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Official: Explosive PETN Used in Attack (Carried in Condom by Suspect?)
CBS News/AP ^ | Saturday, December 26, 2009

Posted on 12/26/2009 10:20:58 AM PST by kristinn

The suspect in the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 used a highly explosive substance called PETN, a law enforcement official told CBS News Saturday.

The explosives were carried in a soft plastic container - possibly a condom - though much of the packaging was destroyed in the fire, the official said.

The FBI is questioning the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who claimed to be acting on orders from al Qaeda to blow up the airliner, officials said.

A high-ranking law enforcement official told CBS News that the suspect apparently used a syringe to inject a chemical into the powder, which was located near his groin. It is a technique not seen in previous attempted attacks and it's possible that this incident was a test of whether the materials could pass screening and how effective they might be at causing damage, the source said.

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: abdulmutallab; airlinesecurity; explosives; flight253; globaljihad; northwestflight253; petn; tm
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To: kristinn

“It is my brother,” Abdul Mutallab, son of Umaru Mutallab, a prominent banker from the northern state of Katsina, told Reuters by telephone.

Nigeria’s This Day newspaper cited family members as saying Umaru Mutallab had been uncomfortable with his son’s “extreme religious views” and had reported him to the U.S. Embassy in the capital Abuja and to Nigerian security agencies six months ago.

The This Day report said Umaru Mutallab would meet Nigerian security agencies on Saturday.

“He is in a meeting right now but I don’t think he is meeting with the police yet,” Abdul Mutallab told Reuters, but declined to comment further.

The man was believed to have spent time in Britain as a student and authorities were trying to establish details about his activities in the country, a British counter-terrorism source said.

University College London (UCL) said a student by the name of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was enrolled on a mechanical engineering course between September 2005 and June 2008 but said it had no evidence this individual was the same man.

The This Day report said the suspect had attended the British International School in Togo, where he had been nick-named “Alfa” — a local term for an Islamic scholar — before going to London to study.

Citing family sources, the newspaper said he had relocated to Egypt and then Dubai, where he cut family ties, after leaving London.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BP17U20091226


41 posted on 12/26/2009 10:45:06 AM PST by kcvl
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To: kcvl
The terror suspect who tried to blow up a Detroit-bound plane is the son of a Nigerian banker

I can't WAIT to see the Nigerian scam emails coming from this one...

Cheers!

42 posted on 12/26/2009 10:46:26 AM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: kcvl
The terror suspect who tried to blow up a Detroit-bound plane is the son of a Nigerian banker

I can't WAIT to see the Nigerian scam emails coming from this one...

Cheers!

43 posted on 12/26/2009 10:46:28 AM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: El Gato

amazing...the feds know he has strong terrorist connections, his family turned him in to US officials because they were concerned about his strong religious (Muslim) stand, so what do the feds do?

give him a visa to welcome him into the US and make millions of travelers who AREN’T in the feds terrorist database jump through more hoops.

when are they going to USE THE DATABASE RATHER THAN INFLICT MORE NONSENSE ON LAW ABIDING AMERICANS????????


44 posted on 12/26/2009 10:46:47 AM PST by mreerm
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To: Malacoda

Roger that.


45 posted on 12/26/2009 10:46:59 AM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government -- Thomas Payne)
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To: El Gato

DUH . bangs hand on head! that has to be it!! ;-)


46 posted on 12/26/2009 10:48:13 AM PST by tiredoflaundry (I will not be silenced.)
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To: driftdiver
Are you seriouos about the “no leaving your seat for 1 hour” comment. thats completely useless

Serious as a grave. Fox just confirmed.

But yes, useless, just like III Corps/Ft. Hood's new privately owned arms rules.

47 posted on 12/26/2009 10:48:23 AM PST by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: mreerm
OK, so the Army knew about the Ft. Hood guy and the FAA knew about this clown, yet they were still allowed access to soft targets. Whiskey Foxtrot Tango???
48 posted on 12/26/2009 10:49:14 AM PST by gov_bean_ counter (Sarah Palin - For such a time as this)
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To: El Gato

That ‘rule’ wouldn’t even have helped this situation. The guy never left his seat!


49 posted on 12/26/2009 10:49:32 AM PST by kcvl
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To: bayliving

Thanks be to God for us he is a substandard terrorist.

I only pray that this wasn’t some sort of sick dry run.

***
Yeah, substandard and, ergo, used like cannon fodder. Doing a dry run for the pros. I wonder how much that classified TSA doc that got put online helped the jihadis, as it was most likely intended to do.

Perhaps the next attempt will be more successful and will lead to the Reichstag Fire incident that Dear Leader will use to declare marshal law.

God help us all.


50 posted on 12/26/2009 10:49:34 AM PST by Bigg Red (Palin/Hunter 2012 -- Bolton their Secretary of State)
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To: tiredoflaundry

“a test”

JUST A TEST???!!

CBS scum!!

Same enemedia whores were calling it “a mere incendiary device, not as serious as an explosive one”!!!


51 posted on 12/26/2009 10:50:22 AM PST by chuck_the_tv_out ( <<< click my name: now featuring Freeper classifieds)
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To: grey_whiskers

Your a bone head Tiger is a lover not a fighter


52 posted on 12/26/2009 10:51:11 AM PST by al baby (Hi Mom sarc ;))
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To: kristinn

Just for everyone’s FYI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PETN

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_effectiveness_factor


53 posted on 12/26/2009 10:52:07 AM PST by DemforBush (Now officially 100% ex-Democrat.)
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To: chuck_the_tv_out

Many on DU still insist it was just firecrackers!


54 posted on 12/26/2009 10:53:30 AM PST by tiredoflaundry (I will not be silenced.)
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To: chuck_the_tv_out

Many on DU still insist it was just firecrackers!


55 posted on 12/26/2009 10:53:33 AM PST by tiredoflaundry (I will not be silenced.)
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To: El Gato
Lutheran. Swedish, maybe Dutch.

Must be, trying to blow up a plane full of Muslims. Backlash time.

56 posted on 12/26/2009 10:54:02 AM PST by heartwood
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To: El Gato

we will see them buy a whole row of seats on the plane so no one can see what they are doing. They could go to the bathroom and do anything they wanted. No one would know.

The problem seems to be they cannot get plastique bombs through security and these powder ones do not ignite well or maybe he got it wet somehow?
Bomb sniffing dogs need to be at all airports.

My cousin flies for Northwest. I called last night.They don’t want to think about any of this. They said they would go crazy if they knew. He knew nothing when I called at 11 PM.


57 posted on 12/26/2009 10:54:35 AM PST by OafOfOffice (Constitution is not neutral.It was designed to take the government off the backs of people-Douglas)
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To: al baby
Yeah, but they were both burning holes in their crotch...

Cheers!

58 posted on 12/26/2009 10:56:05 AM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: harwood

http://www.saharareporters.com

should be clickable with an ‘enter’

after the last character in the URL.


59 posted on 12/26/2009 10:56:05 AM PST by Quix (POL Ldrs quotes fm1900 TRAITORS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2130557/posts?page=81#81)
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To: Malacoda

I was thinking photos posted of the damage to the appendages might work as a deterrent for guys wishing for those 70 virgins.

What’s up with the state the guy was in apparently? From what little is being said - actually Jasper just said he seemed like he was in a trance, but then shut himself up about it - - and others saying he didn’t react to the pain of the burns and then he chatters away about his links to Al Queda. It makes one think he was heavily drugged - either his own idea or someone else’s.


60 posted on 12/26/2009 10:56:58 AM PST by finnsheep
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