Man Attempts to Set Off Explosives on Detroit-Bound Airplane
Suspect Claims al Qaeda Terrorism Link, but FBI, Investigators Are Suspicious
By RICHARD ESPOSITO and SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
Dec. 25, 2009
Federal officials and police are interviewing a Nigerian man, who allegedly tried to "explode" a powdery substance aboard a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, injuring himself and two other passengers, law enforcement officials said.
Northwest Airlines flight 253 is shown on the runway after arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Amsterdam on Friday. A passenger aboard the plane set off an explosive device, causing a commotion and some minor injuries, a Delta official said. Northwest is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta.
The man said he was directed by al Qaeda to explode a small device in flight, over U.S. soil, ABC News has learned. Authorities have no corroboration of that information, and the credibility of the suspect's statements are being questioned, officials said.
The government had no immediate plans after the incident to raise the threat level, a federal government source said.
The suspect had been in a law enforcement-intelligence database but was not on the government's no-fly list, according to a law enforcement official.
"The subject is claiming to have extremist affiliation and that the device was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used," a federal situational awareness bulletin stated.
Delta spokeswoman Susan Chana Elliott said that "as the plane was getting ready to land" in Detroit "a passenger caused a disturbance" by trying to ignite what was initially reported to be firecrackers.
The man was "subdued immediately," Elliott said. Northwest is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta.
