Apparently there was an incident yesterday on a Northwest Airlines on which a Nigerian man is alleged to have attempted to detonate an explosive device of some sort. A brave passenger is said to have disarmed the suspect. Here is some of the background:
A Nigerian man, claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda, allegedly tried to set off an incendiary device aboard a transatlantic airplane Friday as it descended toward Detroit's airport in what the White House called an attempted act of terrorism.
The man was quickly subdued after another passenger leapt on top of him, others on the plane said, and Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam landed safely around 1 p.m. Friday. The suspect was being treated at a hospital for burns he suffered while igniting the device, the Transportation Security Administration said."
But here is the kicker:
The suspect is Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, a federal official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. ABC News and NBC News reported that Abdulmutallab, 23, attends University College London, where he studies engineering.
Although not on the TSA's "no-fly" list, Abdulmutallab's name appears to be included in the government's records of terrorism suspects, according to a preliminary review, authorities said.
Experts have long warned that by expanding the "no-fly" list - which ballooned to over a million names under the Bush administration - to include highly unlikely suspects (such as journalists, babies, US Senators, etc.) undermines the very purpose of having such a list to begin with.
Perhaps if Jim Moore could have been removed from the list (which Karl Rove is alleged to have put him on to begin with) a slot would have been available for Abdulmutallab.
I am glad that everyone is safe. But I have to wonder how long before Dick Cheney appears on the tube with his handy dandy fear talking points in order to frighten the public into believing that we need endless war and a police state to keep us safe? Any guesses?
