Suspected terror attack at Detroit airport averted

Flight #253 was carrying 278 passengers and seven crew members. No one was seriously injured during the incident.

 

The White House officially labeled the incident "an attempted terrorist act." A New York City detective identified the suspected terrorist as Abdul Mudallah, a 23-year old man from Nigeria who is believed to have ties to the terroroist group al-Qaeda.

FBI and DHS officials would not discuss the suspect's possible motives. However, the FBI has already issued an alert about the case to other law enforcement agencies and organizations including the National Association of Chiefs of Police.

"Passengers may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights," DHS spokeswoman Sara Kuban said in a statement. "As always we encourage the traveling public to be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior or activity to law enforcement officials.

Terrorists are likely to use an explosive or weapon of mass destruction somewhere in the world in the next five years,  The panel, chaired by former Florida Senator Bob Graham, released a preliminary report on Dec. 1, 2008 that created a huge amount of Washington buzz.  Terrorism is the most significant threat to US national security, the panel concluded.
 
However, the Graham panel's report is not the first to point out the dangers facing the United States by international terrorist groups. 
 
In the international terrorism arena, over the next five years, it's believed that the number of state-sponsored terrorist organizations will continue to decline, but privately sponsored terrorist groups will increase in number, according to a congressional blue-ribbon panel by former US Congressman Bob Graham.
 
In addition, the terrorist groups will increasingly cooperate with one another to achieve desired ends against common enemies. These alliances will be of limited duration, but such “loose associations” will challenge our ability to identify specific threats. Al-Qaeda, and Hezbollah, and their affiliates will remain the most significant threat over the next five years.
 
The Federal Bureau of Investigation forecasts that sub-national and non-governmental entities will play an increasing role in world affairs for years to come, presenting new “asymmetric” threats to the United States, according to a report submitted to the National Association of Chiefs of Police and other law enforcement and security organizations.
 
Although the United States will continue to occupy a position of economic and political leadership -- and although other governments will also continue to be important actors on the world stage -- terrorist groups, criminal enterprises, and other non-state actors will assume an increasing role in international affairs. Nation states and their governments will exercise decreasing control over the flow of information, resources, technology, services, and people.
 
The most significant domestic terrorism threat over the next five years will be the lone actor, or “lone wolf” terrorist. They typically draw ideological inspiration from formal terrorist organizations, but operate on the fringes of those movements, according to Graham's report.