“I took him in a choke to the first class and all the people were like, ‘What’s going on?!” – New York Post
The plan Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab had to take down an airplane failed.
That doesn’t mean the intended terrorism was unsuccessful, especially if we follow Rep. Pet Hoekstra’s lead. Classic tweet by Pete. Though I have no idea why anyone even cares what Mr. Hoekstra has to say, as giving him all this attention is just silly, not to mention exactly what Hoekstra wanted.
The fear inside the plane was no doubt real. But the failure of Abdulmutallab to have the desired end he wanted is just that, a failure.
However, there is a pertinent question that reveals another failure.
The authorities are closely examining how Mr. Abdulmutallab was able to bring on board the powder and syringe full of chemicals.
Yeah, what about that?
This transparent little skit benefits Saleh far more than it benefits any Al Qaeda elements in Yemen.
EXTRA: Army psychiatrist kills 13 of his patients at Ft Hood in an alleged act of suspected terrorism.——-Five US citizens fly to Pakistan to allegedly become terrorists and are suspected of wanting to be suicide bombers for al Qaeda.——-Allegedly insane woman suspected in a terrorist attack on the Pope.——–Suspected terrorist from Nigeria allegedly tries to blow up a Northwest airliner, but succeeds only in burning himself severely.——Five yaer old boy from Detroit is suspected of being on the terrorist watch list. bin Laden allegedly left off. EXTRA EXTRA: Three Stooges being reunited under CIA sponsorship. Will be used by the Homeland Security Department to calm new national security fears. Peace
The Republicans still attempt to use terrorism for their election. This appears very crass especially when the largest terrorist attack in decades in the US happened on their watch.
I also imagine that the Blue Dog Democrats didn’t mind that we had a Republican administration in power for the first 8 years of this decade considering they subscribe to the economics the Republicans do.
I’d be real interested in an opinion about how this would be in the best interests of a Yemeni Al Qaeda faction to perpetrate this kind of attack on an American airliner at this time.
There are some fairly interesting, and questionable, aspects to this story. First, the timing is really amazing, isn’t it? And the speed with which this “terrorist” revealed that it was “Yemeni factions of Al Qaeda” that put him up to this is almost surreal in its transparent exposure of this character being a patsy.
Simple common sense allows one to deduce how this benefits Saleh. But doing the intellectual gymnastics to turn this into a positive thing for Yemini Al Qaeda requires a complete departure from reality. But no doubt, there are those here who will board that flight of fancy.
Never mind using terrorism for an election, Obama is using it as the centerpiece of his whole military-based foreign policy.
While criticizing Bush-43 for not using full-force military in Afghanistan against terrorists, Obama (starting here with Hoekstra) will be criticized for not being consistent. He will be pressured to go full-force into Yemen. Killing a few civilians isn’t enough.
Terrorism, which ranks somewhere below bath-tub slips and lightning strikes as a threat to the average American, is a political plum that both parties use for power consolidation and profits.
Its the same old Red, White, and Boo bullshit Bush/Cheney sold us.
Saleh is positively orgasmic right now. Another despicable scumbag is going to now open wide for billions of our hard earned tax dollars, and load up a Caymen’s bank account while American’s go homeless, indebted, and no more secure for the expenditure.
There is the other side of this as well. Maybe this dumbass who lit himself on fire in that Northwest plane WAS given a bomb by the Yemeni fighters to blow that plane up. Perhaps the Yemeni fighters wouldn’t have done that had the USA NOT killed a bunch of them with missile strikes. Maybe our interference in Yemen IS causing a backlash against us by some radical group or other. It could be that as we continue to kill ‘them’ ‘they’ will try much harder to kill us right here in the good old USA. Stupid warmongers and their bloodthirsty foreign policy. Peace
I disagree. The true “backlash” or “blowback” is that which influences mainstream Islam, and the Muslim communities, families, and individuals adversely affected by our actions. Blowback is far more insidious than a simple act of revenge. Any Al Qaeda factions in Yemen, attracting both world attention and military attacks, would recognize the self defeating effects of immediate acts of revenge, which is what you are implying this action may be.
Again, it comes down to the question of “who benefits”. Certainly, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist member of Yemini Al Qaeda to deduce an attack of this sort, at this time, is 100% counter-productive. It is far more “constructive”, for their cause, to sit back and watch the civilian casualties in Yemen mount up, without supplying the “justification” for the increased bloodshed, which blowing up an American airliner would do. Its a recruiting bomnanza for them when civilian non-combatants are slaughtered by an American military action that the locals see as an unjustified action.
You guys/gals/indeterminates are RIGHT!!! I think these passengers should be arrested and charged with assualting this poor fellow without a benifit og his actually blowing the plane up to justify their horrid treatment of him!!!!!
IN FACT YOU’RE DOUBLE RIGHT!!! HE WAS A TOOL OF THE DRUG RUNNING CIA!!! OH THANK DA GAWD DAT AIN’T DER YA’LL IZ HERE TO SAVE US FROM OUR SELVES!!!
Quite frankly, you crowd disgust me.
Hmm, I guess Secular isn’t going to be the one to tell us how Al Qaeda in Yemen benifits from this.
In fact, if the “attempt” had of been successful, Yemeni Al Qaeda involvement at this time, would be completely unknown, wouldn’t it?
But oh so fortunate for Saleh, this extremely competent and brilliant “bomber” only managed to singe himself, and point the finger at Yameni Al Qaeda members.
And now Don Bacon is going to be the recipient of Secular’s brilliant foreign policy observations, eh? How dare Don opine about the political opportunities, excuses, and rationales that this spectre of terrorism provides to our honest and upstanding members of Congress and their President.
These pearls of wisdom that Secular drops here are a testament to the quality of Taylor’s comment section. Well done, Secular, you should be proud of yourself. Do you mind if we call your shorter essays “dingleberries”?
Considering your intimate knowledge of and fondness for them I would be HONORED to have such a HUGE ego and intelect refer to my museings as dingleberries!
You analysis of the superior and almost GAWD like reasoning of AlQaeda members, it’s breathtaking really. I think you and your brave lil cadre of like minded folks should be called POA’s Mujhawienies!
Two years our intelligence sources have been aware of this guy. And he boards a plane carrying incendiary chemicals in a syringe, and explosive powder??? Try that sometime, see how far you get. Unless of course, they LET YOU get on the plane, despite you having known terrorist sympathies.
Now golly, why would they do that?
I’m listening, Secular. How about you tell us how Al Qaeda in Yemen expected to benefit by bringing down this airliner?
Or just keep shitting out your trademark spew that Taylor seems to inexplicably think is a surefire way to encourage FP diaries.
But first, gotta dinglberry hangin from yer lip buddy.
Boarded many planes in Nigeria lately have you?
Gee, you mean we don’t have our intelligence sources checking boarding lists on inbounds that originate in supposed known Al Qaeda favored locals?
Stop making an idiot out of yourself, Secular.
I’m listening, Secular. How about you tell us how Al Qaeda in Yemen expected to benefit by bringing down this airliner?
“Stop making an idiot out of yourself, Secular.”
Wow, I thanks for the advise! When one takes into consideration you wrote the book on making an idiot out of yourself, well that gives it some big Mojo and mucho Gravitas!
“I’m listening, Secular. How about you tell us how Al Qaeda in Yemen expected to benefit by bringing down this airliner?”
Gosh, I just haven’t spent much time lately trying to understand the motives of folks who are crazy enough to
1. be a fundamentalist superstitionist of any ilk and
2. think blowing oneself up or flying an airplane into a building full of folks or blowing oneself up in a tourist spot full of folks or gosh, just blowing oneself up at all.
Maybe they thought if the pulled it off they would regain some cred with their AlQaeda buddies? You REALLY attribute rational reasons to the mental cases in AlQaeda?
Wow, leave it to a genuine Mujhawieny to get to the bottom of this.
And like I asked, you boarded any planes in Nigeria lately? You know what their prflight security is like? People in AMERICA are bringing guns and knives on board all the time. You think in NIGERIA they’re going to be any sharper?
But I forgot, IT WAS A SET UP BY THE CIA!
And a belated Kudos to the pasengers who subdued the wackjob.
Pamela Hess and matthew Lee AP
Share Print CommentsWASHINGTON — U.S. government officials tell The Associated Press that the Nigerian man charged with trying to destroy a jetliner came to the attention of U.S. intelligence in November when his father went to the U.S. embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, to express his concerns about his son.
A congressional official said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, popped up in U.S. intelligence reports about four weeks ago as having a connection to both al-Qaida and Yemen.
Another government official said Abdulmutallab’s father went to the embassy in Abuja with his concerns, but did not have any specific information that would put him on the “no-fly list” or on the list for additional security checks at the airport.
Neither was the information sufficient to revoke his visa to visit the United States. His visa had been granted June 2008 and was valid through June 2010. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because neither was authorized to speak to the media.
“Two years our intelligence sources have been aware of this guy. And he boards a plane carrying incendiary chemicals in a syringe, and explosive powder??? Try that sometime, see how far you get. Unless of course, they LET YOU get on the plane, despite you having known terrorist sympathies.”
Wow, seem to have screwed the pooch a little thar partner. Guess we can consider the rest of your info to be as accurate?
You guys need to chill out, and wait for the facts to come in. Check saharareporters.com for updates, as they’re a very credible source on all things Nigerian.
BTW, I have boarded plenty of planes to/from Nigeria. In fact, I just flew this particular flight from Dulles to Amsterdam, and thence to Nigeria, on Northwest. (I had a different flight on the way back.) Because of our unfortunate reputation as a transit point for drugs, Nigerians are double- and triple-checked when they arrive in Amsterdam. Their persons AND their personal effects. So I’m also very curious to know how he managed to get incendiary materials on board the plane.
Not that I believe the conspiracy/fall guy angle. I just think he’s a radicalized guy with rich daddy issues. Like I’ve said many times, the cancer of Islamic fundamentalism is spreading. Rapidly.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,581180,00.html
Excerpt……..
Earlier Saturday, it was revealed the U.S. reportedly had known for at least two years that the suspect could have terrorist ties.
The official said that the suspect has been on a list that includes people with known or suspected contact or ties to a terrorist or terrorist organization.
How does the NSA—National Security Agency—fit into all of this? This outfit costs us billions of $ every year and 20,000 people go to work in the building everyday and what do we get for our expense and trouble? Nobody there knows that a spoiled, rich, bankers kid from Nigeria loaded down with explosives who has been “double- and triple-checked” before boarding the airplane and is on a terrorist watch list is about to blow it up?
Further, nobody on this site has, as of yet, given me a good explanation about why building #7 at the WTC fell straight down for no apparent reason. This building had the CIA, the Defense Department and an NSA sub-station as tenents. Maybe that has something to do with it? Another Black Flag operation?PeaceTM.COM NOTE: The above post has been edited, deletion added, as 9/11 conspiracy theories are beyond the scope of this post.
Amazing, isn’t it? Thousands of Americans inexplicably find themselves on this “no fly list”, and are unable to find out why, or get themselves removed.
Yet this yahoo, with known ties to terrorist groups, doesn’t “rise to the level” of being on a no fly list? And even if not, no flags are raised when you punch his name into the system, to subject him to heightened scrutiny before he boards an inbound flight?
Bullshit.
Re: “the mental cases in AlQaeda”
The US has spent nearly a trillion dollars on senseless war since 2001, which is over $3K per capita, all borrowed, and al-Qaeda people are crazy?
The US is doing exactly what OBL wanted it to do, that is spend itself into penury because of a guy in a cave. Crazy like a fox, that AQ.
“Further, nobody on this site has, as of yet, given me a good explanation about why building #7 at the WTC fell straight down for no apparent reason”
Off topic and counter productive to this discussion.
Why don’t you start a diary on it, Imhotep?
When you bring up 9/11, even with valid questions, it gives these assholes like Secular ammunition to divert and derail discussion from the topic at hand.
“The US has spent nearly a trillion dollars on senseless war since 2001, which is over $3K per capita, all borrowed, and al-Qaeda people are crazy?”
“The US is doing exactly what OBL wanted it to do, that is spend itself into penury because of a guy in a cave. Crazy like a fox, that AQ”
Don, you are talking to Secular, the same guy that told me I was racist because I opined that an Al Qaeda guy could not simply waltz into a modern ICBM facility and arm, target, and launch a nuclear missile.
Now, the same blustering asshole wants to tell us that Al Qaeda are too stupid to figure out whether a certain act of terrorism is constructive to their agenda or not.
POA, point taken. Although, I seriously doubt that the assholes around here need much encouragement from me to take things off track. Most of them still seem to think that their government is telling them the straight up truth about everything. Do you have a blog, by the way? Peace
news report:
The suspect’s name was in a database indicating “a significant terrorist connection” although it did not appear on a “no-fly” list, . . The US Department of Homeland Security said “additional screening measures” had been put into effect since the incident.
This is similar to the situation at US borders. The Customs and Border Patrol have testified that they only grab thirty percent of the bad guys at the borders, therefore they need interior highway checkpoints to try to grab the other seventy percent. Checkpoint opponents ask why don’t you do a better job at the border, and then citizens needn’t be harassed by these checkpoints.
Terrorism is a crime. All the now-common military strikes only exacerbate it, whereas better intelligence and policing, which terrorism crimes call for, seem to attract less application than does military action. Is it done by design or is it a result of stupidity? is the only question.
No blog.
I usually participate at TWN, and after a few days here, am even more appreciative of the intelligence and arguments of those that post there. Its a different experience altogether.
“Pssssst, hey buddy……..”
“WHO ARE YOU?”
“I’m one of those big bad Yemeni Al Qaeda bad guys, and we’ve had our eyes on you. We understand you want to contribute to the cause.”
“WOW. YOU MEAN YOU WANT ME TO HELP? WOW, I’VE MADE THE BIG TIME. I’M A BIG BAD EVIL DOER NOW”
“Yes, we see you for the faithful soldier you are. Would you martyr yourself for Allah?”
“ANYTHING, JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO”
“Well, answer the question, will you die for Allah?
“ANYTHING, JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO……….”
*Ring, ring…..*
“Yes?”
“*He took the bait*”
“Really, you’re certain the plane won’t go down, and that he believes you were Yemeni Al Qaeda”?
“*Yes, he believes the chemicals will cause a big enough explosion, that he will be martyred and the plane will go down, but don’t worry, the explosion will be ineffective and containable. He may be injured, but he’ll still be able to sing*”
“Well done, I am sure they will commit more resources now. About that next Houthi leadership gathering, are you sure we can convince the americans that they’re Al Qaeda”?
I always find it interesting when anyone tries to label ‘al Qaeda’ (the serious guys we should actually be worried about) as less than intellgent. Meanwhile, with all our fancy satellites and super-expert undercover operations and spyplanes and thousands of dedicated U.S. soldiers – supposedly bin Laden and his buddy the doctor are still walking around free – apparently still striking fear into the hearts of the non-believers. It’s kind of weird actually. I can use Google satellite pics to find my blue Chevy parked out front – but these guys can’t be found.
Everything I’m reading says this Abdul guy was simply a ‘wannabee’ – and thank goodness, not a very intelligent one. It reminds me too much of the Watts riots now. The more we splash this kind of thing across the headlines, the more crazy wannabees are going to jump on the proverbial bandwagon. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of ‘downtrodden’ loners willing to do whatever it takes to get noticed. We can only hope most of them are stupid about it (like bragging to others) – because the truth is, you can’t stop the nutcase.
Someone in here recently spoke of the ‘cancer’ of radical fundamentalism. I think the tea-party group is moving in just as bad a direction. This is going to get worse – and no guardian angel is going to put a stop to it.
Intelligent life – is self-canceling. And that’s why I give super thanks for every sunrise gift I’m given. I’m all too aware how quickly ‘happiness’ can screech to a halt.
Happy NEW Year evelybody.
SmilE if you’re alive, warm, not hungry, and not aching anywhere !
Interesting. This guy was apparently carrying 80 grams of PETN (the ‘shoebomber’ had 50). Guess airports can’t afford the latest detection devices ?? _ _
http://www.detectachem.com/specs.htm
Actually POA is the only one who has said that AlQaeda was to dumb to figure out the Pakistani missile systems. I pointed out that like Iran they wouldn’t have to. The Pakistani missil guys would do it for them.Being crazy and being smart are not mutually exclusive. However thimking you can get a rational explanation for the actions of fundamentalist anythings is like trying to catch farts in a wind storm with a jar without a lid. Add the conspiracy theorist snake pit here which is all mujhawienie all the time now and you have what you see here.
Ogenec “BTW, I have boarded plenty of planes to/from Nigeria. In fact, I just flew this particular flight from Dulles to Amsterdam, and thence to Nigeria, on Northwest. (I had a different flight on the way back.) Because of our unfortunate reputation as a transit point for drugs, Nigerians are double- and triple-checked when they arrive in Amsterdam. Their persons AND their personal effects. So I’m also very curious to know how he managed to get incendiary materials on board the plane. ”
You say that Nigerians are double and triple checked when they arrive in Amsterdam. What about when they board in Nigeria? If he was planning on blowing up the plane it stands to reason he wouldn’t worry about being frisked when he got off.
It was sewn into his underwear. Where did he have the “syringe” he used to try to trigger it.
But to the clowns here it was a CIA opperation all the way.
sec, I don’t know the answer to your syringe question. My point was only that, even if they aren’t checked in Nigeria — and they are — passengers are checked again when they transit in Amsterdam. He appears to have planned to blow up the plane on or over U.S. soil. So I assume he would have worried about being frisked in Amsterdam. In my case, I went through a metal detector, had a wand waved over my clothing, and my hand luggage was opened and checked. I don’t know if he went through a similar procedure, or if that would have revealed the explosives.
ogenec are you Nigerian?
BTW that zany Brit reporter is in Amsterdam right now and he says their airport is very modern and has all the cutting edge security stuff.
ogenec, I somehow doubt your genitals were thoroughly inspected. Apparently all this was hidden around the man’s testicles (thus his burns). Seems to me all you’d have to hide is a detenator as anyone suicidal enough could get an enema of PETN or C4. Beyond even that, a small surgical cut could hide explosives easily. I’ll jump ahead of you Secular and ask the question, “Ya gonna look up everybodys ass?”
Like it said before. This ain’t going to stop – nor is it going to go away, soon.
“Come gather ’round people wherever you roam – and admit that the waters around you have grown.”
BtW, I kind of hope these people don’t read a lot of Roddenberry, Axelrod, Heinlein science fiction – as these how-to-explode problems have all been addressed (like the Klingon with the explosives embedded in his arm).
“And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.
This is also appropriate, then I’ll live Mr. Zimmerman alone
__
“Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside
And it is ragin’.
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.
pmichael..I am afraid you are right. Many things would have to change in the world for this not to be a constant problem.It is interesting that the last couple incidents have been young men from affluent families, conversant with western culture. I would love to hear from them what drove their thinking. Is this 21st century young Muslim rebellion?
Lake Lady, don’t forget the photo of a young Osama bin Laden in bell-bottom pants. He, also, was a young man from an affluent family who initially was quite fond of western culture.
There does seem to be a pattern, here.
Yes, LL, I’m Nigerian. Dual nationality, to be precise.
I have heard it said, ‘the “worst” (that being simply an adjective describing “intensity”, as someone who agreed could just as easily use the adjective, “best”) kind of Christian is the ‘newly converted’ Christian – their over-the-top intensity and exuberance seemingly intended to ‘make up for’ previous neglect and/or shortcomings.
If the truth is, those people who are ‘newly converted’ to Islam – especially Islam in its most extreme forms – are the ones we should keep an eye on _
Then it stands to reason, a lot of them are going to originate here in our own country, Lake Lady.
I agree with you pmichael. It is going to take the efforts of the American Muslim community, which seems to be happening and law enforcement.
I just wish the media and the terrorism “cottege industry” would calm down and not hype everything. Like you said this is going to be an ongoing problem and we should not treat it like the end of the world ,every time.
How very interesting ogenec. How long have you been a dual citizen? Is your wife Nigerian also? Have you told us this before? It brings a whole new dimention to your opinions.More of a world view.
You are *precisely* correct, Lake Lady. It is a very simple rule:
“When you call attention to insanity, you promote insanity.”
Unfortunately, the ‘media’ makes its living on plane crashes – not on successful flights.
Nite pmichael~
(He) WAS given a bomb by the Yemeni fighters to blow that plane up. Perhaps the Yemeni fighters wouldn’t have done that had the USA NOT killed a bunch of them with missile strikes.
Umar Farouk Abdul-Mutallab bought his ticket on the 16th while the missile attack on Yemen was on the 17th.
Demuren revealed that the suspect’s e-ticket was purchased from KLM airport office in Accra on December 16, while the ticket was paid for in cash US $2,831..
http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article_eng&id_article=114424
“.It is interesting that the last couple incidents have been young men from affluent families, conversant with western culture.”
I don’t find it that unusual. In our own history the most violent of the radicals from the 60/70 were all, ALL college students.
As far as anyone converted to a religion, ESPECIALLY a fundamentilist version of one isn’t going to have to tight a grasp on reality to start with.
JimK, “missiles strike(s)”—-there have been plenty of USA missile strikes before our December 17th strike. If we keep poking around with our sticks into the nests of whoever ‘they’ are, we are going to be stung again and again. It’s our foreign policy stupid. (“Stupid” is meant for the general audience. It is not directed at any particular individual.) Peace
No doubt this yahoo thought he was going to bring the plane down, and believed he was given the stuff to do it by Yemeni Al Qaeda.
His handlers obviously knew otherwise. Not only did they know the explosives were insufficient to do the job, they also knew he would sing like a bird.
This thing has “patsy” written all over it. Some Saudi reports have a guy in “a fine suit” actually lubricating Abdulmutallab’s way through security. Other Saudi reports have United States jets bombing the houses of Houthi leaders. What a suprise, eh?
Lake Lady says:
26 December 2009 at 11:46 pm
____________________
LL, I’ve been a dual citizen all my life. I’ve mentioned it here before, but my dad is Nigerian, and my mom African-American. I moved to Nigeria when I was six and lived there through college, after which I came back to the States. So I’ve split my life just about evenly between here and Nigeria. My wife is dual as well: she was born and raised in Nigeria, but was sworn in as a U.S. citizen earlier this year.
POA, 80 grams of PETN is “insufficient” ?? I’m no expert but from what I’m reading, if the detonator had worked properly it would have been *plenty* sufficient on an airliner in the sky.