US jet incident described as 'attempted terror attack'

An incident onboard a Delta Airlines flight from the Netherlands to Detroit has been described as an attempt to blow up the plane by one of the passengers. A man is in custody.

According to BBC News, a senior administration official told them that the incident which happened on flight 253 was "an attempted terrorist attack". The flight was carrying just under 300 people. A suspect, who says he was working on behalf of al-Qaeda, was subdued and taken into custody where he will be questioned. White House spokesman Bill Burton said that President Barack Obama was monitoring the situation and the president himself has ordered increased air travel security. He is currently in Hawaii with his family. The Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI are currently investigating. Describing the incident, BBC News said:

A source described by the Associated Press as a "senior US counter-terror official" said a passenger aboard the flight had been planning to blow up the plane but the device failed.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing, the agency added.

It's being reported in Dutch and US media that the man in custody is of Nigerian descent but who studies in London. The incident, which took place at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Friday afternoon, resulted in at least one person being taken to a local hospital. Passengers on the flight have spoken of hearing a bang and seeing some smoke and fire, similar to a firecracker taking off. One US citizen who had travelled from the United Arab Emirates said that the incident took place as the plane descended to land at the airport. Syed Jafri said that he was sitting three rows behind the suspect and that he saw a glow and smelled smoke. He then said, "...a young man behind me jumped on him. Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic." Other passengers who wished to be unnamed said that they heard "a little pop" and saw "a bit of a smoke and then some flames". Another said that one passenger, a man, had reacted by jumping "over all the other people and he took care of it so the fire went out". BBC News say that:

According to a report on the ABC television network, the suspect told authorities he had had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion.