Terrorist Plot Foiled: Investigation into Northwest Airlines Incident Expands

Strategic Insights -

A Nigerian student, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was charged with attempting to blow up a Northwest Airlines jet by igniting an explosive device made of pentaerythritol (PETN) stitched into his underwear. Passengers' quick thinking and a faulty detonator thwarted the attack, which could have resulted in a devastating explosion. The incident has sparked a widespread investigation, including a review of the terrorism watch list and questions about whether Abdulmutallab acted alone or as part of a larger terrorist plot.

Key Takeaways:

  • Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian student, was charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines jet by igniting an explosive device made of PETN, a major explosive, stitched into his underwear.
  • The device had a faulty detonator, which prevented the explosion from occurring.
  • Passengers on the plane tackled Abdulmutallab and flight attendants put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.
  • Abdulmutallab's father, a prominent banker in Nigeria, had alerted the U.S. embassy about his son's radicalism, resulting in his son being added to the Terrorism Identities Datamart Environment (Tide) List.
  • The Tide List has 555,000 individuals on it, who are not necessarily on the no-fly list.
  • Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has suggested that there might be a larger terrorist plot, but officials believe it's unlikely.
  • The FBI is investigating whether Abdulmutallab acted alone or as part of a larger terrorist organization.
  • The explosive device used by Abdulmutallab is the same type used by the shoe bomber, Richard Reid, in 2001.
  • The detonator used in the device was a chemical injection system, a new wrinkle in terrorism tactics.
  • President Obama has ordered a review of the terrorism watch list in response to this incident.

Statistics:

  • 80 grams of PETN were used in the explosive device.
  • The device had a faulty detonator.
  • 555,000 individuals are on the Tide List, a generic terrorism watch list.
  • The no-fly list has individuals who are prohibited from flying into the United States.
  • The incident occurred on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Sources:

  • [NPR's broadcast of Morning Edition, STEVE INSKEEP, host, LINDA WERTHEIMER, host, December 26, 2009]