Report said a 23-year-old Nigerian national suspect who was on board the Detroit bound plane Flight 253 from Amsterdam attempted to detonate an explosive or some kind of device on board when he was restrained by the passengers.
Officials said that an explosive device, which was a mix of powder and liquid, failed to detonate when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate it. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear. "He appears to have had some kind of incendiary device he tried to ignite," one official said.President Barack Obama, who is currently on holiday in Hawaii, was "actively monitoring" the situation, a White House spokesman said. "The president was notified of the incident this morning between 9am (0700GMT) and 9.30am.
After Obama was informed of the incident he held a secure conference call with his Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism Advisor John Brennan, and National Security Council chief of staff Denis McDonough. "He instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel," the White House said.
Firecrakers
Authorities initially believed the passenger had set off firecrackers that left two people injured. A spokewoman for Northwest's parent company Delta told the press the man tried to light what appeared to be firecrackers. "A passenger caused a disturbance on board by igniting some firecrackers," said Susan Elliott. "The passenger was immediately subdued and Delta is cooperating with authorities in the investigation," she added.
The flight was carrying 278 people. The incident unfolded around noon local time (1700 GMT).
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