Alert passengers save US Airliner from al-Qaida terror bid

The man,23,who sustained burn injuries in the failed bid,later reportedly told interrogators that explosive powder was taped to his leg and he used a syringe to inject chemicals into it to cause an explosion on the trans-Atlantic flight.

However,the device mal-functioned and as smoke and fire erupted from his seat,co-passengers pounced on him and along with the crew dragged him to the front of the plane.

Two other passengers reported minor injuries,but the plane was able to land safely,the New York Times quoted an anti-terrorism official as saying. The incident has prompted the FBI to issue a nationwide red alert.

Muttalab,who is being questioned by FBI and other federal investigative agencies has reportedly said he had links to al Qaeda and that he had travelled to Yemen “to collect the incendiary device and instructions on how to use it,” said The Washington Post.

However,an official expressed caution about the claim,saying “it may have been aspirational”.

FBI agents are investigating the incident on the suspicion that it was an attempted act of terrorism,the official said.

Passengers,who later gave an account said there was panic after fire was seen in the midst of passengers.

US national Syed Jafry,who had flown from the UAE,said people ran out of their seats to tackle the man.

Jafry told the local FreeP.Com that he was sitting in the 16th row — three rows ahead of the passenger — when he heard “a pop and saw some smoke and fire.” Then,he said,”a young man behind me jumped on him.”

He told the newspaper that there was a little bit of commotion for about 10 to 15 minutes. The incident occurred during the plane’s descent,he added.

“There was a pop that sounded like a firecracker” and the “next thing you know everybody was on him,” he said. Officials described the device as more “incendiary rather than explosive,” The Post said.

Federal officials said the man wanted to bring the plane down. “This was the real deal,” Congressman Peter T King of New York said,adding: “This could have been devastating”.

Ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee,King,who was briefed on the incident,said something had gone wrong with the explosive device,which was “somewhat sophisticated”.

King said there must be investigation into how the Nigerian managed to sneak in such sophisticated device and explosives inside the plane.

Meanwhile,Homeland Security said that passengers may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the travelling public on domestic and international flights.

Though Abdulmuttalab’s name appears to be included in the government’s records of terrorism suspects,but he is not on the “no-fly” list.

US President Barack Obama,on a Christmas vacation in Hawaii,was immediately briefed about the incident by his military aide,White House spokesman Bill Burton said.

Obama subsequently convened a secure conference call with John Brennan,his Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism Adviser,and Denis McDonough,NSS Chief of Staff.

“The president is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates,” Burton said in a statement. Abdulmutallab told the law enforcement authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and that he used a syringe full of chemicals to mix with the powder to try to cause an explosion,the daily reported. The device,however,failed to fully detonate.

Abdulmutallab,according to passengers and investigating agencies,tried to ignite the small explosive 20-30 minutes before the plane was about to land at the Detroit airport. Some officials said the device used by the man was a mixture of powder and liquid,which failed to ignite. The Northwest Airliner,operated on a Delta airplane originated in Nigeria,but had its stop in Amsterdam. The White House has termed the incident as an “attempted act of terrorism” while the US national security agencies say it as an “attempt to blow up the plane”.

After the anxious moments,the plane made its descent into Detroit Metropolitan Airport,landing at 11:53 a.m (local time).

Once on the ground,it was immediately guided to the end of a runway,where it was surrounded by police cars and emergency vehicles and searched by a bomb-disabling robot.