Passengers help foil attack on Detroit-bound plane

[Bugs]

A bomber apparently attempted to blow up a airliner on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.

Passengers noticed smoke and noises, and responded, forcing the bomber to stop igniting the bomb. The plane managed to land without further incident.

But there are a lot of ominous aspects to the flight;

The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. Dutch anti-terrorism authorities said the U.S. has asked all airlines to take extra precautions on flights worldwide that are bound for the United States.

The incident was reminiscent of Richard Reid, who tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, but was subdued by other passengers.

Multiple law enforcement officials identified the suspect in Friday's attempted attack as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. He was described as Nigerian.

One law enforcement official said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over U.S. soil, but other law enforcement officials cautioned that such claims could not be verified immediately, and said the man may have been acting independently - inspired but not specifically trained or ordered by terror groups.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091226/D9CR18JO0.html

This story hasn't gotten much coverage.

Comments?

[bush_cheney2004]

....This story hasn't gotten much coverage.

Comments?

Are you kidding? CNN and Fox have been running with this all day. Passengers are conditioned now to spring into action and begin beating the shyte out of anybody who pulls this kind of stunt.

Allah Akbar !!

[Bugs]

Are you kidding? CNN and Fox have been running with this all day. Passengers are conditioned now to spring into action and begin beating the shyte out of anybody who pulls this kind of stunt.

Allah Akbar !!

I shouldn't be talking, I haven't seen much TV over the last couple of days. But, when this first happened, it looked as if the major media weren't picking up on it.

Maybe they were just delaying the story, so they didn't break in on the church services, etc.

There have been at least two planes that disappeared mid-ocean under circumstances where they could have been victims of successful versions of this method of attack. One was the Air France plane, going from Brazil to Paris ... the other one was in Indonesia.

What was evident in the coverage of the Air France crash was that it had broken up in the air. The most likely explanation was an on-board explosion, which means, almost certainly, terrorism. From the point on, the coverage was an attempt to prove that the plane had not been a victim of terrorists. The spokesmen simply refused to entertain the possibiity publicly. No more hard facts on the locations, etc. was published.

In the same connection, what happened in the 'chunnel' that shut it down? Such things are prime targets for terrorists.

[bush_cheney2004]

I shouldn't be talking, I haven't seen much TV over the last couple of days. But, when this first happened, it looked as if the major media weren't picking up on it.

The normal news cycle was slow because of the Xmas holiday, big winter storm stories, and some women gang tackling the pope...again.

Maybe they were just delaying the story, so they didn't break in on the church services, etc.

Since it was not a "successful" attack, it doesn't peg the alarm as hard.

There have been at least two planes that disappeared mid-ocean under circumstances where they could have been victims of successful versions of this method of attack. One was the Air France plane, going from Brazil to Paris ... the other one was in Indonesia.

Maybe they should ban smoking on all flights!

What was evident in the coverage of the Air France crash was that it had broken up in the air. The most likely explanation was an on-board explosion, which means, almost certainly, terrorism. From the point on, the coverage was an attempt to prove that the plane had not been a victim of terrorists. The spokesmen simply refused to entertain the possibiity publicly. No more hard facts on the locations, etc. was published.

I think they blamed some pitot tubes.....pitot tubes can't talk.

In the same connection, what happened in the 'chunnel' that shut it down? Such things are prime targets for terrorists.

Oh well...there is no such thing as safe.....just probability and statistics.

[Guest American Woman]

Maybe I'll get lambasted for this observation in this PC world that we live in, but I find it rather odd that a flight to Detroit was targeted considering that a large percentage of passengers on flights to/from Detroit are Arab.

Anyway, I've read that while he was raised in Nigeria, the suspect may have been converted to extremism while attending university in London. Seems to me we have to open our eyes to the fact that this is going on within Western nations, and act accordingly.

[Gabriel]

This story has been covered extensively since the moment it happened. CNN and Fox News have been ALL OVER IT. As was said by bush_cheney2004, airline passengers now seem to be ready to respond to a would-be Islamic terrorist very quickly. The passengers and crew that apprehended this monkey are heroes. Hopefully he'll be executed for his failed attempt at mass murder.

I noticed the news coverage on CNN and Fox News to be playing down the Islamic element of this story during the first day, at least - primarily with their unwillingness to describe this terrorism as Islamic terrorism. Although perhaps terrorism has now become synonymous with Islamic terrorism, to the points that the adjective "Islamic" is no longer necessary when it comes to reporting on terrorism, it's simply understood that terrorism is almost necessarily Islamic.

[Gabriel]

I think the airline was Northwest. Anyone think the airline will reward the passengers and crew involved in some way? Perhaps giving the passengers involved in detaining this animal a certain number of complimentary air-trips per year for the rest of their lives?

Edited December 27, 2009 by Gabriel

[Michael Hardner]

Maybe I'll get lambasted for this observation in this PC world that we live in, but I find it rather odd that a flight to Detroit was targeted considering that a large percentage of passengers on flights to/from Detroit are Arab.

Anyway, I've read that while he was raised in Nigeria, the suspect may have been converted to extremism while attending university in London. Seems to me we have to open our eyes to the fact that this is going on within Western nations, and act accordingly.

Well, Al-Quaida targets civilians in Iraq too, so it's maybe not that odd. Their communications have been noted recently as apologizing to civilians that they target in suicide bombings.

Their PR is suffering, I think, because people are starting to see the hypocrisy of vilifying Americans for collateral damage while this is going on.

[Guest American Woman]

This story has been covered extensively since the moment it happened. CNN and Fox News have been ALL OVER IT. As was said by bush_cheney2004, airline passengers now seem to be ready to respond to a would-be Islamic terrorist very quickly.

Hopefully they'd be just as quick to respond if a would-be terrorist isn't Islamic.

[Shady]

Seems to me we have to open our eyes to the fact that this is going on within Western nations, and act accordingly.

It'd be nice if we could. But that would involve some profiling in order to be more efficient. And *gasp*, we can't have that!

[Gabriel]

Hopefully they'd be just as quick to respond if a would-be terrorist isn't Islamic.

Well of course, that goes without saying. But in all seriousness, what examples do we have in recent history of airlines terrorism that AREN'T Islamic? As I was saying earlier, 'terrorism' has almost become synonymous with 'Islamic terrorism', to the point that most news agencies aren't even using the term 'Islamic' anymore... it's as if it's a given that terrorism is necessarily Islamic.

[Gabriel]

It'd be nice if we could. But that would involve some profiling in order to be more efficient. And *gasp*, we can't have that!

You just *know* that airports are screening 40-something year old Jon Smith from Fort Lauderadale as vigilantly as Muhammed bin Adbulareman from London.... which is ridiculous.

[Riverwind]

You just *know* that airports are screening 40-something year old Jon Smith from Fort Lauderadale as vigilantly as Muhammed bin Adbulareman from London.... which is ridiculous.

What is rediculous is the fact they have to pretend that they are treating everyone the same in order to satisfy the obessions of the politically correct.

[BubberMiley]

What is rediculous is the fact they have to pretend that they are treating everyone the same in order to satisfy the obessions of the politically correct.

Or is it to provide better security? Why would they tell people they just have to "look western" to avoid screening?

I think your obsession with the "politically correct" once again has you thinking illogically.

[Gabriel]

What is rediculous is the fact they have to pretend that they are treating everyone the same in order to satisfy the obessions of the politically correct.

That's exactly what I'm saying, that they're checking everyone equally when they need to be utilizing profiling, which often includes racial/ethnic/cultural profiling. It's ridiculous, clearly Arabic/Muslim passengers are higher risk than non-Arabic/Muslim passengers. Anyone with a brain knows this.

[Gabriel]

Or is it to provide better security? Why would they tell people they just have to "look western" to avoid screening?

I think your obsession with the "politically correct" once again has you thinking illogically.

Everyone needs to be subject to standard screening. Special screening, however, is pointless with a 60-year-old white grandma from the midwest. A young, Middle Eastern, Muslim/Arabic male (or female, actually), travelling alone with little or no luggage on an overseas flight needs to be scrutinized. I've been at an airport recently, and I sometimes see ridiculous things. Spare us the political correctness, is all we're saying.

[Guest American Woman]

What is rediculous is the fact they have to pretend that they are treating everyone the same in order to satisfy the obessions of the politically correct.

Or perhaps it's not to anger/upset/embarrass the group being singled out/targeted, since the vast majority of them are as innocent as "everyone" else.

Furthermore, a "non-stereotypical" person could decide to join the ranks of the terrorist organizations, and no one would 'suspect' a thing, basically waving them through security rather than treating everyone the same -- according to your way of thinking.

I agree that everyone boarding an airplane should be subject to the same security, and know that they are going to be subjected to as rigid security as the next person. I have no problem being subjected to the same security check as the next person, whoever that may be.

A side note about this terrorist attempt -- I am truly surprised that he made it through Amsterdam's security checks. I've found Amsterdam's security to be the most stringent/time consuming of all the airports I've traveled to/from, and others I know feel the same way. Just goes to show that sometimes, in spite of all that is done, someone will slip through the cracks. That's the reality.

[SOMEONE]

Please read this:

CBC today said: "Still, none of the information the government had on Abdulmutallab rose to the level of putting him on the official terror watch list or no-fly list."

CBC yesterday said: "Abdulmutallab is on an anti-terrorism watch list maintained by the U.S. National Counter terrorism Center"

NYpost today said: "Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, suspected of attempting to detonate an explosive device on a plane bound for Detroit on Friday, had been on a list of people with known or suspected ties to terrorism for at LEAST TWO YEARS, Fox News confirmed SATURDAY." Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national. Abdulmutallab received a valid U.S. visa in June 2008 that is good through 2010. Try to add up the news and it want ad up. I think the issue is: the guy was in Amsterdam inhaling PENT he brought some on the plane and he wanted to use it before getting off.

The stuff (PENT) is a drug check the study on this link: http://www.springerlink.com/content/l3t284821748h436/

Richard L. Sterkel1 and William A. Knight Jr. from the Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Saint Mary's Hospital, Saint Louis, Mo.

Summary 1. A group of 30 patients with positive Prostigmin-morphine serum and urinary diastase response were retested after pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) was administered to them.

So the guy was HIGH, and the proof from CBC:"Abdulmutallab who later told a flight attendant he had an "explosive device" IN HIS POCKET. He was seen holding a partially melted syringe."

So what the media is HIDING IS THE FACT that PENT is a drug. The guy is coming from AMSTERDAM

WHAT WAS HE DOING THERE?

[BubberMiley]

A young, Middle Eastern, Muslim/Arabic male (or female, actually), travelling alone with little or no luggage on an overseas flight needs to be scrutinized. I've been at an airport recently, and I sometimes see ridiculous things. Spare us the political correctness, is all we're saying.

Are you saying the middle eastern muslim males are not scrutinized? If you are, then you don't know what you're talking about. Are you saying the middle-aged white housewives should not be scrutinized? If you are, then you don't know what you're talking about.

Maybe you're so caught up in worrying about whether some people are more considerate than you, you're willing to forgo proper security to pander to your "anti-PC" whims.

[Gabriel]

According the CNN and Fox News, two of the terrorists in the recent video claiming responsibility for this attempted mass murder were former detainees at Guantanamo released under the Bush administration. How absurd is it to release folks who are still a clear and present danger? Unreal.

[bloodyminded]

Maybe I'll get lambasted for this observation in this PC world that we live in, but I find it rather odd that a flight to Detroit was targeted considering that a large percentage of passengers on flights to/from Detroit are Arab.

There's nothing wrong with your observation. But there's nothing surprising about the fact you point out. Islamic terrorists are as apt to kill Arabs as non-Arabs. In fact, Islamic terrorists HAVE killed far more Arabs than whites. No competition. They're pretty much equal-opportunity murderers.

[Wilber]

The guy is coming from AMSTERDAM

WHAT WAS HE DOING THERE?

You keep repeating this and the answer is simple. If you are coming from Nigeria and want to get to the US, chances are you will have to connect through London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris.

[Guest American Woman]

A side note about this terrorist attempt -- I am truly surprised that he made it through Amsterdam's security checks. I've found Amsterdam's security to be the most stringent/time consuming of all the airports I've traveled to/from, and others I know feel the same way. Just goes to show that sometimes, in spite of all that is done, someone will slip through the cracks. That's the reality.

This doesn't surprise me:

Dutch to use full body scanners for US flights

The Netherlands will immediately begin using full body scanners for flights heading to the United States to prevent future terrorist attacks like the Christmas Day attempt by a young Nigerian.

Sounds to me as if they will be using the scans on all passengers.

[bjre]

Western politicians love to use its powerful jail, police, court, inspection methods to deal with crimes.

They can not solve the problem, look at the crime rate of the States.

They don't want to find the reason and use kindness and fairness to make people happy so that less and less people want to crime because of anger, grief, despair, and other mental problems caused by bully or unfair treatment.

That is because all they want to do is take money even if it will cause damage to others.

Edited December 30, 2009 by bjre

[GostHacked]

This doesn't surprise me:

Dutch to use full body scanners for US flights

The Netherlands will immediately begin using full body scanners for flights heading to the United States to prevent future terrorist attacks like the Christmas Day attempt by a young Nigerian.

Sounds to me as if they will be using the scans on all passengers.

I bet you will see more of this in the next couple years. Any country that has flights to the US will have these in place. Now it is just a matter of time.