Failed Attack Signals New Threat?

By doris | Published: December 27, 2009

Full Story at CBS News.com

(CBS/AP) U.S. counterterrorism officials are scrambling to assess a potential new threat from an explosive mixture that evaded detection aboard a Detroit-bound airliner but failed to bring down the plane.

The suspect, identified by multiple law enforcement officials as a Nigerian man named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, claimed to have ties to al Qaeda. But while investigators try to determine the veracity of his claims, they also want to figure out exactly how the explosive device was made – and how much of a broader threat it may pose to air security.

A high-ranking law enforcement official told CBS News that the suspect apparently used a syringe to inject a chemical into powder – later identified as PETN – located near his groin, a technique not seen in previous attempted attacks. It’s possible, the source said, that this incident was a test of whether the materials could pass screening and how effective they might be at causing damage.

This entry was posted in Airplane, America, Arrested, Attacked, Charged, Criminal, Homeland Security, Searching, Violence. Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

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