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Nigerian with reported Al Qaeda link attempts bomb attack on US airliner
- Thread starter CougarKing
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Sprinting Thistle
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For those around the globe who take their freedoms and liberties for granted: It seems airline was lucky this time. However, terrorists only need to be successful once.
By The Associated Press, cbc.ca, Updated: December 25, 2009 11:41 PM
Admitted al-Qaeda agent tries to blow up plane
A man who admits to being an al-Qaeda supporter tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane Friday as it was preparing to land in Detroit, but travellers who smelled smoke and heard what sounded like firecrackers rushed to subdue him, passengers and federal officials said.
Flight 253 — with 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard — was about 20 minutes from the airport when passengers heard popping noises, witnesses said.
At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man, identified as a Nigerian. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to the front of the plane with his pants cut off and his legs burned, a passenger said.
One U.S. intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.
"It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase," said Peter Smith, a traveller from the Netherlands. "First there was a pop, and then [there] was smoke." Smith said a passenger sitting opposite the man climbed over people, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man.
Syed Jafri, another passenger, said he saw a glow and smelled smoke. Then, he said, "a young man behind me jumped on him."
Smith said the heroic passenger appeared to have been burned.
The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. It did not specify what those were.
Law enforcement officials identified the suspect in Friday's attempted attack as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. One law enforcement official said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaeda to detonate the plane over U.S. soil.
The man was being questioned Friday evening. An intelligence official said he was being held and treated in an Ann Arbor, Mich., hospital.
Flight 253 began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the flight until it was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory.
That is when the pilot declared an emergency, she said. The flight landed at 12:51 p.m. ET, she said. Delta Air Lines Inc., which bought Northwest last year, said that "upon approach to Detroit, a passenger caused a disturbance." It said the passenger was subdued immediately and the crew asked that law enforcement officials meet the flight.
Melinda Dennis, who was seated in the front row of the plane, said the man involved was brought to the front row and seated near her. She said he was taken off the plane handcuffed to a stretcher.
U.S. 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.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was also been briefed and officials say she is closely monitoring the situation.
The department encouraged travellers to be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behaviour to law enforcement officials.
Sweet ...he only burned himself and unfortunately the heroic passenger that jumped on him.
Admitted al-Qaeda agent tries to blow up plane
A man who admits to being an al-Qaeda supporter tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane Friday as it was preparing to land in Detroit, but travellers who smelled smoke and heard what sounded like firecrackers rushed to subdue him, passengers and federal officials said.
Flight 253 — with 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard — was about 20 minutes from the airport when passengers heard popping noises, witnesses said.
At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man, identified as a Nigerian. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to the front of the plane with his pants cut off and his legs burned, a passenger said.
One U.S. intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.
"It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase," said Peter Smith, a traveller from the Netherlands. "First there was a pop, and then [there] was smoke." Smith said a passenger sitting opposite the man climbed over people, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man.
Syed Jafri, another passenger, said he saw a glow and smelled smoke. Then, he said, "a young man behind me jumped on him."
Smith said the heroic passenger appeared to have been burned.
The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. It did not specify what those were.
Law enforcement officials identified the suspect in Friday's attempted attack as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. One law enforcement official said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaeda to detonate the plane over U.S. soil.
The man was being questioned Friday evening. An intelligence official said he was being held and treated in an Ann Arbor, Mich., hospital.
Flight 253 began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the flight until it was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory.
That is when the pilot declared an emergency, she said. The flight landed at 12:51 p.m. ET, she said. Delta Air Lines Inc., which bought Northwest last year, said that "upon approach to Detroit, a passenger caused a disturbance." It said the passenger was subdued immediately and the crew asked that law enforcement officials meet the flight.
Melinda Dennis, who was seated in the front row of the plane, said the man involved was brought to the front row and seated near her. She said he was taken off the plane handcuffed to a stretcher.
U.S. 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.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was also been briefed and officials say she is closely monitoring the situation.
The department encouraged travellers to be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behaviour to law enforcement officials.
Sweet ...he only burned himself and unfortunately the heroic passenger that jumped on him.
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Video of how a binary explosive works.
http://www.livevideo.com/video/B9BF2E8594CD4C89AA35D3DF3F53302F/how-to-make-a-binary-explosive-or-ied.aspx
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/n...VwlYC8M0rFfwIwkjVXXM
A Dutch airline passenger told The Post how he leapt into action when an alleged Muslim terrorist tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner packed with 300 people just moments before landing.
Chaos erupted as alleged terrorist Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, 23, tried to set off a sophisticated explosive device strapped to his body.
"Suddenly, we hear a bang. It sounded like a firecracker went off," said Jasper Schuringa, a film director who was traveling to the US to visit friends.
"When [it] went off, everybody panicked ... Then someone screamed, ‘Fire! Fire!’"
Schuringa, sitting in seat 20J, in the right-most section of the Airbus 330, looked to his left. "I saw smoke rising from a seat ... I didn’t hesitate. I just jumped," he said.
Schuringa dove over four passengers to reach Abdul Mutallab’s seat. The suspect had a blanket on his lap. "It was smoking and there were flames coming from beneath his legs."
"I searched on his body parts and he had his pants open. He had something strapped to his legs."
The unassuming hero ripped the flaming, molten object — which resembled a small, white shampoo bottle — off Abdul Mutallab’s left leg, near his crotch. He said he put out the fire with his bare hands.
Schuringa yelled for water, and members of the flight crew soon appeared with fire extinguishers. Then, he said, he hauled the suspect out of the seat.
"I took him in a choke to the first class and all the people were like, ‘What’s going on?!"
"I don’t feel like a hero," Schuringa told the Post as he recuperated with pals. "It was something that came completely natural ... It was something where I had to do something or it was too late."
http://www.livevideo.com/video/B9BF2E8594CD4C89AA35D3DF3F53302F/how-to-make-a-binary-explosive-or-ied.aspx
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/n...VwlYC8M0rFfwIwkjVXXM
A Dutch airline passenger told The Post how he leapt into action when an alleged Muslim terrorist tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner packed with 300 people just moments before landing.
Chaos erupted as alleged terrorist Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, 23, tried to set off a sophisticated explosive device strapped to his body.
"Suddenly, we hear a bang. It sounded like a firecracker went off," said Jasper Schuringa, a film director who was traveling to the US to visit friends.
"When [it] went off, everybody panicked ... Then someone screamed, ‘Fire! Fire!’"
Schuringa, sitting in seat 20J, in the right-most section of the Airbus 330, looked to his left. "I saw smoke rising from a seat ... I didn’t hesitate. I just jumped," he said.
Schuringa dove over four passengers to reach Abdul Mutallab’s seat. The suspect had a blanket on his lap. "It was smoking and there were flames coming from beneath his legs."
"I searched on his body parts and he had his pants open. He had something strapped to his legs."
The unassuming hero ripped the flaming, molten object — which resembled a small, white shampoo bottle — off Abdul Mutallab’s left leg, near his crotch. He said he put out the fire with his bare hands.
Schuringa yelled for water, and members of the flight crew soon appeared with fire extinguishers. Then, he said, he hauled the suspect out of the seat.
"I took him in a choke to the first class and all the people were like, ‘What’s going on?!"
"I don’t feel like a hero," Schuringa told the Post as he recuperated with pals. "It was something that came completely natural ... It was something where I had to do something or it was too late."
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WTF an incindiary device.... on an airline... dont the airlines have
or supply an enriched oxygen depending on altitude... that could
of been horrific. thank the stars a passenger (by the looks of it)
realised what was happening and they were able to land safely
anyway just my thoughts...
scoty b
or supply an enriched oxygen depending on altitude... that could
of been horrific. thank the stars a passenger (by the looks of it)
realised what was happening and they were able to land safely
anyway just my thoughts...
scoty b
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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It looks like MI5 knew he was dodgy. How did this guy ever wind up on an airplane in the first place? At least they could have given him the 'rubber glove' treatment... cripes.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6968539.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6968539.ece
Ex Ranger Instructor
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Well, if no one else is going to do it, I would like to give huge thanks and recognition to the dude who took it upon himself to stop this.
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No.
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AGAIN?? ??? WTF?
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It was reported on the live news here the second guy tried to storm the cockpit. Fairly low tech stuff. WTF is going on in Amsterdam? All of the decent security dudes off for Christmas? And I don't get why Detroit is being targetted. With the amount of terrorism support that comes out of Dearborn, I can't imagine why they would want that kind of attention.
As for the dude who stopped the bomb guy, bravo zulu to him for acting. However, at such time as you hear "what sounded like a firecracker" you can just skip to thanking God, since the asshole lo-ordded and it would have been too late at that point if it had gone off the way it had supposed to.
As for the dude who stopped the bomb guy, bravo zulu to him for acting. However, at such time as you hear "what sounded like a firecracker" you can just skip to thanking God, since the asshole lo-ordded and it would have been too late at that point if it had gone off the way it had supposed to.
Retired AF Guy
Army.ca Veteran
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Here is a round-up of news about Mr. Abdul Mutallab. The first is from the NY DAILY NEWS:
Father of Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, Nigerian terror suspect in Flight 253 attack, warned U.S.
SKYNEWS.
Airliner Bomb Suspect Was Refused UK Visa
CBS.
Nigerian Suspect Charged In NWA Bomb Plot
This just shows that its doesn't matter how good the security is, someone can slip through. Now we get more onerous security measures which will do nothing to protect airline passengers. Which may be part of the plan. Remember, a part of a terrorist campaign is to carry out attacks that provoke the government security forces into repressive measures which, in turn, results in a backlash from the ordinary citizenry.
Father of Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, Nigerian terror suspect in Flight 253 attack, warned U.S.
SKYNEWS.
Airliner Bomb Suspect Was Refused UK Visa
CBS.
Nigerian Suspect Charged In NWA Bomb Plot
This just shows that its doesn't matter how good the security is, someone can slip through. Now we get more onerous security measures which will do nothing to protect airline passengers. Which may be part of the plan. Remember, a part of a terrorist campaign is to carry out attacks that provoke the government security forces into repressive measures which, in turn, results in a backlash from the ordinary citizenry.
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Firstly, good on the citizen who initially stopped this coward, as who knows what would have happened if he was left to carry out his 'death wish'.
Although I have basic qualifications in DMEO, and I have used PETN, one needs a proper initiator, as without it, PETN will just burn, that looks to be what happened.
Currently I am in the NE USA, in New Hampshire, and within a week or so, I will embark for LA, onwards to Brisbane, so I am in the thick of this new post-panic secuirty upgrade. I will be leaving from Logan International Airport in Boston, the same airport in which some of the 9-11 terrorists left from.
I can sum up by saying we are only as strong as our weakest link, and at the most busiest holiday travel time of the year for us western 'infidels'. Along with crowds and the generic repetitave complaciency of those doing the screening, our enemies will use this to their advantage, and they nearly chalked up a win this time. Let us not give them a second chance. Meanwhile the leftwing US governemtn is already 'druming up' their spin on this matter, and its only taken Obama 4 days to publically speak, which I find odd for a leader of a country. Many here in the USA are critical of his lack of concern, and slothenly response for what is a serious and significant incident, and I can't blame them for being critical.
WRT travelling home. I don't care how long I have to wait in queues, or be 'inconvenienced', I'd rather be late than MURDERED with countless others. Whatever measures which can be now interim or knee-jerk in nature will hopefully ensure safer skies for all of us to fly in until stronger more permanant guidelines can be devised.
So, if you think that security measures can be relaxed in light of now in excess of 8 yrs since the way we lived changed for ever, you're wrong.
Remember we're only as strong as out weakest link.
Regards from Merrimack NH,
OWDU
Although I have basic qualifications in DMEO, and I have used PETN, one needs a proper initiator, as without it, PETN will just burn, that looks to be what happened.
Currently I am in the NE USA, in New Hampshire, and within a week or so, I will embark for LA, onwards to Brisbane, so I am in the thick of this new post-panic secuirty upgrade. I will be leaving from Logan International Airport in Boston, the same airport in which some of the 9-11 terrorists left from.
I can sum up by saying we are only as strong as our weakest link, and at the most busiest holiday travel time of the year for us western 'infidels'. Along with crowds and the generic repetitave complaciency of those doing the screening, our enemies will use this to their advantage, and they nearly chalked up a win this time. Let us not give them a second chance. Meanwhile the leftwing US governemtn is already 'druming up' their spin on this matter, and its only taken Obama 4 days to publically speak, which I find odd for a leader of a country. Many here in the USA are critical of his lack of concern, and slothenly response for what is a serious and significant incident, and I can't blame them for being critical.
WRT travelling home. I don't care how long I have to wait in queues, or be 'inconvenienced', I'd rather be late than MURDERED with countless others. Whatever measures which can be now interim or knee-jerk in nature will hopefully ensure safer skies for all of us to fly in until stronger more permanant guidelines can be devised.
So, if you think that security measures can be relaxed in light of now in excess of 8 yrs since the way we lived changed for ever, you're wrong.
Remember we're only as strong as out weakest link.
Regards from Merrimack NH,
OWDU
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I'll echo what OWDU stated.
I have been thumbing though my copy of the 9-11 Commissions report, and it would seem that initial measures such as new screening eqpt and the like have been implemented for the most part, there looks be a systemic mistrust of all associated agencies fused into DHS.
the CIA doesn't talk to NSA...NSA doesn't talk to DHS and so on.
Fusion centers created to gather and process it through the intellegence cycle get as far as dissemination and stops there.
Who needs it? Why? Do they know what to do with the product?
Air Marshals on international flights? Apparently not all of them.
We in the west are infamous for knee-jerk reactions AFTER something has happened. then we go overboard until the citizenry complains that thier rights are being infriged....In the business of airline security one can look at the way EL AL in Israel does security ALL the time wherever the fly.
This will happen again, notdoubt about it, but at what cost?
It'll be interesting to see who are going to be the next to be interred in the graveyard of broken airlines. Less choice more cost
I have been thumbing though my copy of the 9-11 Commissions report, and it would seem that initial measures such as new screening eqpt and the like have been implemented for the most part, there looks be a systemic mistrust of all associated agencies fused into DHS.
the CIA doesn't talk to NSA...NSA doesn't talk to DHS and so on.
Fusion centers created to gather and process it through the intellegence cycle get as far as dissemination and stops there.
Who needs it? Why? Do they know what to do with the product?
Air Marshals on international flights? Apparently not all of them.
We in the west are infamous for knee-jerk reactions AFTER something has happened. then we go overboard until the citizenry complains that thier rights are being infriged....In the business of airline security one can look at the way EL AL in Israel does security ALL the time wherever the fly.
This will happen again, notdoubt about it, but at what cost?
It'll be interesting to see who are going to be the next to be interred in the graveyard of broken airlines. Less choice more cost
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Retired AF Guy
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Overwatch Downunder said:
Thanks for confirming my suspicions - I thought it sounded strange he used a syringe to inject some substance (nitroglycerin according to anonymous "experts") into the PETN, however, not being a demolitions guys I wasn't sure.
Which brings up my next question for our experts out there: how deadly is PETN? According to one report the size of the device was 80 grams, (2.8 oz's). The experts say this would have brought the airliner down (Mutallab had a window seat so an explosion could have ruptured the fuselage, causing decompression and possible fuselage failure, so the experts may be right). Thoughts any one??
I've was reading a write-up on Israeli airport/airline security measures and apparently Logan is one airport that has adopted similar measures. Good Luck!
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Retired AF Guy said:
The most obvious use of PETN is as an explosive. It is more sensitive to shock or friction than TNT or tetryl. It is difficult to detonate, as dropping it or setting it on fire will typically not cause an explosion. It is thus never used alone. It is primarily used in booster and bursting charges of small caliber ammunition, in upper charges of detonators in some land mines and shells, and as the explosive core of detonation cord. PETN is also one of the ingredients of the Semtex plastic explosive.
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PETN is commonly the primary filler in military grade detonators....
I like the comment" commonly used as an explosive," it is an explosive, and a very powerful one (one of the most powerful)....
As for means of initiation of any explosive device, not my bag to add to get into that here....
I like the comment" commonly used as an explosive," it is an explosive, and a very powerful one (one of the most powerful)....
As for means of initiation of any explosive device, not my bag to add to get into that here....
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