Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab is recognized as the name of Detroit Terrorist
Reporting from New York – In what was described as an act of terrorism, a Nigerian passenger attempted to ignite an incendiary device aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Friday as the plane began its approach for landing, federal officials said. Other passengers overpowered the man and the plane landed safely.
The suspect, identified as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, 23, suffered severe burns as a result of the attempt, authorities said, and two of the other 277 passengers reported minor injuries.
FBI agents were investigating the incident, which a White House official said was an attempted act of terrorism.
“He was trying to ignite some kind of incendiary device,” said a federal anti-terrorism official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. “He lit himself on fire and he’s suffered some burns.”
The device, which mixed powder and liquid, was said to be less powerful than a bomb.
The suspect — an engineering student at University College of London, according to ABC News and NBC News — began his trip Thursday from Nigeria. It was not clear Friday whether Mutallab underwent security screening in Amsterdam or merely changed planes there.
It also was uncertain Friday night whether the suspect had ties to a terrorist organization or had attempted the attack on his own, authorities said. Despite earlier reports that he had claimed a connection to Al Qaeda, Mutallab denied any such link in later statements to FBI agents interrogating him, the anti-terrorism official said.
“Right now he is saying he was not part of an organization or a coordinated effort. I want to caution people from jumping headlong into the Al Qaeda link because it’s a very murky area,” the official said.
The suspect smuggled a powder aboard the plane in a container taped to his leg, the official said.
Covering himself with a blanket to hide his actions, he used a syringe to inject a liquid into the powder, and a fire resulted from the combustible mix, according to the official, who did not identify the materials.
The official denied reports that Mutallab had been on the federal “no-fly” list of suspected extremists and other potentially dangerous individuals, which is shared with airlines. But the official did not rule out the possibility that the Nigerian had been on some other U.S. government database.
Various media reports spelled the suspect’s name different ways. The Associated Press gave his full name as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab.
The Northwest jet, an Airbus 330 with Delta markings, landed about noon local time. (The two airlines merged in April 2008.) It carried a crew of 11.
Those aboard described some panic after noises like firecrackers, then quick, heroic actions.
Syed Jafri, a U.S. citizen who had flown from the United Arab Emirates, said the incident occurred during the plane’s descent, according to the Associated Press. Jafri said he was seated three rows behind the passenger and 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,” Jafri said.
Peter Smith, another passenger, told WJBK Fox 2 in Detroit that one man saw the flames and leaped across the aisle to help extinguish them. “He jumped over all the other people and he took care of it, so the fire went out,” Smith said.
The heroic passengers were not publicly identified Friday.
Iliaa Schelke, another passenger, told the station: “We heard a loud pop and a bit of a smoke and then some flames and yelling and screaming. And then somebody said the guy was subdued and they took him out. It was really quick.”
The suspect was described as having his hands wrapped in bandages and being handcuffed to a stretcher as he was taken off the plane.
Dawn Griffith, 42, of Pontiac, Mich., said she was waiting for her husband, Rich — a contractor working as an electrician in Iraq for the last three years — to arrive from Amsterdam. Then she saw a young man being wheeled out on a gurney.
“That’s when I knew something was wrong,” Griffith said. “It was really weird. He didn’t look like he was agonized. He looked subdued and they had him covered up.”
She said the airport teemed with ATF and FBI agents and police dogs. Griffith said it was about five hours before her husband and the rest of the passengers got off the plane. He was too far back to see what had happened, she said, but he could tell there was a commotion in the middle of the plane.
“He’s been in Iraq and seen some terrible things, and he doesn’t want any of that to happen here,” she said.
In the White House statement, issued from Kailua, Hawaii, the administration said that Obama had conferred with White House counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan and National Security Council Acting Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and had instructed that “all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel.”
The Department of Homeland Security said passengers might see additional screening measures on domestic and international flights because of the incident and urged travelers to report any suspicious activity or behavior to law enforcement officials.
“We encourage those with future travel plans to stay in touch with their airline and to visit www.TSA.gov “> www.TSA.gov for updates,” the department said.
Nigerians have not figured in many cases involving Al Qaeda, but the rise of violent Islamic extremism in that country — as well as in sub- Saharan Africa overall — concerns Western anti-terrorism officials.
The timing and description of the incident recall the attempted attack on a Paris-to-Miami flight eight years ago by “shoe bomber” Richard Reid, a British Al Qaeda operative who was convicted in U.S. federal court of trying to blow up the American Airlines flight.
Soon after takeoff from Paris on Dec. 22, 2001, Reid tried to ignite explosives that had been packed into his high-top gym shoes in an attempt to blow a hole in the plane. A flight attendant and a passenger subdued Reid and foiled the attack, which spread fear across the world just three months after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Reid was one of several bombers whom Al Qaeda trained in its Afghan camps to commit attacks aboard planes carrying concealed explosives.
In August 2006, British police working with U.S. and Pakistani intelligence broke up a plot in which Al Qaeda trained Britons in Pakistan to assemble liquid-based bombs that would have been smuggled aboard planes in energy drinks and other containers.
The investigation revealed that the ingenious technology in that plot was developed in Pakistan by Abu Ubaida al Masri, Al Qaeda’s operations chief at the time.
It would have involved teams of two or three attackers smuggling aboard the explosives and separate ignition devices to blow up seven planes bound for North America.
Since then, passengers have been prohibited from carrying liquids aboard in containers larger than 3 ounces.
sebastian.rotella@latimes.com
Urnestly speaking this Boy Umar Farourk Abdulmutallab must be a very usless and Irresponsible man fom where he came from, despite all his Education and farmily back ground, He did not only try to distroy his farmily name but try to make travel more difficult for those of us that use Ngerian passport to travel as a Nigrian citizen where ever you present Nigerian pass port now they look at you as a terroriest
Nigerians are not Known to be Terroriest and we are not. This must be his personal opinion and Idiea. He must have been Brain washed by his stupid muslemes Boss and Friends. If he Is found guilty, let him face It alone.
this fellow is from which state of nig,pls lets know
i need to confess the the truth, in order to set him free
or the punishment will be small
I want to make it clear that Nigerians and Nigeria as a country is the best people you can ever meet in the world, they are the most peaceful people you will ever dream to meet. I have been there several times and there is no act of such violent or terrorism in the people way of living. I can basically say the people problem is that they have serious bad rulers that claim to be leaders, they are never leader because they don’t care about the poor, the only problem Nigeria have as a country is bad leadership.
The guy Umar Mutallab is an idiot that youthful life took over him. I guess the problem started from the parents and this is just a way to also useless the money of the nation sending out a little boy oversea for studies..who is going to be the guardian, mutallab has no home training and he have no call value and he join the next door companion and that is the terrorist group he meet.
I read so many articles and the airliner has to answer this question for me..” why do you sell ticket to a passenger without a home address or arriving address” that is 100% red flag on the airliners…who issue the ticket with address to MUTALLAB?
Nigeria as a country must be erase from MUTALLAB act because Nigeria and her people is the best people you can ever meet in the world..it is a pity such Idiot pop like a virus…
to that stupid nigerian who was insulting muslims. You stupid ass fool, you can’t even spell rite. Nigerians everywhere are known for fraud which they even have a pet name for 419. So dis is not a surprise to me.
I really wish the US authority will allow the 9ja delta boyz deal, with dat stupid mutalib boy for a month before releaseing him to the authrities. he needs some bad ass beatings (foolish,were,otondo,agbana,ado ju ti obi omo lasen lasen). Make dem kill am small small.
Who was the man that jumped on Umar Farouk Abdulmutalib, He’s a hero
he is just small nega that have a little thinking but his parent are the causes of all this shit why they still the nation money and trainee there chrildrend,this is the result of blood money guy, nigeria government looters, beware of ?. but the farther is responsible enougt that let the american FBI his son is in to something bad.
Yes,Addul mutallab farouk is a disgrace to humankind and i hope this will teach loads of wealthy Nigerians who sends their kids abroad to study without a guardian some lessons.Though,his Dad proved his innocent and protect his dignity by reporting to the British government of his son’s fanatism and absurd behaviour and it was claimed that his name was on the crimewatch in the united kingdom which the american intelligence knows nothing about.Perhaps,his name was never on the crime watch,just a lie to protect the relationship between the two countries because they are both allies on terrorism.
Its a big shame that the american government has listed Nigeria on terrorists list,this decision is biased and totally unjustifiable.In the recent years,loads of pakistani britons(Reid,Dec 22,2001) has commited more crucial bomb attempt.why is britain not named as a terrorist nation?the simple answer is Britain is not a terrorist nation and it cannot be painted as one just because one citizen is brainwashed,it doesn’t mean the whole country is brainwashed too vise versa.For the fact that Abumutallab is brainwashed,it doesn’t necessitate the opinion that Nigeria harbours or supports terrorist.And this is to the ignorant who said Nigrians are known for 419,please go into history and find out the masterminds of frauds and you’ll actually understand that it emanated from the westerners.Also for record purpose,There has not been increase in islamic fanatist as claimed by the anonymous in the above news.
You should be thoughtful of your pride as Nigerians. Umar Farouk is a herror of the century.Americans should remember what they told about Iraq.They should check there security network.We particularly myself, i will not forgive them fornot adhering to the report of his father(umar)when he reported on the whereabout of son.
Well it clearly shows that their is lack of security in the whole world nd to you molo brown you are just a fool when a serious case is at hand you are there calling naija militants,where were the security operatives when he boarded the flight and you are there calling the niger deltas you lack home training
THIS IS A LIE. THEY WANT REDUCE THE IMAGE OF ISLAM BUT THEY CANNOT BY THE OF THE ALMIGHTY ALLAH THE GREATER OF THE UNIVERSE
I wonder what kind of illetrates some of you are, for jumping into conclusion of matters when investigation is still going on without reasoning, you will go ahead and start abusing Abdlmutallab and the part of nija he came from simply because you hate muslim and islam without considering the implication of what you are saying.You that stupid Hola how did you know that Farook was sponsored by his rich-father?you work with the FBI shebi stupid girl.cant you wait for the outcome of the investigation idiot before you open your dirty trap and talk nonsence you and that stupid Molo Brown.