New Details! Passengers Describe Terrorist Attack On Northwest Flight 253

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by Joe Coscarelli | 9:09 am, December 26th, 2009

» 25 comments

t1larg.us.airline.suspect.cnn After yesterday’s failed bombing of a Northwest airlines flight, new details are beginning to emerge, both about the suspect — confirmed as 23-year-old Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab — and what exactly occurred in the cabin of flight 253.

CNN is reporting that the man is “talking a lot” to the FBI, according to a senior U.S. official, and it appears that he was “acting alone and did not have any formal connections to organized terrorist groups,” though preliminary reports indicated that Abdulmutallab said he was on a mission from al Qaeda. “The administration official said there was no evidence that Abdulmutallab was a hard-core, trained member of al-Qaeda,” reported CNN.

Additionally, passengers are beginning to tell their story. Expect a lot of appearances on cable news networks in the coming days by those who were on the flight. WXYZ, a local ABC affiliate in Detroit, has video interviews with passengers, like the one below in which a woman describes hearing “a loud pop.”

CNN, meanwhile, is reporting the following story:

Schuringa said he heard a big bang that sounded like a firecracker going off. He told CNN that he was the one who was able to subdue Abdulmutallab. CNN was not able to independently confirm Schuringa’s account.

Schuringa said someone started yelling: “Fire! Fire!”

Then there was smoke. That’s when Schuringa said he knew something was terribly wrong.

When he noticed that Abdulmutallab was not moving, he grew suspect. He jumped over the passenger next to him and lunged over Abdulmutallab’s seat.

Schuringa said he saw that Abdulmutallab had his pants open and he was holding a burning object between his legs.

“I pulled the object from him and tried to extinguish the fire with my hands and threw it away,” Schuringa said.

He said he managed to pull an object tucked between Abdulmutallab’s legs.

“Water! Water,” Schuringa screamed. He heard fire extinguishers as he pulled Abdulmutallab out of his seat and dragged him to the front of the plane.

Schuringa said Abdulmutallab seemed dazed. “He was staring into nothing.”

Schuringa said he stripped off Abdulmutallab’s clothes to make sure he did not have other explosives on his body. A crew member helped handcuff him.

He said other passengers applauded as he walked back to his own seat.

“My hands are pretty burned. I am fine,” he said. “I am shaken up. I am happy to be here.”

More accounts from passengers and additional details, reported by CNN, can be read here.

Device was on fire in terror suspect’s lap, plane passenger says [CNN]

Watch CNN’s report on the latest details from last night below:

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ChrisNH

We really ought to defer to the esteemed New York Times here, which declares that this was an ‘alleged’ terrorist attack. I suppose they’d know (roll eyes).
TfT

Ace and Newsbusters both have stories on the “reporting” by the NYTimes:

Editing their first story, which said:

‘A White House official said the incident was an attempted act of terrorism. The FBI is investigating and President Obama, celebrating Christmas in Hawaii, was told of the incident about three hours after the plane landed, officials said.’ to this: “The FBI is investigating the incident. President Obama, celebrating Christmas in Hawaii, was informed about it, a spokesman said, and he asked his aides to ensure that all measures are in place to provide security for air travel.” but with this also: “Obama was alerted to Friday’s incident between 9 and 9:30 a.m. in Hawaii, which is five hours behind the East Coast. ” h/t Ace.

And then Newsbusters is reporting this: “Guess The Missing Word In NY Times Report On Attempted Plane Bombing” (answer of course is Muslim).

The (un)reliable NYTimes — always on top of a story (cough, cough)..
blueblogger

I suppose Cheeeeeny can’t wait to comment on this. Of course it is ALL Obama’s fault.
TfT

My bad — the edits I referenced above are from the WAPO not the NYTimes.
Fidoohki

It’ll depend on if anything Obama’s administraition repealed would have affected this. However I don’t think there was IMO.
personwhomakescomments

“The (un)reliable NYTimes — always on top of a story (cough, cough)..”

Yeah, just like your VERY reliable “Fox News” last night….(cough, cough…crusty BOR repeats while CNN was wiping the floor with real news coverage….cough, cough)
TfT

Well person, I was out last night, so I didn’t watch any network coverage — so you can drop the “your” in your comment.

I have read about the coverage and recognize that CNN did stay live while the others went to repeats. I’m gonna bet that FNC still wins the ratings game for Sunday night.
jizzmasterzero

Can you imagine how this would’ve turned out if Rachel Sklar, Queef Olberdouche, Rachel Mandow, and other whiny ass libs were on board this flight how it would’ve turned out. Probably would’ve went down like this:

Rachel Sklar: Hey do you guys smell smoke?
Queef Olberdouche: Yes, it appears to be the young man lighting something in the back of the plane, probably just exercising his religious freedoms.
Rachel Mandow: I heard him say something about Allah Akbar, but we should use great caution so as to not profile him, he is just another upstanding muslim young man enjoying the American dream aboard this airplane, perhaps he had some leftover fireworks from the celebration of Eid Al-Adhha, so we must make sure that we understand his customs and traditions and not intervene.
Rachel Sklar: I didn’t want to say guys, but it appears he is also an African American.
Queef Olberdouche: He certainly is, I heard an African accent, and well, he’s flying to America, so therefore, he is African American
Rachel Mandow: Guys seriously, let’s stop talking about this fine young man, and let him enjoy his flight…

KABOOOOM

Thank God we had some conservatives with balls on board
Ted

jizzmasterzero – Its pretty well accepted that conservatives, such as yourself, have no balls. Consider five deferment Dick, I have a pimple on my ass Limbaugh and I’m too nuts to serve Beck and a host of other conservative cowards and you’ll see what I mean. As a ball-less conservative, had you been on that flight I’m sure you would have pissed your pants and cried for mommy. Thank God you were not. Big whimp.
jizzmasterzero

Ha Ted, don’t kid yourself little fairy. You’d be shittin yourself, praying (oh wait, nevermind you’re an atheist) that a real man comes along and does something. This little girl Ted would be soo scared to profile or say anything, you’d just sit on your hands in your seat, firmly buckled in. You seriously have to be the whiniest bitch ever!! And that is hilarious (until of course you’re trapped in an airplane with you)
Ted

Jizz (candy ass name to boot) – You are clearly all talk; a typical gutless, no balls coward. You bitch and moan and then cry for momma to change your panties when things get tough. Basically a whiny all mouth and no balls bitch.
jizzmasterzero

Ted, watch out, you’re almost about to use some anti-gay rhetoric on me which is against everything you stand for and would violate that little rainbow tattoo you have on your lower back that your boyfriend aims for upon ejaculation. Bitch you are soft, you know you got your ass kicked everyday in band class and were most likely molested as a child, or come from a broken home. So sad, but now you are an adult (albeit, trapped in your moms basement) but the time has come to let your balls drop and perhaps you can finally play the pitcher position in you and your boyfriends little relationship, eat a dick.
Ted

jizz…BOO!!! Now after you stop crying like a little girl, ask your mommy to come change your panties.
marquis2.0

Oh SNAP! JizzMaster, you worked Ted harder than he’s probably used to at his local gay bathhouse. Believe me when I say this Ted bitch is straaaaaight pussy. Softer than Clay Aiken at a Celene Dion concert soft. Ted, do me a favor, if you’re ever within a 300 mile radius of southside Jamaica Queens NY please lets meet up so we can discuss this further.
Ted

marquis2.0 – If anyone knows gay bathhouses its you baby!! Looking forward to it., and so are you.
ingenieux

ROFL, Jamaice Queens? REALLY??? HAHAHA!!!!!! Yeah, you are gangsta.
Jim R

“Thank God we had some conservatives with balls on board”.

I’m sure this film maker from a socialist European country would take issue with this characterization, not that anyone expects anything less from chickenhawk war cheerleaders.
marquis2.0

Here comes ingenieux with his racist comments tryin to lick shots at Jamaica Queens, please bring your faggotass on down and lets see what your bitchass can do punk bitch. Can’t even spell the shit right.
Ted

marquis – Do you see any problem calling someone a racist and then turning around and calling them a f*ggot? Of course you don’t…you’re a teabagging brain-stem.
ingenieux

marquis2.0 – you’re an idiot.
marquis2.0

Tedbagger, don’t see a problem at all, but on the real, how old are you sayin weird shit like “teabagging brain-stem” was that a dis back in 1955? Poindexterass nerd.

Ingenieux, God don’t like ugly and your hatred for black people and the hood is evident. Take your racist ass somewhere else.
Ted

marquis – you are incoherent. And still a teabagger.
marquis2.0

and you know this son!! I’m still teabaggin my nuts in your mouth…open wide liberal bitch.
Ted

marquis – Sorry, but you are still incoherent. Look it up in something called The Dictionary. Teabagger.
Ted

PS – Marquis the flying teabagger – You do realize that what you are describing violates the laws of physics; we are on a “computer” and this is “cyber space.” Did you realize that? No? Of course not.