had links with the radical Yemeni imam Anwar al-Awlaki.

As revealed by the Telegraph last month al-Awlaki was known to have had email contacts with US army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, who allegedly gunned down 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas.

Mr Hoekstra said: “The question we'll have to raise is was this imam in Yemen influential enough to get some people to attack the US again." Passengers said there was panic on the plane as the device started to ignite on the approach to Detroit.

Witnesses said that they saw the suspect - who was in seat 19A - emerge from the toilet with a pillow held over his stomach and a syringe in his hand.

He then injected the syringe into something held in his stomach area, possibly a powdery substance, and smoke and flames quickly followed.

"It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase," said passenger Peter Smith. “First there was a pop, and then there was smoke."

Another passenger, Syed Jafri, who was three rows away, said: "There was a pop and everybody got a little bit startled. After a few seconds or so there was kind of flameish light and there was fire and people began to panic.

“Everybody was rushing towards that area and tried to get water, a blanket and fire extinguisher.”

He said a young man sat behind him rushed forward and tackled the suspect. “He took care of that suspect. He handled him pretty good. There was a little bit of a struggle and he got it under control."

The cabin crew helped drag the man to the front of the plane.

"He appeared to be stunned. He was calm,” said Mr Jafri.

Passenger Richelle Keepman said: "It was terrifying. I thought this was it. One guy put a lock on his head and dragged him to the front, his pants down.”

Passengers said the suspect had suffered severe burns to his legs.

The suspect later told authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder and cause an explosion.

Initial reports were that fireworks or firecrackers had gone off on the plane.

Terrorists you say? Is Bush behind in the polls again?

why is he a "uk terrorist" just because he allegedly studied in London?

ignore that hehe

pretty epic fail

Sounds like the kind of stunt chunky or hathathat would try and pull (and fail hard at)

they should just start making people board planes naked.

also, can we please start racial profiling?

So his name is "Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab"... He was born to be a terrorist!

you know what we should do? Go and kill millions of people abroad just in case.

  On 12/26/2009 at 1:50 PM, lumpenprol said:

they should just start making people board planes naked.

 

also, can we please start racial profiling?

way, way, way, way, way, way more people are killed by guns on a day to day basis so really everyone should just be made to walk around naked imo.

  On 12/26/2009 at 5:36 PM, Rambo said:

  On 12/26/2009 at 1:50 PM, lumpenprol said:

they should just start making people board planes naked.

 

also, can we please start racial profiling?

 

way, way, way, way, way, way more people are killed by guns on a day to day basis so really everyone should just be made to walk around naked imo.

*imagines naked criminals creating a device so they can shoot bullets out of their ass*

*with fart sounds*

  On 12/26/2009 at 5:36 PM, Rambo said:

  On 12/26/2009 at 1:50 PM, lumpenprol said:

they should just start making people board planes naked.

 

also, can we please start racial profiling?

 

way, way, way, way, way, way more people are killed by guns on a day to day basis so really everyone should just be made to walk around naked imo.

hot

Something definitely wrong here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/12/26/2009-12-26_father_of_umar_farouk_abdul_mutallab_nigerian_terror_suspect_in_flight_253_attac.html

So this "terrorist" didn't do anything while the passenger wrestled the device away, then marched him to the front of the plane, stripped off his clothes and helped handcuff him?

Also lumpy: this was a black guy from Nigeria. Racial profiling gonna work there?

lol, lamest terrorist attack ever. blacks make shit terrorists. you need to be a raghead to be able to pull it off in style.

  On 12/26/2009 at 6:51 PM, chenGOD said:

 

Also lumpy: this was a black guy from Nigeria. Racial profiling gonna work there?

lol I was just having a bit of fun and wanted to use the term "racial profiling." But seriously my ACLU card-carrying ass wouldn't be put out of joint if they gave everyone with a name like Mutallab a thorough pat-down. Yeah yeah whatever slippery slope perhaps...and of course I'm sure there are other John Walker Lindh's out there. However it's a pretty epic fail when a guy on a terrorist watch list can board a plane without a thorough search.

  On 12/26/2009 at 6:51 PM, chenGOD said:

Something definitely wrong here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/12/26/2009-12-26_father_of_umar_farouk_abdul_mutallab_nigerian_terror_suspect_in_flight_253_attac.html

 

 

So this "terrorist" didn't do anything while the passenger wrestled the device away, then marched him to the front of the plane, stripped off his clothes and helped handcuff him?

 

Also lumpy: this was a black guy from Nigeria. Racial profiling gonna work there?

i don't see whats wrong with it. if i was on a plane and a guy hopped up claiming he had a bomb, who wouldnt try to tackle the motherfucker if they had a chance? i don't give a shit if it's Lewis Black, it's not "funny" or "making a statement", some guy on an airplane says "i have a bomb", im assuming he has a bomb and treat the situation appropriately, namely, shitting my pants or making a move.

"This Day reported that the suspect has been known for extremist religious views since high school at the British International School in Lome, Togo.

"At the secondary school, he was known for preaching about Islam to his schoolmates and he was popularly called 'Alfa,' a local coinage for Islamic scholar," This Day reported."

see, islam=terrorism. we should destroy this evil hateful religion and all its followers and replace them all with good old, god-fearing, straight, white, english-speaking chrischuns.

*converts to islam*

  On 12/26/2009 at 7:33 PM, Smettingham Rutherford IV said:

  On 12/26/2009 at 6:51 PM, chenGOD said:

Something definitely wrong here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/12/26/2009-12-26_father_of_umar_farouk_abdul_mutallab_nigerian_terror_suspect_in_flight_253_attac.html

 

 

So this "terrorist" didn't do anything while the passenger wrestled the device away, then marched him to the front of the plane, stripped off his clothes and helped handcuff him?

 

Also lumpy: this was a black guy from Nigeria. Racial profiling gonna work there?

 

 

i don't see whats wrong with it. if i was on a plane and a guy hopped up claiming he had a bomb, who wouldnt try to tackle the motherfucker if they had a chance? i don't give a shit if it's Lewis Black, it's not "funny" or "making a statement", some guy on an airplane says "i have a bomb", im assuming he has a bomb and treat the situation appropriately, namely, shitting my pants or making a move.

I'm not talking about the tackling, that's a natural reaction. I'm talking about the terrorist not fighting back while one guy marches him to the front, strips him naked and helps handcuff him, all after putting out flames with his bare hands.

im assuming, i mean, you cant really prove, but im assuming that he knows he's done for. why bother fighting back when the rest of the plane knows what you are up to...prolly just knew he was defeated, fucked up/ ruined his life, who knows, but that's my guess.

Now my gf is going to be in a terrible mood when she flies back from Detroit and I am going to have to hear about how awful her trip was. Thanks a lot you god damn terrorists, you've mildly inconvenienced me for the last time!

I blame the Qur'an.

blame the conditions they are in to give rise to zealots that need to take the contents of that book literally.

  On 12/26/2009 at 8:17 PM, vasio said:

blame the Qur'an.

  On 12/26/2009 at 8:30 PM, Smettingham Rutherford IV said:

blame the conditions they are in to give rise to zealots that need to take the contents of that book literally.

first one's simpler

first one wins

it just sounds like a made up story to me.

'plucky bystanders avert terrorism by overpowering bungling terrorist'