Midair Bomb Attempt Fails (WS Journal has new key details)

Wall Street Journal ^ | Friday, December 25, 2009 | By Peter Spiegel, Cam Simpson and Neal E. Boudette

[kristinn]

A passenger on a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight tried to detonate an explosive device that was strapped to his leg and later told investigators that he was trying to blow up the plane and had affiliations with al Qaeda, according to a senior U.S. official.

The passenger was identified by authorities as Abdul Mudallad, a 23-year-old Nigerian national, according to Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

The device was technologically advanced and potentially devastating, Mr. King said. "This was not a firecracker," he said.

Stephanie van Herk, a passenger from the Netherlands who was in seat 18B, said the Northwest plane had lowered its landing gear when she heard a loud bang. At first she thought the plane might have gotten a flat tire, but then she said saw a flame leap from the lap of a man sitting in the row behind her in the window seat, 19A.

"It was higher than the seat," said Ms. van Herk, who was traveling to Detroit on route to a vacation in New York.

"Then everyone started screaming. It was panic," Ms. van Herk, 22 years old, said. She said the flight attendants shouted, "What are you doing? What are you doing?"

SNIP

Once passengers realized the suspect's pants were on fire, they called for water, according to Ms. Van Herk, her sister, Dominique van Herk, and their cousin, Celeste van Herk.

The man was pulling his burning pants down, Stephanie van Herk said. She and several other passengers got water from the galley and the man was doused with water. Then a male Dutch passenger jumped on the perpetrator, Ms. van Herk said.

[kristinn]

Peter King on CNN says the man flew KLM from Lagos and switched to NWA (Nigerians with attitude) in Amsterdam.

King also says the man was not on the no-fly list but he was some kind of terrorist-affiliated data base.

[Outlaw Woman]

O my........It’s one of those names like Smith, Johnson, Martin.......OH WAIT...must be on the wrong thread.

[fhayek]

King also says the man was not on the no-fly list but he was some kind of terrorist-affiliated data base

So you can be "terrorist-affiliated", but still okay to fly? Sheesh.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Another 0bama step-brother surfaces?

[Southack]

The Taliban also released a video of a captured American soldier in Afghanistan today.

No coincidence on the timing of that video or the plane attempt.

[sarasota]

It’s being reported that security out of Nigeria is terrible and that the perp connected through Amsterdam without going through their tough security. However, it is a new device, “technologically advanced” it may well have been undetected by Amsterdam’s security.