Christmas Surprise: Attempted Bombing of Northwest Airlines Jet over Detroit
A Nigerian national allegedly attempted to blow up a Northwest Airlines jet as it descended into Detroit today around noon. The small explosive device burned the suspect’s hands but did no other serious damage, it appears. It’s too early to know exactly what to make of the incident, but a few thoughts to help sort through the frenzy of news that is already whipsawing into circulation.
* Who dunnit? Nigerian suspect, Yemeni device, al-Qaeda connection…?
The bomb, which the New York Times is saying was made partly of liquid, partly of powder, reportedly came from Yemen, and the suspect is said to be claiming an al-Qaeda connection. If true, this is not a shocker. We know that Yemen is a haven for al-Qaeda. In fact, al-Qaeda members have explicitly announced their intention to use Yemen as a regional base. The instability and weak government in Yemen make it very vulnerable to exploitation by extremists. To see footage from a very recent al-Qaeda rally in Yemen, check out this al Jazeera (in English) clip:
* Who’s to Blame? Obama! Yemen! Airport security! Fill in the blank!
Wasting no time, the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee seized upon the news of the attack to criticize the Obama administration for not taking the Yemen threat more seriously and call for more aggressive action. “People have got to start connecting the dots here and maybe this is the thing that will connect the dots for the Obama administration,” Rep. Pete Hoekstra told the Detroit Free Press.
An odd thing to say on the very same day that Yemeni forces, back by the United States, launched an air strike on suspected al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen. That strike killed some 30 people and was the latest attack in a series. Last week, a battery of strikes killed about 34 people. The attacks were ordered by President Obama himself, ABC News is reporting.
To further complicate the blame game, these kinds of military raids can actually make the al-Qaeda threat worse, at least in the short term, by boosting recruitment and support among locals. No cruise missile goes unpunished, that old American story. From TIME:
But regardless of who did what, a primary target in the attacks — Qasim al-Raymi, the al-Qaeda leader who is believed to be behind a 2007 bombing in central Yemen that killed seven Spanish tourists and two Yemenis — is still at large. And reports of a U.S. role, and mass civilian casualties at the sites of the attacks, have sparked a public outcry and added to anti-American sentiments across the country. ...
Indeed through the backlash that followed, the attacks have started to look like more of a boon than a bust for Yemen’s al-Qaeda revival, as well as for other opponents of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime. Iran — which Yemen accuses of backing the Shi’ite Houthi rebellion in the north — headlined the attacks on its state-sponsored Press TV with: “Obama ordered deadly blitz on Yemen.”
For now, most of the televised speculation will probably focus on airport security: How could a passenger carry incendiary materials from Nigeria through a connection in Amsterdam? And that’s worth exploring. But if it’s true that the suspect mixed the materials on the plane and injected the liquid with a syringe into powder, which was strapped on his leg, as the New York Times is reporting…. AND none of this worked…well, it’s probably worth focusing most of our energy on understanding U.S. policy and intelligence in Yemen and Nigeria.
* Who is Not to Blame?
Once again, we are reminded that are most reliable counter-terrorism assets are…regular people. As on 9/11, the people who took the most courageous and impactful action were fellow passengers—who helped tackle the suspect and put out the fire, according to the eye-witness account of a passenger sitting three rows back. Check out the blow by blow from the Detroit Free Press:
Syed Jafry of Holland, Ohio, who had flown from the United Arab Emirates, said after emerging from the airport that people ran out of their seats to tackle the man. Jafry was sitting in the 16th row—three rows behind the passenger—when he heard “a pop and saw some smoke and fire.” Then, he said, “a young man behind me jumped on him.”...He said the way passengers responded made him proud to be an American….By all accounts, the suspect was immediately tackled by at least one man, and several other passengers ran towards him immediately trying to put the fire out.
None of this will come as any surprise to regular readers of this blog. But it’s worth pointing out since, in all the hearings that Congress will inevitably hold about the Detroit incident, I doubt much time will be spent talking about how the people in charge should trust regular Americans with more information and work much harder to leverage the dedication of regular people with the same conviction the government invests in new (fallible but highly profitable) explosive-detection equipment.
Robert said on December 29, 2009 at 10:46 am
Amanda,
Great piece. I have been eagerly reading about this attempted bombing in part because of my interest in another aspect of this case that I suppose US officials are looking into but I have not heard any media mention of this. That has to do with the interview every passenger on that flight has to give before getting on board in Schiphol Airport.
I have been taking the Amsterdam-Detroit flight about 3 times a year for the last decade. After 2001, they hired a private security firm with about a half dozen interviewers with their own mobile lecturn and you do a quick security interview before passing through the ticket gate and into the secured waiting room for the plane.
The interview has always been fascinating to me as a twenty-something Dutch kid asks you and your family the usual questions (such as did you pack your own bag, etc.), but then get into more personal questions to try to figure out why you are travelling to the US today, etc. In my case, its always questions about my Ukrainian passport carrying wife, etc.
I always wondered how effective that process was and why I did not see it on any other flights into the US. I assumed it was a Dutch thing and part of why they have been saying Schiphol has such a tough security reputation.
Anyway, I write all this because its even more fascinating for me how the interview with the Nigerian went. Does this firm have the commerical info that would have made him stand out. Seems the airline would know he paid cash for his ticket (though common in Africa) and that it was one way. What exactly is the point and effect of these Dutch kids interviewing every American on their way home through Schiphol if they do not actually focus in on a case of a muslim with a one-way ticket bought for cash. Do they ever take people out of line for additional security scanning? All incoming flights are assumed secure at Schiphol so there was no scan done but I assume that is an option these interviewers have. They once had an INS agent come over to the gate when my daughter’s passport was found to be 2 days over expiration, so there is even US personnel in the airport for further inquiries. Anyway, I keep waiting for details in the media on that part of this process and less about TSA which had absolutely no role in this case. Thought I would pass on to you and your readers.
Rob
Bytesland said on March 15, 2011 at 9:30 am
well, reading these terrible facts I have just one question when this carnage end?
And also I’d like to add to Robert’s words. I had the misfortune to travel through Schipol on my way to Boston. When we landed we were stranded on the plane for over 4 hours because we could not get to a gate, apparently due to the snow. Once inside the filthy airport ,our connecting flight to Boston was cancelled, but only after we had gone through security and forced to wait in the disgusting holding pen with no flushing toilets for hours. From the holding pen we were told we needed to rebook our tickets and that there were no vouchers available for food or hotels. At this stage, nearly all the flights in the airport had been cancelled and there was queue literally a mile long waiting for rebookings. I waited in this queue for over 12 hours, I slept in the queue, I even met new people in the queue. There were contradicting stories being given by ground staff. There were no blankets or beds provided. The floor was filthy. It was the worst experience I have ever had. The worst part of my story is that when we finally got to the front of the queue the next morning, we were told we could use our boarding pass from the previous day and just go to the gate. They made us stand in the queue for 12 hours for nothing! I will never set my foot in Schipol ever again.
notaris rotterdam said on July 03, 2011 at 12:03 pm
@creditcard. I totally agree with you
Inchirieri la preturi mici said on July 05, 2011 at 3:55 am
@creditcard: well you have to blame someone and you can not blame your self. That is the live and you have to learn from mistakes.
Helen Olsson said on October 30, 2011 at 5:17 am
I just came across your blog and reading your beautiful words. I thought I would leave my first comment but I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Helen Olsson
Jak Poderwac said on November 01, 2011 at 12:37 pm
I have to say that it was an interesting read. Even though this post is from 2009 I still enjoyed reading it. Thank you Amanda for the great content that you are sharing. Have bookmarked your blog and will be back when I have more time..
Best Regards