Abdul Mudallad is Nigerian NW Flt 253 Bomber: Abdul Mudallad and al-Qaeda Failed in Airline Bomb Attempt

Delta Northwest Flight 253 landed safely in Detroit today - Christmas Day, after Abdul Mudallad  tried but failed to blow up the plane on its descent. The would-be bomber appears to have several aliases: Abdul Farouk Mudallad and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. White House officials have called the incident an "act of terrorism." See 12-27-09 update below.

Northwest Airlines Flight 253

Mudallah, 23, allegedly tried to detonate explosives strapped to his leg. The device is believed be a powder and liquid mixture. The Nigerian flew KLM Flight 588 from Nigeria to Amsterdam where he boarded Flight 253, a Northwest Airbus 330 with 278 passengers.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (Abdul Mudallad)

According to ABC News, the suspect told authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to detonate the powder.

Syed Jafry, of Holland, Michigan, told the Detroit News that he was sitting in the 16th row when he heard “a pop and saw some smoke and fire”. Mr Jafry said that people ran out of their seats to tackle the suspect.

Dawn Griffith, from Pontiac, Michigan, who was waiting to meet a passenger, told the newspaper that she saw a “young looking” man being taken from the airport handcuffed to a stretcher with his hands bandaged.

Peter Smith, a witness describes the scene aboard the flight:

The man was "subdued immediately," Elliott said. Northwest is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta.

"There was one guy, who sat on the other side, the right side of the wing because this was on the left side of the wing, and he jumped over the other people and he took care of it," said passenger Peter Smith.

The suspect told authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion. This is of concert because it is a method of mixing that is consistent with terror techniques.

There are unconfirmed reports that some passengers were injured. Mudallad is believed to have second degree burns. Naturally, the U.S. would be merciful to a man desperate to kill American infidels:

The Nigerian suspect suffered second-degree burns and was being treated at the University of Michigan Medical Centre, where authorities were questioning him. On landing, the Northwest flight was directed to an isolated part of the Detroit airport as police and firemen responded.

Mudallad or Abdulmutallab is believed to be an engineering student at University College London. He allegedly claimed he was following instructions from al-Qaeda, and indeed, he is on a US "watch-List" according to this report, but...not on a no-fly list!!! ABC News reports he was flying from Nigeria to the US for a "religious seminar," according to his entry visa which was issued in on June 16, 2008 - and get this, it was good until June 12, 2010.


Photo of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, courtesy of Reuters (an undated photo)
Photo credit of Northwest Flt. 253: J.P. Karas/AP

Update 12-27-09:

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (Abdul Matallad) was officially charged with trying to blow up the Northwest airliner on Christmas Day - placing a destructive device on Flight 253.

The video below reports that a wall of the plane was on fire.

The egregious Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano believes this attempted bombing has no connection to a wider plan of attacks on the U.S.  - displaying here long-held belief that accusations of terrorism are offensive to the worldview.

Abdulmutallab's father, Umaru Mutallab, says he reported his son to the American Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria because he feared his son had been radicalized.



 Related and Background:
 Noteworthy News on Abdulmutallab: Eric Holder's Federal not Military Court

Gloria Borger grills John Brennan (video)

John Brennan Briefed about Yemen Bombs in Briefs last October 

 Travel Blog says Terrorists Plant Explosives Up their Anus!

Michael Leiter Sidesteps Christmas Day Bomb Attempt: Dennis blair's DNI CIA Turf War

 Obama's Pre-Christmas Security Briefing: Authorities Lie About Second Man Detained

 Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attended Islamic school in Houston

 Michael Leiter NW Flt 253: CIA sent Abdulmutallab info to Leiter's Counterterrorism Center

Abdulmutallab and al-Qaeda in Saudia Arabia: Claims Christmas Day Attack

Jaspar Schuringa is Flight 253 hero: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab - son of prominent Nigerian banker

Amsterdam and the al-Qaeda threat is a Homeland Security Failure

Abdul Mudallad is Nigerian NW Flt. 253 Bomber - al-Qaeda failed in airline bomb attempt


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