Attempt to blow up airliner foiled

AP sources: Attempt to blow up airliner foiled - Yahoo! News

A Nigerian man who said he was an agent for al-Qaida tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane Friday as it was preparing to land in Detroit, but travelers who smelled smoke and heard what sounded like firecrackers rushed to subdue him, the passengers and federal officials said.

 

Great! Now US passengers will have to be patted down as well as x-rayed before boarding.

(memo for Homeland Defense; How could a guy with "known terrorist connections" for the last 2 years NOT be on a "NO FLY" List?????? Duh?)

 

Here is some more about this duffous:

Goto:

Nigeria banker fears son is alleged plane attacker - Yahoo! News--

For the "no-fly" stuff, and why he wasn't on it;

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091226...N5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawNhcHNvdXJjZXVza24-

 

Gee, Clint, do you think he'll be added to the list?

 

Shooo 'nuff, a bit late it would appear!

For some more detail on the security failings in this case.

See:

US seeks global security stepup on US-bound travel - Yahoo! News

 

Engineering student in Britain? What are they teaching them? He didn't follow the engineering process very well.

Was he one of those Amish radicals? I'm getting so tired of those fundamentalist Christians trying to blow up planes, markets, pizza parlors and innocent people in general. <sarc>

I took one of my son's to the airport today. The number of security people working at our aiports really ticks me off. Not that they are there but that they have to be there. Talk about money that could be spent on something like healthcare or big screen tvs for the poor.

 

Remember...the Noble Foundation gave away an award because our President is changing the way the US is precieved worldwide...so why on earth would someone still want to blow up our planes??

 

I just hope no one gives him a fat lip or they will get prosecuted in this world. The Dane that subdued him should get lawyered up.

 

I doubt it if terrorists will attempt any hijackings as passengers are now taking action. The attitude now is "if I'm going to die, then I will die fighting." Hijackings no longer provide the results terrorist groups want.

 

Maybe something for the "lost missile training"? Oops,sorry....

Osama bin Laden&rsquo;s missing family found in secret compound in Iran - Times Online

Anyway, more of a joke as I think the terrorists would turn them into a bunch of martyrs in a second....

 

Full strip search for now on...

 

Now reports are coming in that this guy's father actually contacted American Officials because he was concerned about his son becoming a crazed Jihadist and was worried the son was planning on acting on his "beliefs".

How many clues does it take? A trip to Yemen, and a worried father? Plus additional contacts with known terrorists? Someone in the intel world needs to be fired!

 

Yeah, his Dad visited the embassy a few months before the kid got his visa, or right after or something. That was in June of 2008, but I suppose that being one of a half-million on the "watch list" doesn't automatically put you on the "no-fly" list. With only a Father's worries, and no "concrete" ties to Al-Queda at the time he probably was one of those "well, he's may be worth watching, but not really a high-priority subject."

Just my take on it looking in from the outside, and not knowing just how hectic or bizarre Nigeria was durning last summer's crud for one guy to get a "low priority" ranking. There will always be "holes" in security blanket, and notice I'm not dumping on the Bush admin. for this, even if it was on their watch. Just too many places for "goofs" to develop without much real notice. The Major in our own armed forces worries me more than an engineering student from Nigeria. How did Major Hasan slip through the Homeland Security "watch list" for as long as he did?

He wasn't even "silent" about his positions, and he was right here at home.

 

I hate it when a piece of scum like that causes the entire world to get supicious and suspected. How on earth did he get Visas on the first place, wasn't he on a black list? The worse is that terrorists now know how to smuggle explosive liquids on board, if they didn't, the media showed them large and wide.....

 

Our daughter got on a plane to Toronto and then on to Orlando. Thank goodness we had a 4-hour window for her before she gets on a US flight.

The terrorists now don't even have to accomplish anything overt, just the threat - or even a foiled attempt - has our entire society subjected to more and more restrictions and lack of the freedoms that we have enjoyed and for which our parents and grandparents fought. Security measures where you can't get something from your carry on luggage or get up from your seat 1-hour before landing are bs. Personally, I now won't be able to travel anywhere, apparently they never considered that some people might have medical conditions that require such freedom of action. My Dad didn't give up his youth, health, and peace of mind fighting in WWII for me to be denied something as basic as travelling because rules are imposed that won't allow me to use the washroom on a plane 1 hour before I land!

I'm sorry for the tragedies that have occurred in the past. I hope the security groups will come up with reasonable and efficient processes to screen and reduce the possibilities of actions resulting in injury and death; however, the act of terror is successful regardless of injury and death when our government agencies respond by changing the way we are able to live our lives. One of their's gives up their freedom or even life in order to damage the lives of millions.

Update: So far her flight has been delayed an additional 4 hours and she reports being frisked multiple times. How ridiculous is this? I'm sorry but I feel that there are knee jerk reactions occurring. She has advised that following this trip, she will never travel again..... So much for the travel and tourist industry ......

 

Here is a short article which sort of "explains" how he was ignored for as long as he was, and the rest of the "time-line".

WASHINGTON – U.S. government officials tell The Associated Press that the Nigerian man charged with trying to destroy a jetliner came to the attention of U.S. intelligence in November when his father went to the U.S. embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, to express his concerns about his son.

A congressional official said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, popped up in U.S. intelligence reports about four weeks ago as having a connection to both al-Qaida and Yemen.

Another government official said Abdulmutallab's father went to the embassy in Abuja with his concerns, but did not have any specific information that would put him on the "no-fly list" or on the list for additional security checks at the airport.

Neither was the information sufficient to revoke his visa to visit the United States. His visa had been granted June 2008 and was valid through June 2010. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because neither was authorized to speak to the media.

See:

Father of Detroit would-be bomber warned US - Yahoo! News

 

Great.....I can't wait to get on a plane now....

 

Excuse me, but it seems to me that "having a connection to both al-Qaida and Yemen." should have been enough to get this young man from getting travel documents and being able to get on a US-bound plane. I mean is it that difficult to connect a person with Al-quaida contacts to a possible terrorist act? Helloooo?

The only reasonable conclusion is that Homeland Security dropped the ball and is now trying to explain that fact away. What difference does it make that his visa was issued in 2008 and was valid through 2010? A visa can be canceled whenever evidence turns up that indicates the hoder shouldn't be in the US.

And just what do the authorities expect to prevent by locking down air passengers in their seats for the last hour of a flight? If someone wants to detonate a bomb, he could certainly figure out how to do it from his seat. Or for that matter, simply move up his schedule and do it before the last part of the flight. My God, is Janet Napitano that big a moron? I think we are in real trouble here with incompetents like her in office.....