Happy New Year to All - Fireworks set off aboard airliner
Some people... I'm not even sure what to say.
(CNN) -- A passenger on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, caused a brief disturbance Friday at the end of the trip by igniting firecrackers, a Delta Air Lines spokeswoman said.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by denverhockeyguy
Some people... I'm not even sure what to say.
Strange indeed. I take off my shoes at home and get groped in Europe to make it through security and fly and this still happens? I can hardly wait to see the comments in the Travel Safety/Security Forum, which I see have already started here.
"Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott says Delta Flight 253, an Airbus 330 carrying 278 passengers, was arriving in Detroit from Amsterdam when the incident took place Friday afternoon. Elliott says the passenger was immediately subdued. She had no details on injuries. An FBI spokeswoman in Detroit says the incident is being investigated."
Latest reports say the passenger intended to blow up the plane, so expect extra security checks which will affect powdery substances like sherbet and athletes foot powder
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Further information here:
Quote:
A 23-year-old Nigerian man claiming ties to al-Qaida tried to light a powder aboard a commercial jetliner before it landed Friday in Detroit, a senior U.S. counterterrorism official told NBC News. A counterterrorism official characterized the powder as an explosive device, and federal officials raised the terrorism alert for air flights to orange, or high, the second-highest level.
And some video here -- not much to see, except an explosives expert boarding, and a reported rumor that all international flights are being held at the gates:
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More news from CNN:
Quote:
A senior administration official said the White House is considering the incident an attempted terrorist attack.
The passenger was immediately subdued, according to Susan Elliott, spokeswoman for Delta, Northwest's parent company, Elliott said earlier that the suspect had ignited several small firecrackers. The incident resulted in some minor injuries, she said.
A passenger, identified as a Nigerian national, was later placed in custody and is being treated for burns suffered in the explosion, said the bulletin, obtained by CNN from a source familiar with the investigation.
The passenger "is claiming to have extremist affiliation and that the device was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used," according to the bulletin.
. . .
President Obama, who is spending the holidays in his home state of Hawaii, was briefed on the incident during a secure phone call with aides and instructed in a subsequent discussion with security advisers "that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel," White House spokesman Bill Burton said. The president made no changes to his schedule, Burton said.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement Friday saying that air passengers "may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights."
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the guy admits hes an extremist?? hmmmm doesnt sound like much of a terrorist...or at least a smart person....This whole story and this incident smells of foul fish.....Either way, the incident is gonna cause hassles for everyone...DOH!
NY Times: A passenger aboard a plane at Detroit Metropolitan Airport apparently tried to ignite an explosive device on Friday, an incident the United States believes was “an attempted act of terrorism,” according to a White House official "A United States counterterrorism official said that a Nigerian national, Abdul Mudallad, was suspected of trying to detonate an explosive aboard the Northwest plane. “This was an attempted terrorist attack,” the official said. “This was someone who was trying to take down an aircraft.”
A United States counterterrorism official said that a Nigerian national, Abdul Mudallad, was suspected of trying to detonate an explosive aboard the Northwest plane. “This was an attempted terrorist attack,” the official said. “This was someone who was trying to take down an aircraft.” The TSA is equipped to test for explosives and does this routinely. It is hard to imagine that there is a practical way to test everyone - unless all carry-on luggage is banned.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by B1
A United States counterterrorism official said that a Nigerian national, Abdul Mudallad, was suspected of trying to detonate an explosive aboard the Northwest plane. “This was an attempted terrorist attack,” the official said. “This was someone who was trying to take down an aircraft.”
with a firecracker??? ....this guy is obviously mentally disturbed and should be given a double dose of whatever medication he ran out....
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrx900
with a firecracker??? ....this guy is obviously mentally disturbed and should be given a double dose of whatever medication he ran out....
Not a firecracker -- that was the initial report from Delta/Northwest. Latest reports are it was some incendiary powder mixed with a liquid in a syringe. I still don't see how that can work -- to be explosive, the reaction needs to be contained.
MSNBC is reporting that the increased security measure will include dogs and more gate screenings. Ugh.
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How da heck do you cause carnage by mixing Tang with Soda water inside the plane? Either way, this sucks for me as I'm Maui bound in less than 2 weeks and now im surely gonna be a candidate for the 'random check'....ugh is right!
I can hardly wait to see the comments in the Travel Safety/Security Forum, which I see have already started 
