Man Charged With Trying To Blow Up Himself & Detroit bound Plane

Nigerian Man Is Charged With Attempt To Destroy Detroit-Bound Plane

By Lynn Sweet of http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/12/26/nigerian-man-is-charged-with-attempt-to-destroy-detroit-bound-pl/

A Nigerian man was charged Saturday in a federal complaint with trying to destroy Northwest Airlines Flight 253 as it approached Detroit on Christmas Day. He was also charged with placing a destructive device on the aircraft.

According to the complaint, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, boarded the flight in Amsterdam on Dec. 24 with a device attached to his body. Near the end of the flight, Abdulmutallab went to the bathroom for about 20 minutes. Back at his seat, he complained of an upset stomach and pulled a blanket over himself.

"Passengers then heard popping noises similar to firecrackers, smelled an odor, and some observed Abdulmutallab’s pants leg and the wall of the airplane on fire," said a statement from the Justice Department. "Passengers and crew then subdued Abdulmutallab and used blankets and fire extinguishers to put out the flames. Passengers reported that Abdulmutallab was calm and lucid throughout. One flight attendant asked him what he had had in his pocket, and he replied ‘explosive device.’ "

The complaint said Abdulmutallab set off a device that caused a fire and "what appears to have been an explosion." Law enforcement officials interviewed all 279 passengers and crew members; an affadavit filed with the criminal complaint states that when the suspect was subdued he was holding a smoking, partially melted syringe. A passenger grabbed the syringe, "shook it to stop smoking and threw it to the floor of the aircraft." FBI agents recovered what was left of the syringe near Abdulmutallab’s seat.

A preliminary FBI analysis found that the device contained PETN, also known as pentaerythritol, which the Justice Department called "a high explosive."

Abdulmutallab suffered burns and was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center after the plane landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. He is due in court this afternoon.

"This alleged attack on a U.S. airplane on Christmas Day shows that we must remain vigilant in the fight against terrorism at all times," Attorney General Eric Holder said. "Had this alleged plot to destroy an airplane been successful, scores of innocent people would have been killed or injured. We will continue to investigate this matter vigorously, and we will use all measures available to our government to ensure that anyone responsible for this attempted attack is brought to justice."

White House Spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement issued earlier Saturday from Hawaii, where the Obama family is vacationing, "The President convened a secure call this morning at 6:20 am Hawaiian time with John Brennan, his Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism Adviser, and Denis McDonough, National Security Staff Chief of Staff, where he received an update on the heightened air travel safety measures being taken to keep the American people safe and on the investigation. The President will continue to actively monitor the situation."