one red paperclip

one red paperclip

one red paperclip

Recent airline attack plots

Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was carrying 278 passengers when the attack was attempted [AFP] Passenger jets have long proved attractive targets for hijackers. In recent years attackers have attempted to turn aircraft into destructive weapons. Friday's reported incident on board a Northwest Airlines Flight 253 as it carried 278 passengers from Amsterdam to Detroit, is only the latest in a long line. 1994: Senior al-Qaeda member Khalid Sheikh Mohamed and others develop a plan to place bombs aboard up to 12 flights - an attack codenamed Operation Bojinka that is disrupted when Filipino authorities raid the plotters' apartment. September 11, 2001: 19 al-Qaeda members hijack four passenger jets, flying two directly into the World Trade Centers in New York and a third into the Pentagon building in Virginia. Passengers on a fourth flight overwhelm the hijackers, forcing the aircraft to crash into a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people are killed. December 22, 2001: An attempted attack by British citizen Richard Reid on an American Airlines Boeing between Paris and Miami is thwarted by the crew and passengers. Reid, who allegedly trained with al-Qaeda, hid the explosives in the soles of his shoes and tried to light them mid-flight. 2003: Al-Qaeda plans to hijack jets leaving London Heathrow airport and to crash them back into the airport and into a highrise building in London's Canary Wharf business district. August 10, 2006: British police raids result in the arrest of 21 people accused of plotting to blow up airliners flying between the US and Britain over the Atlantic Ocean using explosives made from liquids. The plot results in new restrictions on what passengers can carry on board. December 25, 2009: Passengers aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit overwhelm a Nigerian man who set off an explosive device as the flight came in to land. The device was quickly put out and no one was harmed.

'Explosion attempt' on US flight

The Airbus 330 landed safely in the US city of Detroit after the incident [AFP] A reported attempt by a Nigerian man to light an explosive aboard a US passenger aircraft has been described by the White House as "an attempted act of terrorism". Farouk Abdul Mutallab, who was overpowered by passengers and crew of Northwest Airlines Flight 253, was taken into custody after the jet landed safely in Detroit. He suffered extensive third-degree burns and two passengers were slightly injured. The flight was carrying 278 people and 11 crew members. The incident unfolded around noon local time (17:00 GMT). Officials said Abdul Mutallab, 23, tried to detonate an explosive device, apparently a mix of powder and liquid, as the flight, coming from Nigeria via Amsterdam, was approaching Detroit. Peter King, the senior Republican on the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, told Fox News channel: "When it did go off, [Abdul Mutallab] himself was seriously injured. He has third-degree burns." A senior homeland security official was quoted by the New York Times as saying that the device "was made from a mixture of powder and liquid" and was "more incendiary than explosive". Too early to say The official said Abdul Mutallab told authorities he had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe filled with chemicals to mix with the powder in an attempt to cause an explosion. IN DEPTH Attack on transatlantic flight Recent airline attack plots A federal counterterrorism official was quoted on theBoston Globe newspaper's website as saying that Abdul Mutallab was apparently in a government law-enforcement intelligence database, but it was not clear what extremist group or individuals he might be linked to. "It’s too early to say what his association is," the counterterrorism official said. "At this point, it seems like he was acting alone, but we don't know for sure." Although Abdul Mutallab is said to have told officials that he was directed by al-Qaeda, the counterterrorism official expressed caution about that stance, saying "it may have been aspirational". NBC television, citing counterterrorism officials, said Abdul Muttalab "claims to have been acting on his own." King told CNN: "My understanding is ... that he does have al-Qaeda connections, certainly extremist terrorist connections, and his name popped up pretty quickly" in a search of intelligence data bases. Measures enforced Homeland security said enhanced security measures had been put into effect after the failed attack. "Passengers may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the travelling public on domestic and international flights," it said in a statement. President Barack Obama, who is currently on holiday in Hawaii, was "actively monitoring" the situation, a White House spokesman said. "The president was notified of the incident this morning between 9am (07:00 GMT) and 9.30am Hawaii time by the president's military aide," Bill Burton said in a statement. After Obama was informed of the incident he held a secure conference call with John Brennan, his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, and Denis McDonough, the National Security Council chief of staff . "[Obama] asked to arrange a subsequent secure call and... instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel," the White House said.