A Northwest Airlines passenger from Nigeria, who said he was acting onal-Qaida’s instructions, set off an explosive device Friday in a failedterrorist attack on the plane as it was landing in Detroit, federalofficials said.
Flight 253 with 278 passengers aboard was 20minutes from the airport when it sounded like a firecracker hadexploded, witnesses said. One passenger jumped over others and tried tosubdue the man. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to a front rowseat with his pants cut off and his legs burned.
The WhiteHouse said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism andstricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel, butwere not specified.
Law enforcement officials identified thesuspect as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. Others had slightly differentspellings.
One law enforcement source said the man claimed tohave been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over U.S. soil.”It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase,” said Peter Smith, apassenger from the Netherlands. “First there was a pop, and then(there) was smoke.”
At least one passenger acted heroically.
Smith said the passenger, sitting opposite the man, climbed overpassengers, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man. Theheroic passenger appeared to have been burned.