ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) – An attempted terrorist attack on a Christmas Day flight began with a pop and a puff of smoke – sending passengers scrambling to subdue a Nigerian man who claimed to be acting on orders from al-Qaida to blow up the airliner, officials and travelers said.
The commotion began as Northwest Airlines Flight 253, carrying 278 passengers and 11 crew members from Amsterdam, prepared to land in Detroit just before noon Friday. Travelers said they smelled smoke, saw a glow, and heard what sounded like firecrackers. At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man, who officials say was trying to ignite an explosive device.
I delayed blogging today for a reason I’ll indicate below; after that, the first thing I encountered on the internet was this story.
After reading, I was heartened and then resolved. But I must elaborate on my resolution and thusly:
America, you need to wake up. Yes, the times are tough, making many of us tend to focus only on ourselves and our plight.
We need to continue to recognize that their are forces, foreign and domestic, who wish for a myriad of reasons to bring down this country.
It’s bad enough that, domestically, Mr Obama and his administration — yes, our own government — wishes to bring down a good portion of the structure of our nation (elucidated in the Cloward-Piven Strategy, the likes of which I introduced here). This is sufficiently horrible on its face and must be factored and dealt with.
But we’ve seemingly forgotten about one aspect of our foreign enemies — Islamists. And what they want to do to our country, IN this country.
And I can only hope this is a Wake Up Call for us, as citizens of the United States. And that we heed the call.
There are those, some who read this blog, who say that radical Islamists compromise only a very small percentile of the “good and honorable” members of the religion of Islam.
But just how many radical Islamists do you need to sour a nation, a series of nations, a movement, an entire religion, with violence, cowardice and hate?
I said then and I say now: Islam is as Islam does.
It is no more complicated than that.
You need to wake up America. Wake UP. Islamists are in our midst. We still seem to think that Islam is comprised of only people who “look” like they source from the Middle East. That is amazingly incorrect.
The greatest number of Muslims live in Asia (Indoesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh) and Africa (Egypt, Nigeria).
Throwing acid in the face of women who fail to don the hijab,[1] flogging people for sporting non-Islamic haircuts, and stoning to death violators of sexual norms are only a few examples of a raft of daily barbaric acts of Islamists in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and many Islamic lands. Other forms of Islamic brutalities such as Honor Killing[2] have already found their way to Germany and other European countries with the ever-burgeoning Muslim populations.
Islam is a cancer upon this planet. There may be some “good” or “nice” Muslims extant, of course; but they are so cowed by the radically-violent elements meaning, again, that Islam is as Islam does.
Upon learning of this recent event, my wife said: “They (the passengers) should have thumped him until he died.”
Jasper Schuringa has been identified as the Northwest Airlines passenger who helped subdue an alleged terrorist as he tried to detonate explosives on board flight 253.
A high-ranking law enforcement official told CBS News that the suspect, identified by multiple sources as 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab apparently used a syringe to inject a chemical into powder located near his groin, a technique not seen in previous attempted attacks.
On September 11th 2001, the government’s (1970s) security procedures all failed, and the only good news of the day came from self-reliant citizens (on Flight 93) using their own wits and a willingness to act.
On December 25th 2009, the government’s (post-9/11) security procedures all failed, and the only good news came once again from alert individuals.
16 thoughts on “Passengers help foil attack on Detroit-bound plane”
He blows up a firecracker and tries to light up his blanket-as the plane lands and ‘we need to wake up?’
Excellent post- Once again TSA will respond to the ‘last’ episode, so it will be interesting to see what the new requirements will be.
Deacon: in one word: yes.
NFO: yes, won’t it — after the horses have left the barn.
BZ
I too that point where I don’t blame the radicals I now blame the religion itself. I have not read the Koran, but feel no need, no desire to visit that foul rag. Too many have picked it up only to turn to jihad. It is a very intolerant religion and those who follow are no friends to Christianity or too the human race as a whole.
Ron: IF Islam ISN’T what it does, then where are its TRUE adherents?? Its detractors who DISAVOW the violence and the mysogyny and the pederasts and the clitorectomies and the Shari’ah Law and the stonings and the utter BARBARISM?
WHERE are those people? I ask.
BZ
I agree with your wife. My husband and I had the same conversation. Wish he was dead.
God bless the hero, Jaspar Schuringa, who did what he had to do. I understand there was a small fire aboard. Any fire aboard an airliner is a big deal – and especially after just thwarting a bomb.
The problem is Islam and all who adhere to it. There is no way to resolve “peaceful Muslims.” They are peaceful until they have to choose sides, and we should never assume they will choose a free life over jihad, especially once their imam directs them otherwise. It’s just the truth. We must face it.
BZ, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. Merry, merry Christmas and blessings in abundance!
Maggie: I think you finally wrote into concrete what I’ve been trying to say:
When sides HAVE to be chosen in Islam, Muslims will predominantly choose violence. Because (and I will sum it up when others can’t or won’t) they are cowards.
He didn’t let the gel mixture dry properly once he applied it. You don’t get a full explosion from that, only from those parts that had dried… hence ‘firecracker’. If he had followed his instructions properly this would be a lost aircraft.
And if you think of the amount and application of even a firecracker’s worth of explosives, inventively applied, that, too, is a threat. It is not a joke. Terrorists have proven very effective in getting novelty into their attacks. These restrictions force that novelty and inventiveness thus making screening of passengers a priority. El Al can afford to have fantastic security as it is a National airline with the Shin Bet as its screeners… somehow I can’t picture the FBI doing that job well.
ATTENTION LISA DOES POST ELSEWHERE: here is one article
Thanks DD, I think we all need to revisit this and our thoughts.
AJ: PETN is some scary, unstable stuff. Properly cooked off, it could have completely taken down that craft and all souls aboard.
BZ
NEO: thanks for the update! I’ll go look!
BZ
They needed to have beaten the Nigerian’s head soft. Reports showed that he lived.
Pity.
All arabs are jihadists. ALL of them. Lying to someone is what all arabs do. Never forget this. I have worked with them, and arrested many. Lying is an art form that all arabs work on. None will be an American. You show me an arab, and I will show you a terrorist.
Mr. Z – The jihadi going after the Prince in charge of security in KSA filled his colon with high explosive. Even a full body cavity search might not have gotten it, although a quart of ex-lax would. We have already witnessed the mentally incompetent, children and those not told about explosives they were carrying used in bombings.
Regulations will not stop that.
Security will not stop that.
Nice words and trying to ‘solve the problems of the poor’ will not stop affluent and well-off killers from killing.
As we do not hear about radical Methodists and Lutherans doing this, that means that there is something at the heart of the societies where such killers come from that is not: colonialism, racism, poverty, or capitalism. The poor in a civilized society do not do these things, nor do the middle class nor affluent. Until the Left stops trying to blame the well off there will be no serious road to finding a way to deal with this at the societal level.
I do NOT want another religious war to consume the world… the 30 Years War and Westphalia taught Christians how to NOT do these things, although the lesson took a few decades to catch on. And a 30 Years War death toll via proportion to the modern world is horror beyond belief. Too bad we do not teach the principles of Westphalia any more. We will pay for our ignorance handed to us by lovely school systems that don’t want to ‘offend anyone’ only impugn the religion that brought the understanding of WHY you don’t do these things in a civil society.
I used to repair the bomb detection equipment at the airport in Detroit and it can detect PTEN. I’m ready to throw down when I fly if somebody tries that crap near me. I’ll be using some of the Bas Rattan moves from your video!
DB- Petn is the active ingrediant in blast caps. If donw properly he could easily blew a large hole in the bulkhead. I think the CIA really dropped the ball on this. Instead of human assets, they rely on high tech gadgetry as they have since the Bush era. I think the FBI is a better agency for ferreting these guys out.
He blows up a firecracker and tries to light up his blanket-as the plane lands and ‘we need to wake up?’
Excellent post- Once again TSA will respond to the ‘last’ episode, so it will be interesting to see what the new requirements will be.
Deacon: in one word: yes.
NFO: yes, won’t it — after the horses have left the barn.
BZ
I too that point where I don’t blame the radicals I now blame the religion itself. I have not read the Koran, but feel no need, no desire to visit that foul rag. Too many have picked it up only to turn to jihad. It is a very intolerant religion and those who follow are no friends to Christianity or too the human race as a whole.
Ron: IF Islam ISN’T what it does, then where are its TRUE adherents?? Its detractors who DISAVOW the violence and the mysogyny and the pederasts and the clitorectomies and the Shari’ah Law and the stonings and the utter BARBARISM?
WHERE are those people? I ask.
BZ
I agree with your wife. My husband and I had the same conversation. Wish he was dead.
God bless the hero, Jaspar Schuringa, who did what he had to do. I understand there was a small fire aboard. Any fire aboard an airliner is a big deal – and especially after just thwarting a bomb.
The problem is Islam and all who adhere to it. There is no way to resolve “peaceful Muslims.” They are peaceful until they have to choose sides, and we should never assume they will choose a free life over jihad, especially once their imam directs them otherwise. It’s just the truth. We must face it.
BZ, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. Merry, merry Christmas and blessings in abundance!
Maggie: I think you finally wrote into concrete what I’ve been trying to say:
When sides HAVE to be chosen in Islam, Muslims will predominantly choose violence. Because (and I will sum it up when others can’t or won’t) they are cowards.
Their religion HAS gotten to that point.
Islam IS as Islam DOES.
BZ
Thanks for commenting at my place BZ. You’re right: I’ve been really thinking about this, and I’m bothered. More here, ‘Revisiting the ‘Terrorist Threat Debate’.
He didn’t let the gel mixture dry properly once he applied it. You don’t get a full explosion from that, only from those parts that had dried… hence ‘firecracker’. If he had followed his instructions properly this would be a lost aircraft.
And if you think of the amount and application of even a firecracker’s worth of explosives, inventively applied, that, too, is a threat. It is not a joke. Terrorists have proven very effective in getting novelty into their attacks. These restrictions force that novelty and inventiveness thus making screening of passengers a priority. El Al can afford to have fantastic security as it is a National airline with the Shin Bet as its screeners… somehow I can’t picture the FBI doing that job well.
ATTENTION LISA DOES POST ELSEWHERE: here is one article
http://www.americanconservativedaily.com/2009/12/tiger-woods-and-the-problem-of-the-great-black-example
Thanks DD, I think we all need to revisit this and our thoughts.
AJ: PETN is some scary, unstable stuff. Properly cooked off, it could have completely taken down that craft and all souls aboard.
BZ
NEO: thanks for the update! I’ll go look!
BZ
They needed to have beaten the Nigerian’s head soft. Reports showed that he lived.
Pity.
All arabs are jihadists.
ALL of them. Lying to someone is what all arabs do.
Never forget this.
I have worked with them, and arrested many.
Lying is an art form that all arabs work on.
None will be an American.
You show me an arab, and I will show you a terrorist.
Mr. Z – The jihadi going after the Prince in charge of security in KSA filled his colon with high explosive. Even a full body cavity search might not have gotten it, although a quart of ex-lax would. We have already witnessed the mentally incompetent, children and those not told about explosives they were carrying used in bombings.
Regulations will not stop that.
Security will not stop that.
Nice words and trying to ‘solve the problems of the poor’ will not stop affluent and well-off killers from killing.
As we do not hear about radical Methodists and Lutherans doing this, that means that there is something at the heart of the societies where such killers come from that is not: colonialism, racism, poverty, or capitalism. The poor in a civilized society do not do these things, nor do the middle class nor affluent. Until the Left stops trying to blame the well off there will be no serious road to finding a way to deal with this at the societal level.
I do NOT want another religious war to consume the world… the 30 Years War and Westphalia taught Christians how to NOT do these things, although the lesson took a few decades to catch on. And a 30 Years War death toll via proportion to the modern world is horror beyond belief. Too bad we do not teach the principles of Westphalia any more. We will pay for our ignorance handed to us by lovely school systems that don’t want to ‘offend anyone’ only impugn the religion that brought the understanding of WHY you don’t do these things in a civil society.
I used to repair the bomb detection equipment at the airport in Detroit and it can detect PTEN. I’m ready to throw down when I fly if somebody tries that crap near me. I’ll be using some of the Bas Rattan moves from your video!
DB- Petn is the active ingrediant in blast caps. If donw properly he could easily blew a large hole in the bulkhead. I think the CIA really dropped the ball on this. Instead of human assets, they rely on high tech gadgetry as they have since the Bush era. I think the FBI is a better agency for ferreting these guys out.