Alleged terrorist is charged with trying to blow up airplane in Detroit on Christmas Day
Posted Dec 26, 2009 04:31:27 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Justice Department has charged the alleged Christmas Day terrorist with attempting to destroy an airplane.
The Justice Department says 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had a device containing a high explosive attached to his body. The government says that as the flight neared Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Friday, Abdulmutallab set off the device, but it sparked a fire instead of an explosion.
According to an affidavit filed in federal court in Detroit, a preliminary analysis of the device shows that it contained PETN, also known as pentaerythritol.
The government alleges that Abdulmutallab told passengers that his stomach was upset, then pulled a blanket over himself. Passengers then heard popping noises.
