Suspect In Attempted Bombing Of Northwest Airlines Flight From Amsterdam To Detroit Is Identified As Nigerian Man. Oh Sh*t.
Suspect Identified as Nigerian Man
By CAM SIMPSON
The passenger who allegedly tried to detonate an explosive device on a Northwester Airlines flight was identified by authorities as Abdul Mudallad, a 23-year-old Nigerian national, according to Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Mr. King spoke in an interview with The Wall Street Journal after he was briefed by authorities.
Mr. King said the suspect's name did not appear on any of the terrorist watch lists maintained by U.S. authorities, but that the Nigerian national did turn up "hot" in other terrorism-related databases maintained by intelligence officials.
There's definitely a terrorist nexus -- that's the term being used by the people I'm talking to in Washington," Mr. King said following his briefings Friday. He would not say, however, whether there was a direct link to al Qaeda.
Mr. King said the explosive device allegedly strapped to Mr. Mudallad's leg was technologically advanced and potentially devastating. "This was not a firecracker," Mr. King said. "The device was fairly sophisticated."
He also said authorities were scrambling to find out where a security breach might have occurred. The plane departed from Lagos, Nigeria, and had a stopover in Amsterdam before flying to Detroit, according to Mr. King. He also said there was no intelligence indicating it was part of a wider plot involving other attempted attacks, but that authorities weren't taking any chances.
Mr. Mudallad suffered 3rd-degree burns when the device detonated on approach to Detroit, according to Mr. King. He said none of the other passengers was seriously injured.
Write to Cam Simpson at cam.simpson@wsj.com
By CAM SIMPSON
The passenger who allegedly tried to detonate an explosive device on a Northwester Airlines flight was identified by authorities as Abdul Mudallad, a 23-year-old Nigerian national, according to Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Mr. King spoke in an interview with The Wall Street Journal after he was briefed by authorities.
Mr. King said the suspect's name did not appear on any of the terrorist watch lists maintained by U.S. authorities, but that the Nigerian national did turn up "hot" in other terrorism-related databases maintained by intelligence officials.
There's definitely a terrorist nexus -- that's the term being used by the people I'm talking to in Washington," Mr. King said following his briefings Friday. He would not say, however, whether there was a direct link to al Qaeda.
Mr. King said the explosive device allegedly strapped to Mr. Mudallad's leg was technologically advanced and potentially devastating. "This was not a firecracker," Mr. King said. "The device was fairly sophisticated."
He also said authorities were scrambling to find out where a security breach might have occurred. The plane departed from Lagos, Nigeria, and had a stopover in Amsterdam before flying to Detroit, according to Mr. King. He also said there was no intelligence indicating it was part of a wider plot involving other attempted attacks, but that authorities weren't taking any chances.
Mr. Mudallad suffered 3rd-degree burns when the device detonated on approach to Detroit, according to Mr. King. He said none of the other passengers was seriously injured.
Write to Cam Simpson at cam.simpson@wsj.com
Labels: Public safety, Terror
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