BBC News - Detroit Airliner Incident 'Was Failed Bomb Attack' [image: Northwest Airlines Flight 253 plane after landing in Detroit]
* * * * * * * * * * *The plane was carrying 278 passengers* * * *An incident on an airliner arriving in the US city of Detroit from Amsterdam in the Netherlands was a failed bomb attack, senior US officials say.* *Sources say a man burnt his leg trying to ignite explosives on the jet, which had 278 passengers and 11 crew aboard, but nobody else was seriously hurt.* *In custody, the Nigerian suspect said he had been acting on behalf of al-Qaeda, a police source said.* *President Barack Obama has ordered increased security for air travel.* *The White House spokesman Bill Burton said the president was monitoring the situation.* *Northwest Airlines Flight 253 had been about 20 minutes away from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Friday afternoon when the incident occurred.* *Reports quote officials as saying the suspect seems to have tried to ignite some kind of incendiary device.* *Melinda Dennis, a passenger, said the man had been severely burned on one leg, and a fire extinguisher and water were used to put out the fire.* *AIRLINE TERROR PLOTS* *1995:** Al-Qaeda plots to blow up US airliners over the Pacific in "Operation Bojinka"* *2001:** Briton Richard Reid tries to blow up a Paris-Miami flight with 197 people on board using explosives hidden in his shoes* *2006:** Police in Britain foil a series of attacks on transatlantic flights using liquid bombs disguised as soft drinks* *Another passenger, Syed Jafri, said he had been seated three rows behind the suspect and had seen a glow and noticed a smoke smell.* *Then, he said, "a young man behind me jumped on him".* *"Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic," Mr Jafri added.* *As the suspect was being tackled, he was reportedly shouting and a passenger said she had heard the word "Afghanistan".* *'Taped to his leg'* *Another unnamed passenger heard a "little pop", then saw "a bit of a smoke and then some flames".* [image: A robot, followed by an official, approaches the airliner as it stands at Detroit airport] *A robot could be seen examining the plane with an official nearby* *After "yelling and screaming", the passenger added, "they took him out and it was really quick".* *The suspect later told the US authorities he had had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion, the ABC television network reports.* *A US intelligence official quoted by AP said an explosive device had been used consisting of a "mix of powder and liquid".* *Peter King, who sits on the US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, said the suspect had third-degree burns.* *The New York Republican named the detainee as Abdul Mudallad, 23, a Nigerian national whose name, he said, was in a database indicating "a significant terrorist connection" although it did not appear on a "no-fly" list.* [image: Map] *Mr Mutallab, whose name was given elsewhere as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, reportedly told investigators he had links to al-Qaeda and had received the explosives in Yemen.* *According to some US and Dutch media reports, he is a student at University College London.* *Mr King also said investigators were looking into whether the incident was part of a larger plot and a "worldwide alert" had been raised.* *The Department of Homeland Security said "additional screening measures" had been put into effect since the incident.* *At least one passenger was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.* *Susan Elliott, a spokeswoman for Delta, Northwest's parent company, said the airline was co-operating with the investigation.* ------------------------------ *Were you on the plane? Were you affected by the incident? Send us your stories using the form below.* *A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.* *The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. *
