Series of SITREPS from Stratfor on terrorism attempt NW Airlines

U.S.: Attempted Attack On Northwest Airlines Flight

December 26, 2009
A passenger on a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit attempted to detonate an explosive device that was strapped to his leg during the flight, the Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 25, citing a statement by an unnamed senior U.S. official. The suspect is believed to be a Nigerian national, and has told U.S. investigators that he has ties to al Qaeda. The flight originated in Nigeria and stopped in Amsterdam before departing for Detroit.

December 26, 2009
The passenger on a Northwest Airlines flight who attempted to detonate an explosive device aboard the plane has told investigators that he was given the explosive device, originally thought to be a gunpowder firecracker but now believed to be more sophisticated, by al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, according to a U.S. official, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 25. The suspect also claims to have received training in Yemen on how to detonate the explosive. The device, which reportedly consisted of a liquid and a powder, caught fire as the individual attempted to set it off.

December 26, 2009
The U.S. government has declared the incident aboard a Northwest Airlines flight to be an attempted terrorist attack, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement saying that screenings may be increased in response to the incident, the New York Times reported Dec. 25. U.S. President Barack Obama, currently on vacation in Hawaii, was briefed on the incident during two secure conference calls with his national security team.

December 26, 2009
A U.S. counterterrorism official said the suspect in the attempted Northwest Airlines attack Dec. 25, Nigerian national Abdul Mudallad, was in a U.S. intelligence database and on a government no-fly list, The New York Times reported. A passenger three rows in front of the suspect on the plane told National Public Radio that the suspect attempted to detonate the device during the plane’s descent, and that after noticing a glow and the smell of smoke, another passenger tackled the suspect immediately.

U.S.: Suspect Had Terror Connections, Not On No-Fly List – Congressman
December 26, 2009
U.S. Representative Peter King said that the Nigerian suspect, identified as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, was not on any government no-fly lists, as had previously been reported, but his name was in an intelligence database for individuals suspected of terrorist connections, CNN reported Dec. 25. King also said that an investigation has begun to determine whether the incident was isolated, or part of a larger plot. MSNBC has reported that the suspect had purchased a one-way ticket for his flight.

U.S.: Suspect Departed Nigeria, U.S. Entry Visa Issued June 2008
December 26, 2009
The suspect in the attempted attack on a Northwest Airlines flight Dec. 25 began his journey in Nigeria on board KLM Flight 588 and made a connection in Amsterdam aboard Northwest Flight 253, ABC reported. The individual’s entry visa stated he was traveling to the United States for a religious ceremony, and the visa was issued June 16, 2008 and valid through June 12, 2010.