ROMULUS, Michigan --
A suspect in the attempted bombing of a US jetliner has been charged with “attempting to destroy a Northwest Airlines aircraft,” the US Department of Justice announced Saturday.
The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was taken into custody by US Customs and Border Patrol officers upon arrival of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 at Wayne County Airport in Detroit on Friday.
The flight landed safely in Detroit just after 1 p.m. EST. All 278 passengers exited the Airbus A330 and were questioned by federal authorities before being released.
The Nigerian suspect boarded the flight in Amsterdam on Thursday and reportedly had an explosive device attached to his body. As the flight approached Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport, Abdulmutallab “set off the device, which resulted in a fire and what appears to have been an explosion,” said the Justice Department.
According to an affidavit in the case, “Abdulmutallab went to the bathroom for approximately twenty minutes,” just prior to the incident.
“Upon returning to his seat, Abdulmutallab stated that his stomach was upset, and he pulled a blanket over himself.” Just before landing, he set off the device which resulted in a fire and “what appears to have been an explosion.”
Preliminary FBI analysis showed the device contained PETN, also known as pentaerythritol, which is a high explosive. FBI agents recovered a syringe in the vicinity of Abdulmutallb’s seat which is believed to be part of the device.
Abdulmutallab was transferred to the University of Michigan Medical Center and made his first court appearance Saturday from his hospital bed where he was advised of the charges against him. He required medical treatment following the incident but the extent of his injuries were not divulged.
“This alleged attack on a US airplane on Christmas Day shows that we must remain vigilant in the fight against terrorism at all times,” said US Attorney General Eric Holder.
“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.”
Canadian and US authorities have both increased airport screening procedures in light of the incident.
“The safety and security of all Canadians is of the utmost importance to our government,” said Canadian Transport Minister John Baird.
“That's why we've taken immediate action and are currently working with our American counterparts to implement all necessary safety and security measures as appropriate to protect Canadian travellers.”
In a statement released Friday, US Homeland Security warned travellers that they “may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights.”
“As always we encourage the traveling public to be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behaviour or activity to law enforcement officials.”
The US President, on vacation with his family in Hawaii, received word of the attempted attack early Friday and immediately ordered an increase in security at US airports, the White House said.
Neither the US or Canadian terror alert levels were raised following the incident.
Suspect
It was revealed Saturday that Abdulmutallab had purportedly graduated from University College London [UCL] in June 2008 with a degree in mechanical engineering.
“UCL can confirm that a student by the name of 'Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab' was enrolled on a Mechanical Engineering course at the institution between September 2005 and June 2008,” said the statement.
The university added that it “must be stressed that the university has no evidence that this is the same person currently being referred to in the media.”
More details soon. Follow @PeterPaulNLT on Twitter for the latest developments.
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