Failed Terrorist Attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253: Explosion Attempt Thwarted

On Christmas Day 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate a powerful plastic explosive, pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, traveling from Amsterdam to Detroit. Had he been successful, the explosion could have caused the plane to crash, according to experts. Abdulmutallab, 23, was charged with attempting to destroy an aircraft with an explosive device. The explosive was the same type used in the failed shoe bomb attempt by Richard C. Reid in 2001.

Key Takeaways:

• Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian citizen, attempted to detonate a powerful plastic explosive, PETN, on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253.
• The explosive was introduced after World War I and is in the same chemical family as nitroglycerin, making it one of the most powerful explosives.
• PETN does not easily detonate and typically requires a shock wave from a blasting cap or an exploding wire detonator to set it off.
• Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate the explosive using a syringe, but the chemical reaction did not occur, according to experts.
• Passengers and crew members subdued Abdulmutallab and used blankets and fire extinguishers to put out the flames.
• The remnants of a syringe were found near Abdulmutallab's seat, but the contents were not specified.
• Dr. Jimmie C. Oxley, an explosives expert, suggested that the contents of the syringe might have been sufficient to set off the PETN.

Statistics:

• The explosive used by Abdulmutallab was pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN).
• PETN is in the same chemical family as nitroglycerin.
• The failed shoe bomb attempt by Richard C. Reid in 2001 used triacetone triperoxide (TATP) as the detonator for the PETN.
• Abdulmutallab, 23, was charged with attempting to destroy an aircraft with an explosive device.

Sources:

• "Failed Terrorist Attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253" by The New York Times.