Terrorism at Detroit Metro Airport?

**buildingsofdetroit** · December-25-09, 05:57 PM

You guys seeing this story developing? It started off as firecrackers, now the feds are saying he was trying to blow up the plane over our fair metropolis. Jerkface.

The Freep and News haven't updated with the latest news, but here's a link to an ABC story:
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/explosi...ory?id=9423871

AP says: "A senior U.S. counterterror official says a passenger aboard a Delta Air Lines flight in Detroit was planning to blow up the plane but the explosive device failed."

**texorama** · December-25-09, 06:03 PM

Really hard to say what's going on. The AP has them pegging it as a terrorist event, but the ABC story suggests that the guy himself is claiming he was al-Qaida, and that they don't necessarily believe him. Anyone have a friend working at the airport?

**buildingsofdetroit** · December-25-09, 06:03 PM

http://freep.com/article/20091225/NE...t-into-Detroit

**Whitehouse** · December-25-09, 07:01 PM

This will give security at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport [[a stopover of this flight) a major headache... The airlines are all so anal about bringing fluids into an aircraft but come on! Bringing explosives on an aircraft and then lighting it?

[[Text corrected)

**texorama** · December-25-09, 07:04 PM

Yes indeed. Last time I flew out of that airport, I was impressed by the security operation. I got a good through questioning from a Dutch agent that would certainly have stopped the 9/11 guys. He even asked me about the brand of the radio in my bag. Now, a guy who is already on the no-fly list gets through with explosives? Something went very wrong.

**buildingsofdetroit** · December-25-09, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by Whitehouse

This will give security at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport [[the origin of this flight) a major headache... The airlines are all so anal about bringing fluids into an aircraft but come on! Bringing explosives on an aircraft and then lighting it?

News services are reporting that the flight actually originated in Nigeria. Not that this excuses Amsterdam's airport.

**buildingsofdetroit** · December-25-09, 07:26 PM

Normally when you hear the words "Detroit" and "blow up" you assume the DEGC is involved somehow...

**gazhekwe** · December-25-09, 07:34 PM

He was not on the no-fly list. The explosives were a bag of powder taped to his leg, which he was to mix with some chemicals using a syringe. Seems they would have caught the syringe if nothing else.

Ravine · December-25-09, 07:43 PM

Slightly off the point:
I know that the news stations have to grab quick interviews with whatever "eyewitnesses" are available, but those interviews are so often cringe-inducing.
This time it was a woman referring to the guy-- identified, by authorities, as a "23-year-old Nigerian"-- as "an African-American male."
See, this whole Political Correctness thing has mutated into straight-up stupidity. So, you saw what I would go ahead and unabashedly refer to as "a black guy," but you, for idiotic reasons, feel like the appropriate & proper term would be "African-American," like it's a synonym for "black."
In this case, it's almost funny, because, if the reports are true, the guy is African, as in... African.

And, of course, from the local news eyewitness category, we have another favorite of mine, which I hear constantly-- and, being no slave [[oh!! sorry!! I mean "unpaid assistant") to Political Correctness, I'm going to go ahead and finger the local white women [[not with my actual finger, of course) for this ear-scraper-- the horrible "I seen."
But, since I'm already getting myself into deep, deep shit, here, I suppose I should give equal-- but not separate-- time to the local black folks, for their insistence on saying "the PO-lice."

Well, I think I should flee this scene, immediately. Not only am I, arguably, engaging in shameless thread-jacking, I am also putting myself in danger of a good ol' public stoning, and I bruise easily.

**DetroitSTAR** · December-25-09, 07:45 PM

The congressman from New York who is part of the Homeland Security committee [[sorry the name escapes me) that has been making the rounds has been taking some pretty tough shots at Detroit. I cannot recall his comments verbatim, but he continued pushing the point that he has ideas why Detroit would be a target, but he would not get into it. Again later in the interview he implied that it was obvious that Detroit would be a target but he did not want to discuss why this was.

The first thing that came to my mind was the large concentration of people of Arab decent...but I cant see exactly how this would be an issue. Can anyone think of another reason to target here specifically?

**DetroitPlanner** · December-25-09, 07:46 PM

Yeah Ravine no kiddin' he was a Nigerian! Nothing american about the dude. LOL good catch what a bunch of bone-heads. PC liberalism is making us all stupid.

**Whitehouse** · December-25-09, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by Ravine

Slightly off the point:
I know that the news stations have to grab quick interviews with whatever "eyewitnesses" are available, but those interviews are so often cringe-inducing.
This time it was a woman referring to the guy-- identified, by authorities, as a "23-year-old Nigerian"-- as "an African-American male."
See, this whole Political Correctness thing has mutated into straight-up stupidity. So, you saw what I would go ahead and unabashedly refer to as "a black guy," but you, for idiotic reasons, feel like the appropriate & proper term would be "African-American," like it's a synonym for "black."
In this case, it's almost funny, because, if the reports are true, the guy is African, as in... African.

And, of course, from the local news eyewitness category, we have another favorite of mine, which I hear constantly-- and, being no slave [[oh!! sorry!! I mean "unpaid assistant") to Political Correctness, I'm going to go ahead and finger the local white women [[not with my actual finger, of course) for this ear-scraper-- the horrible "I seen."
But, since I'm already getting myself into deep, deep shit, here, I suppose I should give equal-- but not separate-- time to the local black folks, for their insistence on saying "the PO-lice."

Well, I think I should flee this scene, immediately. Not only am I, arguably, engaging in shameless thread-jacking, I am also putting myself in danger of a good ol' public stoning, and I bruise easily.

If you're really not that political correct you could also say he's a N...., given he's from Nigeria.

[[Where's my coat??)

**Crumbled_pavement** · December-25-09, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Yeah Ravine no kiddin' he was a Nigerian! Nothing american about the dude. LOL good catch what a bunch of bone-heads. PC liberalism is making us all stupid.

I agree 100%. The lady on the plane should have just said it was a n*gger. I mean, isn't "black" a term of political correctness in and of itself. People need to be free to say what they mean and not make it all nicey nicey. The cracker should have just said it was a n*gger and we could just get rid of all this stupid PC talk.

**renf** · December-25-09, 08:21 PM

Last June I flew from Schiphol to Motown on KLM/Northwest. I have never been more
carefully searched. The security even thoroughly, but with care, searched my scrotum, It
was an experience. It is difficult to believe the security staff in Amsterdam permitted a
person with explosives to board a plane for Motown.

**Whitehouse** · December-25-09, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by Crumbled_pavement

I agree 100%. The lady on the plane should have just said it was a n*gger. I mean, isn't "black" a term of political correctness in and of itself. People need to be free to say what they mean and not make it all nicey nicey. The cracker should have just said it was a n*gger and we could just get rid of all this stupid PC talk.

Or as Isaac Hayes would have said, a bad motherf ... [[shut your mouth.)

[[Unexpectedly this thread is becoming very entertaining.)

**Whitehouse** · December-25-09, 09:19 PM

Seems to be more serious than a couple of firecrackers....

The man was named 23-year old Umar Farouk Abdulmetallab.

**Detroit Stylin** · December-25-09, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by Crumbled_pavement

I agree 100%. The lady on the plane should have just said it was a n*gger. I mean, isn't "black" a term of political correctness in and of itself. People need to be free to say what they mean and not make it all nicey nicey. The cracker should have just said it was a n*gger and we could just get rid of all this stupid PC talk.

LMBAO you know thats what some of them want to do anyway CP.....lmbao

Ravine · December-25-09, 09:35 PM

I could be wrong, but it looks, to me, as though Crumbled Pavement & Whitehouse took my remarks and ran with them 'way off into a direction that has nothing to do with the point I was driving at.

**English** · December-25-09, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by Ravine

I could be wrong, but it looks, to me, as though Crumbled Pavement & Whitehouse took my remarks and ran with them 'way off into a direction that has nothing to do with the point I was driving at.

Well, you put yourself out there. Merry Christmas.

Anyway, back to the point. I'm wondering why this flight was targeted. Of all the destinations they could have chosen, why Detroit Metro?

**MrNittany** · December-25-09, 10:12 PM

FWIW ........ IF [[IF) the goal was to "blow up a plane over American soil", this flight is a peculiar one to pick ..... following the most efficient path [[Great Circle route between DTW and AMS) .....it comes in over Canada and doesn't enter American airspace until it passes over the St.Clair River/Lake St. Clair.

Also noticed that this was Northwest Flight 253. Just a coincidence, but definitely reminds one of another one-time DTW flight.

**English** · December-25-09, 10:20 PM

^ Right. It seems as if Detroit was targeted. So odd.

I suppose this means that I lied to my students on the morning of 9/11. "No one wants Detroit."

**Crumbled_pavement** · December-25-09, 10:22 PM

Originally Posted by Ravine

I could be wrong, but it looks, to me, as though Crumbled Pavement & Whitehouse took my remarks and ran with them 'way off into a direction that has nothing to do with the point I was driving at.

Didn't you say you were tired of politically correct talk? What I said wasn't politically correct at all. In fact, after some clicks the 'Report Abuse' button and Lowell sees it, he's going to delete it. Nonetheless, I posted it anyway without regard as to whether it would offend you or anyone else. Isn't that what you are after? People speaking their minds and not biting their tongues because someone might get offended by what is said? Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!

**Patrick** · December-25-09, 10:36 PM

After 9/11, potential terrorists realized that they are gonna get stomped the f*&k out if they pull this shit. Remeber that ~~~~~~ Richard Reid trying to set off a bomb in his shoes? Yeah, he got his ass beaten. I think this is something that the teror groups simply don't understand.

**MCP-001** · December-25-09, 11:01 PM

Sadly, terrorists have been performing "dry runs" for years now. From Flight 327 from Detroit to LA in '04 to as recently as Flight 297 from Atlanta to Houston just last month.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2007...-115545-3054r/

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/faa-...ll-202143.html

Why the surprise when something actually happens?