Categorized | Crime, Domestic Affairs
Detroit Christmas Scare Aboard Northwest Air
by hardybear
Posted on 25 December 2009 | 9:06 pm 
Print This Post
No way to spend Christmas.
From the New York Times:
Terror Attempt Seen as Man Tries to Ignite Device on Jet
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR and PETER BAKER
Published: December 25, 2009
A Nigerian man tried to ignite an explosive device aboard a transatlantic Northwest Airlines flight as the plane prepared to land in Detroit on Friday, in an incident the United States believes was “an attempted act of terrorism,” according to a White House official who asked not to be identified discussing the investigation.
The device, described by officials as sophisticated and made from a mixture of powder and liquid, failed to fully detonate. Passengers on the plane described a series of pops that sounded like firecrackers.
Nonetheless, federal officials said the man was attempting to bring the plane down.
“This was the real deal,” said Representative Peter King of New York, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, who was briefed on the incident and said something had gone wrong with the explosive device. “This could have been devastating.”
It was unclear how the man, identified by federal officials as Abdul Mudallad, 23, of Nigeria, managed to get the explosive on the plane. A senior administration official said the government did not yet know whether the man had the capacity to take down the plane but that he did have the intent to create trouble.
“We’re trying to ascertain exactly what he had and what he thought he was doing, but our sense is he wanted to wreak some havoc here and was attempting to do just that,” the official said. “Whether at the end of the day he had the ability to do that is what I think we’ll be able to pull together over the next several days as we investigate this.”
A senior Department of Homeland Security official said the device Mr. Mudallad had on him was “more incendiary than explosive,” and that he had tried to ignite the device or mixture to cause a fire as the Northwest airliner was approaching Detroit.
The official said that Mr. Mudallad had told law enforcement authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and that he used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder to try to cause an explosion.
A federal counterterrorism official who asked not to be identified said Mr. Mudallad was apparently in a government law enforcement-intelligence data base, but it is not clear what extremist group or individuals he is linked to.
“It’s too early to say what his association is,” the counterterrorism official said. “At this point, it seems like he was acting alone, but we don’t know for sure.” Although Mr. Mudallad told officials that he was directed by Al Qaeda, the counterterrorism expressed caution about that claim, saying “it may have been aspirational.”
Finish the article here.
Related posts:
If you liked this article,
This post was written by:
 |
hardybear - who has written 518 posts on Free Range Talk.
Life is one long and lusty education. |
Submit your own article via this simple form and we will format it for you for publishing.
Jump to Leave New Comment 
Comments
Recent Comments
- I was thinking "The Price Is Right" might be more apt.
- First of all, Democrats in power aren't liberals. Secondly, and most importantly, they cave, they do...
- Perhaps we all believed in a mirage and through the information age, we are having the wool removed ...
- Nicely done, MsD. I often wonder what happened to the brilliant promise we embraced when Obama was e...
- on MOD ThursdayGood night, y'all.
- All goes along with the corporatist viewpoint.
- on WordsmitheryBeef and venison combined in a dish. Benison
- The Democratic leadership under the Clinton "Third Way" philosophy abandoned the defense of true lib...
Posts
Tags
Authors
Categories
© 2009 Free Range Talk. Powered by your Donations.
238,529 Comments Since March 2009 
-->
(Report comment)
This is a first hand account from the Director of Village Energy, a start-up solar co. based in Uganda.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roey-rosenblith/over-detroit-skies_b_404 255.html
[Reply]
(Report comment)
way o/t but thought it worth mentioning — all MSM have removed the photo and name of the 5 y/o kidnap/abuse victim who was rescued … except HP. classy
[Reply]
(Report comment)
Update: ” The father of a man suspected of trying to bring down a Northwest Airlines jet recently contacted the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria about concerns that his son had “become radicalized” and could be planning something, a family source told CNN Saturday.”
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/26/airline.attack/index.html
[Reply]
(Report comment)
rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
“People have got to start connecting the dots here and maybe this is the thing that will connect the dots for the Obama administration,”
http://www.freep.com/article/20091225/NEWS15/91225025/Incident-should- be-a-signal-to-Obama-Hoekstra-says
ugh
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:40 am
(Report comment)
What is he trying to say? Stupid statement.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:54 am
(Report comment)
I thought so. Are we supposed to go into another country and do security checks at their airports now?
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
(Report comment)
I figured it wouldn’t take long for wingnuts to start blaming Obama.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
(Report comment)
As long as Our President has that goddamn tan, those freaks will blame him for everything. I don’t care what anyone says, his skin tone will cause people to blame him for everything.
[Reply]
(Report comment)
The overwhelming conclusion here is that the ball was dropped at point of origin. I really don’t see how we (Homeland Security) can take the blame for this. I hope all the sensible news media (if it isn’t an oxymoron) picks up on this aspect.
[Reply]
(Report comment)
The man suspected of trying to blow up a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit is the son of a Nigerian bank chairman and former oil minister, Nigerian press outlets reported Saturday.
The newspaper says the father, 70, recently grew “uncomfortable with the boy’s extreme religious views and had six months ago reported his activities to United States’ Embassy, Abuja and Nigerian security agencies.”
http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/1209/Report_planebomb_suspe ct_bankers_son.html
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:06 am
(Report comment)
Oh for god’s sake. These agencies need to communicate with each other.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:07 am
(Report comment)
Hiya Babs!
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:09 am
(Report comment)
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:18 am
(Report comment)
Books! A maple sugar Santa Claus! Two new sweaters!
One of the books I got started on is called _The Monuments Men_ — about a group of soldiers whose sole task was to save the cultural heritage of Europe.
“Their initial responsibility was to mitigate combat damage, primarily to structures — churches, museums, and other important monuments. As the war progressed and the German border was breached, their focus shifted to locating movable works of art and other cultural items stolen or otherwise missing. During their occupation of Europe, Hitler and the Nazis pulled of the “greatest theft in history,” seizing and transporting more than five million cultural objects to the Third Reich. . . . “
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:20 am
(Report comment)
That sounds like a good one.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:26 am
(Report comment)
[Reply]
(Report comment)
This highlights the need to share information between agencies internationally and to have stringent checks at the point of origin on incoming flights to the US.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 10:35 am
(Report comment)
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 10:56 am
(Report comment)
They did.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:08 am
(Report comment)
Conflicting reports:
AMSTERDAM, Dec 26 (Reuters) – A Nigerian man who tried to ignite an explosive device on a plane to Detroit had boarded in Lagos and passed through security checks at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport while in transit, Dutch authorities said on Saturday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE5BP03420091226?type=marketsNews
The sources told CNN that the suspect flew into Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on a KLM flight from Lagos, Nigeria, and is not believed to be on any “no fly” list, although his name does appear in a U.S. database of people with suspect connections. He did not undergo secondary security screening in Amsterdam, an administration official said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/26/airliner.firecrackers/
[Reply]
(Report comment)
Why am I not surprised?
but not surprised.
[Reply]
(Report comment)
The problem may be at the point of origin of the flight, where he got on board. The Amsterdam people evidently did not check the passengers from Nigeria, evidently thinking they had been checked out in Nigeria before boarding the plane there.
There is a need to check passengers every time they switch planes. At least check their ID.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 10:56 am
(Report comment)
Or maybe they didn’t???
[Reply]
(Report comment)
Hoekstra Quickly Politicizes Attempted Terrorist Attack, Suggests Obama’s Clueless On National Security
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/26/hoekstra-airplane-terrorist-plot/
[Reply]
(Report comment)
Dutch hero
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf is reporting that Dutchman Jasper Schuringa, who was travelling on the plane, played a hero’s role in preventing the attack. Minutes before landing the 32-year-old entrepreneur from Amsterdam saw the Nigerian man stand up suddenly and set light to something. Without hesitating, he dived on Mr Mutallab and held him so he couldn’t move until after the plane had landed. In doing so he burned both his hands, ripped his clothing and lost his shoes.
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/bomb-attacks-fails-us-bound-plane-0
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 10:12 am
(Report comment)
[Reply]
(Report comment)
So he was in a gov data-base as having terrorist ties and they didn’t frisk him??????
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 6:02 am
(Report comment)
Makes you feel good about the patriot act and all the pain in the arse we go through in the airport, eh?
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 6:05 am
(Report comment)
TSA is a joke. Was just listening to a report that the biggest deterrent is passenger awareness…would like to hear more about the young man who jumped him.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 10:12 am
(Report comment)
[Reply]
(Report comment)
I was quite proud of this one but it only got one LOL and a HAHA.
indypete I’m a fan of this user 161 fans permalink
photo
First we had to take off our shoes at the airport, now it’ll be our pants? What next? “Sir, I have to look in your underwear… you seem to have a very large stick of dynamite hidden.”
Right Wingers need not worry about that…. Most airliners are too strong for security to worry about tiny little damp firecrackers.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 5:36 am
(Report comment)
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 6:01 am
(Report comment)
I can always count on you, Babs!
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 6:03 am
(Report comment)
You know I’m cheap and easy…whihc reminds me how’s Scouser?
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 6:19 am
(Report comment)
hey, hey, hey….. less of the cheap!!
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 6:51 am
(Report comment)
leave the money on the nightstand….
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 7:17 am
(Report comment)
She always does…
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 7:28 am
(Report comment)
Be sure and count it!
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:09 am
(Report comment)
[Reply]
(Report comment)
The huff thread about this is fertile ground for troll-bashing. I’m going over there to get my hands dirty!
[Reply]
(Report comment)
I hope
keeps his gob shut.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:07 am
(Report comment)
He can’t help himself.
[Reply]
December 26th, 2009 at 11:08 am
(Report comment)
I think he has tourette de cowardice syndrome.
[Reply]
(Report comment)
This doesn’t mention the passenger, seated several rows behind this man, who ran forward and jumped on him.
[Reply]
December 25th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
(Report comment)
I know, I wondered about that. Perhaps they have to verify some things or debrief or whatever happens following something like this. CNN has been chock full of ‘experts’, but it seems a lot of detail isn’t available. They were just beginning to interview passengers a bit ago.
[Reply]