Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
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Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 22, 1986 Lagos, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Citizenship | Nigeria |
| Education | Degree in mechanical engineering |
| Alma mater | University College London |
| Known for | Attempted attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, December 25, 2009 |
| Parent | Alhaji Umaru Mutallab (father) |
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (born December 22, 1986, also referred to as Omar Farooq al-Nigeri[2]) is a Nigerian Muslim who attempted to detonate an explosive device hidden in his underwear during a December 25, 2009, terrorist attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan.[3][4]
Background
Abdulmutallab was born in Lagos. He is the son of former First Bank PLC chairman Alhaji Umaru Mutallab. The family comes from the town of Funtua in Katsina State.[5] Abdulmutallab attended the British School of Lomé, in Lomé, the capital of Togo. He was described as a 'dream student' by his history teacher Michael Rimmer.[6] The school is popular with wealthy Nigerians, where he obtained his International Baccalaureate, then proceeded to University College London, where he was enrolled in the department of mechanical engineering from September 2005 to June 2008. While in London, he reportedly lived in a ₤4 million apartment in Mansfield Street, in the city's West End.[7]
The Telegraph interviewed Mike Rimmer, his high school teacher, who reported that he had defended the Taliban during classroom discussions of their social policies, and their destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan.[8] Rimmer described Abdulmutallab's family as "wonderful", and said he had been fond of Abdulmutallab. He also said he thought Abdulmutallab had been playing "devil's advocate" during the classroom discussions, and that he had really understood Abdulmutallab, but concluded he had not understood him after all.[citation needed]
Abdulmutallab is known to have been a basketball fan and supported Arsenal Football Club.[5]
Reported contact with Islamic extremists
"His father, a prominent Nigerian banker and former government official, phoned the American Embassy in Abuja in October with a warning that his son had developed radical views, had disappeared and might have traveled to Yemen. But embassy officials did not revoke the young man’s visa to enter the United States, which was good until June 2010 .... And when they passed the information on to Washington, Mr. Abdulmutallab’s name was added to 550,000 others with some alleged terrorist connections — but not to the no-fly list."[9]
Abdulmutallab apparently visited Yemen before returning to Nigeria in December 2009, telling his family he had travelled there to learn Arabic.[7]
The senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Pete Hoekstra, said officials in the Obama administration and officials with law enforcement information access told him that Abdulmutallab may have had contact with Anwar al-Awlaki.[10][11]
Attack
From Nigeria, Abdulmutallab travelled to Amsterdam, where he boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 253 en route to Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day.
Passengers and crew aboard the plane said Abdulmutallab spent about 20 minutes in the bathroom as it approached Detroit and then covered himself with a blanket after returning to his seat, the Justice Department said. They then heard popping noises and smelled a foul odour and some saw Abdulmutallab’s trouser leg and the wall of the plane on fire, it said. When asked by a flight attendant what he had in his pocket, he replied “explosive device.” The device consisted of a six-inch (15-cm) packet of powder and a syringe containing a liquid, which were sewn into the suspect’s underwear, according to media reports.[12]
Passengers reported smelling smoke and saw that something in his lap was on fire. Fellow passenger Jasper Schuringa, a Dutch film director, jumped on Abdulmutallab, and he and other passengers subdued him as flight attendants used fire extinguishers to douse the flames.[13] At this point, Abdulmutallab was taken toward the front of the airplane cabin, and was seen to have lost his pants due to the fire, and had burns on his legs.[14] After being taken into custody, Abdulmutallab told authorities he had been directed by al-Qaeda. He said that the device was obtained in Yemen, along with instructions from al-Qaeda on how to use it. Authorities have not yet confirmed his statements.[15]
The attack came near the eighth anniversary of the attempt by Richard Reid to blow up a plane using explosives hidden in his shoe.
The Taliban also released a video of captured U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl on Christmas Day, the day of the attack.[16]
Aftermath
President Barack Obama has ordered a review of detection and watch list procedures in the aftermath of the incident. He said an unacceptable systemic and human failure had occurred that he considered "totally unacceptable".[17] On December 29, he told reporters that he was insisting on "accountability at every level" but gave no details.[17] The secretary of homeland security acknowledged that the aviation security system had failed in this instance.[9] U.S. officials have ordered that all passengers boarding international flights to the U.S. be patted down.[9]
United States Senator Joe Lieberman called for the Obama administration to pre-emptively act on curbing terrorism in Yemen and to halt plans to repatriate Guantanamo captives to Yemen.[18] Peter Hoekstra, a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee called for a halt to the repatriation of Guantanamo captives from Yemen.[19] Bennie Thompson, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called for a halt to all current plans with regard to Yemen in light of Abdulmutullab's ties there.[20] Congressional Representative Peter T. King called for a halt to the prisoner releases.[21]
Immediately after the attack, Lateef Adegbite, secretary general of Nigeria's Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs condemned the attack and stated "We are embarrassed by this incident and we strongly condemn the alleged action by this young man. We do not think that there is any organised Islamic group in Nigeria that is inclined to such a criminal and violent act. We condemn such an extreme viewpoint and action."[6]
The Wall Street Journal stated on December 27 that Abdulmutallab's suspected ties to jihadists from Yemen could complicate President Barack Obama's plans to repatriate the Yemeni captives in Guantanamo.[22]
References
- ^ "U.S. Plane Suspect Is From Prominent Nigerian Family". Reuters. December 26, 2009.
- ^ Meyer, Josh and Peter Nicholas. "Obama admits 'systemic failure' in airliner attack." Los Angeles Times. December 29, 2009. 1. Retrieved on December 29, 2009.
- ^ United States v. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, accessed December 26, 2009.
- ^ Terror Attempt Seen as Man Tries to Ignite Device on Jet, The New York Times, 2009-12-25
- ^ a b Farouk ‘is an Arsenal Fan’, ThisDay Newspapers.com, December 28, 2009.
- ^ a b Profile: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, BBC, 2009-12-27
- ^ a b Northwest Airlines bomber is son of prominent Nigerian, banker Dr. Muttallab, saharareporters.com, December 26, 2009.
- ^
Stephen Adams (December 27, 2009). "Airline bomber suspect 'defended Taliban'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c Lipton, Eric (December 28, 2009). "Security System Failed, Napolitano Acknowledges". New York Times.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Terrorist on Detroit-bound Plane Son of Nigerian Banker
- ^ Overview of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 Terror Attack
- ^ [1]
- ^ Dutch passenger thwarted terror attack on plane
- ^ How Nigerian attempted to blow up plane in US
- ^ Abdul Farouk Umar Muttalab
- ^ Statement by Department of Homeland Security Press Secretary Sara Kuban--Dept. of Homeland Security Press Release, Dec. 25, 2009
- ^ a b Baker, Peter (December 29, 2009). "Obama Faults 'Systemic Failure in U.S. Security". The Caucus Blog. The New York Times.
- ^ "Lieberman: The United States Must Pre-Emptively Act In Yemen". Huffington Post. December 27, 2009. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009.
In his appearance on 'Fox News Sunday', Lieberman also argued that the botched attack should compel the Obama administration to abandon efforts to transfer suspected-terrorists out of the holding facility at Guantanamo Bay, saying that the complex is now well above international standards.
- ^
"Following Path of Least Resistance, Terrorists Turn Yemen Into Poor Man's Afghanistan". Fox News. December 27, 2009. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009.
'They should stay there. They should not go back to Yemen,' Hoekstra said. 'If they go back to Yemen, we will very soon find them back on the battlefield going after Americans and other western interests.'
- ^ "Gitmo transfer to Yemen in doubt". United Press International. December 27, 2009. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009.
'I'd, at a minimum, say that whatever we were about to do we'd at least have to scrub (those plans) again from top to bottom,' said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.
- ^ Josh Gerstein (December 27, 2009). "Bomb plot complicates Gitmo plan". Politico. Archived from the original on December 28, 2009.
'I think it's a major mistake,' Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said about prisoner releases to Yemen. 'I don't think Guantanamo should be closed, but if we're going to close it I don't believe we should be sending people to Yemen where prisoners have managed to escape in the past….Obviously, if [Abdulmutallab] did get training and direction from Yemen, it just adds to what is already a dangerous situation.'
- ^ Sudeep Reddy (December 27, 2009). "Lawmakers Focus on Yemen in Wake of Attempted Bombing". Wall Street Journal Blogs. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009.
The 23-year-old suspect in the botched attack, Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab of Nigeria, allegedly told U.S. officials that he received his explosive device in Yemen and learned to use it there.