It could have been a Christmas Day nightmare. On Friday, 278 passengers and 11 crew members were preparing to land in Detroit after a long flight from Amsterdam when the unthinkable occurred: they heard a firecracker-type noise and smelled smoke.
As they looked around in panic they noticed a lone passenger who appeared to be lighting an explosive device. Despite the horror, the crew, and even one passenger, sprang to action and subdued the man before he had a chance to seriously hurt anyone but himself, according to CNN and other reports.
CNN interviewed passenger Jasper Schuringa who said he worked with crew members to subdue the alleged culprit, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian native now believed to be living in London.
Schuringa said the drama began for him when he heard someone yell “Fire! Fire!” He then noticed smoke and grew suspicious when he eyed Abdulmutallab and realized he wasn’t moving or acting scared. He then said he noticed 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,” said Schuringa, who added that he suffered some burns on his hands..
Fellow passenger Melinda Dennis told MSNBC that once Abdulmutallab was subdued he was brought to the front row of the plane and seated next to her. She said his legs appeared to be badly burned and his pants were cut off. After landing she said he was taken off the plane handcuffed to a stretcher.
Although law enforcement officials are calling this an act of terrorism, it’s unclear whether Abdulmutallab acted alone or is part of a terrorist network. CNN reports that the suspect is “talking a lot” to the FBI and claims to have extremist ties, but there is no hard evidence linking him to any terrorist group.
No matter what his motives, kudos to quick-thinking crew and passengers who made sure this man was arrested and that most people on board could celebrate a truly blessed Christmas.
Photo courtesy of hisks via stock.xchang.