Northwest Flight and the Lesson of Flight 93 (Updated)
[Guest post by DRJ]
The New York Times quotes a passenger on Northwest Flight #253 regarding the reaction to the terrorist attack onboard the aircraft:
“The incident unfolded just before noon. “There was a pop that sounded like a firecracker,” said Syed Jafry, a passenger who said he had been sitting three rows ahead of the suspect. A few seconds later, he said, there was smoke and “some glow” from the suspect’s seat and on the left side of the plane.
“There was a panic,” said Mr. Jafry, 57, of Holland, Ohio. “Next thing you know everybody was on him.” He said the passengers and the crew subdued the man.
The suspect was brought by the crew to the front of the plane — Northwest Airlines Flight 253, bearing Delta’s name — and the plane made its descent into Detroit Metropolitan Airport, landing at 11:53 a.m. (The two airlines merged last year.) Once on the ground, it was immediately guided to the end of a runway, where it was surrounded by police cars and emergency vehicles and searched by a bomb-disabling robot.”
My sympathies to these passengers for their ordeal but kudos to those who reacted with valor to subdue the suspect.
The material used in this terror attempt sounds more like an incendiary than an explosive, which may be why it escaped detection. Starting a fire in the close confines of an airplane would not only be dangerous, it would also cause panic.
— DRJ
UPDATE — The hero of Flight #253 is Jasper Schuringa:
“[Passenger Jasper] Schuringa told CNN he heard a sound similar to a firecracker as the Detroit-bound flight was preparing to land. After seeing smoke, he noticed a burning object between Abdulmutallab’s legs.
“I pulled the object from him and tried to extinguish the fire with my hands and threw it away,” Schuringa told CNN.
Schuringa said his hands were “pretty burned” after incident, but said the injuries were minor.
“I am fine. I am shaken up. I am happy to be here.”
Schuringa said he stripped off the suspect’s clothes to make sure he didn’t have any more explosives on him and helped a crew member handcuff him.
He described Abdulmutallab as “was staring into nothing” following the thwarted attempt.”
CBS has video at the link.
Oh, if only it were possible for them to open one of the doors and grant him an “early departure”.
Icy Texan (a68e3e) — 12/25/2009 @ 10:31 pmgo with Ed Davis’s idea, and have the plane get met with a mobile courtroom….. %-)
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 12/25/2009 @ 11:38 pmI was talking about the passengers and crew using the plane itself as a mobile courtroom; and having “immediate ejection from the flight”, regardless of altitude, as the sentence.
Icy Texan (a68e3e) — 12/25/2009 @ 11:45 pmYeah, IT. They need a device in the baggage compartment like the old rotary bomb-bay.
AD - RtR/OS! (3759d6) — 12/25/2009 @ 11:58 pmI certainly hope they treated him with great respect;
so great that when the FBI approached, he welcomed them with open arms (they’re hard to close when they’re broken).
he should be profoundly grateful he still has a pulse.
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 12/26/2009 @ 12:04 amthe hero was a Dutch man showing NOT Dutch courage but real courage of Dutchman! BRAVO
all scott (e871c0) — 12/26/2009 @ 1:16 amBravo, indeed.
DRJ (84a0c3) — 12/26/2009 @ 1:17 amit was the Dutch man who subdued the Nigerian on the Delta jet….BRAVO. his name?
all scott (e871c0) — 12/26/2009 @ 1:17 amFurther as per an eyewitness account by Syed Jaffry, a native WHAT COUNTRY?/Americn citizen passenger aboard the Detroit bound flight, a timely intervention by a Dutch passenger on board the flight may well have saved the day for the 273 passengers and 11 crew members.
Said Jaffry that the Dutchman lunged at the suspect just as he was about to blow up the flight mid – air and quickly subdued and isolated him.
all scott (e871c0) — 12/26/2009 @ 1:19 amAre you saying Dutchman because one guy quoted was from Holland, Ohio? Or because another report has a quote by someone from the Netherlands? I don’t think we know yet who actually subdued the terrorist, but well done no matter where they’re from.
Stashiu3 (44da70) — 12/26/2009 @ 1:25 amYeah, I hope the passengers took out some air-rage on this al-Qaeda thug’s nads.
KingShamus (fb8597) — 12/26/2009 @ 5:47 am“The material used in this terror attempt sounds more like an incendiary than an explosive”
More likely it was TATP or a similar version of a peroxide acetone explosive. TATP, which contains no nitrates, is not detectable by conventional bomb sniffers. This explosive is why we now can’t board planes with liquids or gels. It is the substance that was to be used in the planned airplane bombings by a London based group several years ago. It is the explosive suspected in London subway bombings.
Corky Boyd (845111) — 12/26/2009 @ 6:05 amHe’s lucky he didn’t suffer the same fate as that nutbag on the Southwest flight a few years ago – the passengers basically suffocated him in their attempts to keep him subdued and on the ground. What a pity.
Dmac (a964d5) — 12/26/2009 @ 7:45 amA prediction: the failed Nigerian/Muslim bomber will countersue all the passengers who beat him, and it will be a “hate crime.”
TimesDisliker (795b99) — 12/26/2009 @ 8:11 amThis guy got by TSA? Amazing. That would be the same TSA that did a secondary inspection of my bag in Boston, failed to re-lock my bag and sent it through unzipped about 18″ with my Glock .45 auto & two loaded magazines of ammo in the bag. The same TSA that would not respond to my complaints till my congressman became involved. The same TSA who swept the whole thing under the rug & said it wasn’t their fault. That TSA?
Stan Switek (eb6164) — 12/26/2009 @ 8:25 amThis story just gets crazier. Now, it is possible the failed bomber’s father is a prominent Nigerian banker. Fill in your own punchline.
TimesDisliker (795b99) — 12/26/2009 @ 8:43 amI wonder if those security protocols that were “inadvertently” published by the TSA were exploited for this successful attack? Did those protocols have any information on which substances are scanned, which airports are weak in their inspections?
richardb (c47755) — 12/26/2009 @ 9:02 amI of course was relieved at the time when TSA said in effect, “Don’t worry, be happy”
It’s surprising that at this late stage any terrorist in an attempt to create murder and mayhem would resort to using jets and air travel. I’d think their tactics would avoid anything that involves security check points and closed-off environments that come with limited or non-existent storage space. So the derangement and fanaticism (and self-destructive foolishness and idiocy) that leads such terrorists to doing something extreme in the name of Allah apparently makes them deranged, extreme and idiotic in general.
Mark (411533) — 12/26/2009 @ 9:06 amA 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.
First the article read:
The unbiased AP editors mulled that over for a while, came back with:
So now instead of having the President in an awkward position, like Bush on 9/11, his staff now no longer tells him of these events till the danger has past.
This means that the famous “2AM call” will not be returned until sometime around 5AM, when the White House staff figures it won’t embarrass him.
Neo (7830e6) — 12/26/2009 @ 9:20 amJust another misguided follower of the Koran what the problem?
highpockets (bb65bc) — 12/26/2009 @ 9:46 amThe Dutch hero’s name is Jasper Schuringa from Amsterdam according to the comments section at WSJ. He was reportedly pointed out to passengers as they all disembarked. His fingers and palm were bandaged and he received cheers and applause from teh passengers.
elissa (ffa8b1) — 12/26/2009 @ 9:52 amIt’s surprising that at this late stage any terrorist in an attempt to create murder and mayhem would resort to using jets and air travel.
Not really, Mark – what’s gone unreported over the years since 9/11 is the number of “security probes” that terrorists have been conducting to discover any potential weak spots in airline security. In one instance (on American) two men went into the men’s 1st class lavatory on subsequent occasions, until another passenger complained to the flight attendants that they both took way too long, at least in her opinion. The attendents checked for explosives and/or weaponry, but none was found…except after the plane landed, they found out that three tiny holes had been drilled at the bottom of the walls, which were the same walls separating the first class passengers from the flight cockpit. This incident happened less than three years ago, and naturally was never reported to the public. The terrorists would like nothing better than to have another airplane crash happen on their accord, since it would prove that we’re still vulnerable and they’re still unstoppable.
Dmac (a964d5) — 12/26/2009 @ 10:21 amJust another misguided follower of the Koran what the problem? Comment by highpockets — 12/26/2009 @ 9:46
Just another angry conservative–Keith Olberman
Alta Bob (e8af2b) — 12/26/2009 @ 10:26 amso all you haters need to stop jumping to clusions til NPR tells you what to think this is just ugly
how y’all are
happyfeet (2c63dd) — 12/26/2009 @ 10:46 amGreetings:
Back in the Bronx of my youth, my father taught me a self-defense trick that he had apparently picked up during the fun time that was the Great Depression. When traveling in areas less civilized, he advised bringing along a broadsheet newspaper. When opened so as to read the whole front page, and then rolled up along the long dimension and then folded in half, one has a 8-inch or so limb extension with a rock on the end. Don’t leave home without one.
11B40 (753ef2) — 12/26/2009 @ 10:48 amI thought the Koran is a formal terrorist trainging tool. Kill the infidels and all that kind of stuff.
highpockets (bb65bc) — 12/26/2009 @ 11:01 amYep, happy feet, we are haters. We absolutely hate people who try to kill planeloads of innocent American civilians. Get over it.
DaveinPhoenix (f1184b) — 12/26/2009 @ 11:32 amFBI also arrested a different Indian man while we were held in customs after a bomb sniffing dog detected a bomb in his carry on bag and he was searched after we landed. This was later confirmed while we were in customs when an FBI agent said to us “You are being moved to another area because this area is not safe. Read between the lines. Some of you saw what just happened.”(The arrest of the other Indian man). I am not sure why this hasn’t made it into any news story, but I stood about 15-20 feet away from the other Indian man when he was cuffed and arrested after his search.
The author
This is a continued comment that Neo posted, by Pug above, #26. Comment at mlive.com.
I’m at a loss for kind words right now.
TC (0b9ca4) — 12/26/2009 @ 11:51 amYes but did he really intend to blow up the plane, experts disagree
bishop (474138) — 12/26/2009 @ 11:59 amA fire in the cabin would be just as destructive as a bomb if it could not be contained, and put out.
AD - RtR/OS! (3ace85) — 12/26/2009 @ 12:14 pmThe Arab papers are reporting it was “just” [object]
[Comment found in and released from spam filter. — DRJ]
EricPWJohnson (5b9520) — 12/26/2009 @ 12:16 pmhappy feet, we are haters. We absolutely hate people who try to kill planeloads of innocent American civilians. Get over it.
Dave, feets is well known around these parts for his excellent and creative usage of sarcasm – take a look again and you’ll see what I mean.
Dmac (a964d5) — 12/26/2009 @ 12:35 pmYears ago I claimed that there will never again be a successful hijacking of an American airliner. So far, I’m correct. The whole idea of “be calm and wait for the authorities” ended on Flight 93.
Kevin Murphy (3c3db0) — 12/26/2009 @ 12:48 pmWhen seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
AD - RtR/OS! (3ace85) — 12/26/2009 @ 12:55 pmI note the TSA reaction: Tighten the screws on passengers again. Apparently passengers will no longer be able to move from their seats, access bags, or hold any personal possessions in the last hour of flight.
Why bombs are more deadly then is left as a mystery.
Perhaps they should just ban passengers from all flights and solve the problem for good.
Kevin Murphy (3c3db0) — 12/26/2009 @ 1:21 pmI wonder if any of the passengers gave him a fat lip, maybe some good belly wallops? I certainly hope they’re being arraigned for their crimes just like those shameful SEALs. /General Idiot Whats-his-name.
chaos (9c54c6) — 12/26/2009 @ 1:39 pmThe FBI announced that he was trying to set off 100 grams of PETN, a high explosive 1.66 times as destructive as TNT. It’s the same stuff that Richard Reid (the “shoe bomber”) tried to use.
He had already attempted to set it off before the other passengers mobbed him. If he had succeeded he’d have blown the plane in half. The fire was the stuff burning instead of exploding.
PETN can be produced on the spot by mixing powdered erythritol with liquid 98% nitric acid and allowing it to sit for half an hour. He seems to have done that in the rest room, and carried the result back to his seat to detonate it.
So this is not to take anything away from the other passengers who grabbed him, but it was sheer luck that he failed.
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 12/26/2009 @ 3:03 pmOne thing we can be sure to be true. Political Correctness will not be deterred by this latest attempt to kill hundreds of Americans. No we will never profile one race differently than another. Never infer one nationality or origin has any higher risk of intent vs another. Me an aging white male that frequently travels with his young daughter is just as much a risk as a single man traveling from Yeman, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia. Hence I must be investigated as much as a true mass murderer.
richardb (c47755) — 12/26/2009 @ 3:14 pmI’ve updated the post with more on the passenger who disabled the suspect.
DRJ (84a0c3) — 12/26/2009 @ 3:23 pmSchuringa? Uncommon name for a Dutchman. 😉
Stashiu3 (44da70) — 12/26/2009 @ 3:28 pmPerhaps they should just ban
passengersMuslims from all flights and solve the problem for good.FIFY.
Official Internet Data Office (b3c2d2) — 12/26/2009 @ 4:06 pmBreaking News – Muslims stage violent protest to protest being characterized as violent in advance of next Tuesday’s scheduled violent protest.
daleyrocks (718861) — 12/26/2009 @ 4:25 pmAdd five gallons of lard oil to the jet fuel of every plane entering the US. Blow it up and you go to hell. (no virgins) I would also use and advertise lard as a bullet lube. Get shot and you go to hell. This would be a hell of a deterrent for young horny muslims.
Hazy (4e0dda) — 12/26/2009 @ 9:13 pmI’ve always like the idea of putting a rubber mallet in each seatback. Useless by itself….
Kevin Murphy (3c3db0) — 12/27/2009 @ 12:32 amKevin Murphy said “The whole idea of “be calm and wait for the authorities” ended on Flight 93.”
Yes, but the RSA now has issued rules that we all must remain seated with not so much as a magazine or a book or a pillow for one hour before the plane lands. We risk jail and being on a no-fly list for the rest of our lives if we make a move about something suspicious.
Wait for the authorities. They’ll be right with you once the plane has landed and taxi’d to the gate.
the friendly grizzly (619aeb) — 12/27/2009 @ 9:59 am