Update Report #One:
Failed Christmas Day Airline Terrorist Attack
"We believe this was an attempted act of terrorism," said one White House official... This was NOT an Attempted Terrorist Attack, people!
This WAS a Terrorist Attack... That FAILED!!!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
* Telegraph.co.uk brings us the following report this Saturday afternoon that starts off like this... A Nigerian man who studied at a British university - Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab - has been named as the man suspected of attempting to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 bound for Detroit in an al-Qaeda-inspired Christmas Day terror attack...
Read the full report at link below...
Detroit terror attack: police search London home of Nigerian suspect
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* Reuters.com has the following report... Authorities in Britain, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands either increased passenger checks or reinforced security measures already stepped up ahead of the busy Christmas and New Year travel period, officials said... The measures follow a formal request from the U.S. Department of Transportation to airports worldwide to ratchet up security following the failed Christmas Day attack on a Delta Air Lines flight by a Nigerian suspect, officials said...
Read the full report at link below...
Europe tightens security after foiled U.S. attack
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* The New York Times has the following report posted up on their website earlier this Saturday afternoon and it starts off like this... Despite extensive spending since 2001 on intelligence and counterterrorism programs, sophisticated airport scanners and elaborate watch lists, it was something simpler that averted disaster on a Christmas Day flight to Detroit: alert and courageous passengers and crew members...
Read the rest at link below...
Passengers Took Plane’s Survival Into Own Hands
Above link has short News video
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Statement by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
Release Date: December 26, 2009
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
"I am grateful to the passengers and crew aboard Northwest Flight 253 who reacted quickly and heroically to an incident that could have had tragic results. The Department of Homeland Security immediately put additional screening measures into place – for all domestic and international flights—to ensure the continued safety of the traveling public. We are also working closely with federal, state and local law enforcement on additional security measures, as well as our international partners on enhanced security at airports and on flights.
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The American people should continue their planned holiday travel and, as always, be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior or activity to law enforcement officials.
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Passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place. These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere. Due to the busy holiday travel season, both domestic and international travelers should allot extra time for check-in.”
Taken from a DHS press release
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* AP brings us the following report on YahooNews and it starts out like this... A 23-year-old Nigerian man who claimed ties to al-Qaida was charged Saturday with trying to destroy a Detroit-bound airliner, just a month after his father warned U.S. officials of concerns about his son's religious beliefs.
Read this report in full at link below...
Nigerian man charged in Christmas airliner attack
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* POLITICO.com has the followingreport that goes in part like this... The criminal complaint said the device contained a "high-explosive" chemical, PETN, which has been used in several past terror plots. It’s what so-called “shoe-bomber” Richard Reid used in his December 2001 bid to blow up a Paris-to-Miami flight... “FBI agents recovered what appear to be the remnants of the syringe from the vicinity of Abdulmutallab’s seat, believed to have been part of the device,” the release added... The government said: “Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, a Nigerian national, boarded Northwest Flight 253 in Amsterdam, Netherlands... and had a device attached to his body. As the flight was approaching Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Abdulmutallab set off the device, which resulted in a fire and what appears to have been an explosion. Abdulmutallab was then subdued and restrained by the passengers and flight crew. The airplane landed shortly thereafter, and he was taken into custody by Customs and Border Patrol officers.”... Because Abdulmutallab is being detained and treated for his burns at the hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, his preliminary hearing Saturday afternoon was held in a small conference room there instead of at the federal courthouse...
Read the full report at link below...
'High explosive' - U.S. charges Abdulmutallab
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More on this developing story Sunday...
AubreyJ.........
