Federal authorities have been told that Abdulmutallab allegedly had taped some material to his leg, then used a syringe to mix chemicals with the powder while on the airplane, one official said.

But doing so “caused him to catch on fire,” Richelle Keepman, who sat a few rows in front of Abdulmutallab, told WDIV-TV.

Another passenger on Flight 253, Syed Jafry of Holland, Mich., told the Detroit Free Press that he noticed a glow three rows ahead in the Airbus 330, then smelled smoke. The next moment, Jafri recounted, “a young man behind me jumped on” Abdulmutallab. 

*****

    Now that is what I am talking about!  This booger eater not only fails to do what he set out to do, but a passenger on the plane actually reacted to the guy and jumped on him.  That’s like the equivalent of jumping on a hand grenade, and this hero needs to be recognized.

   This falls in line with the ‘hero in waiting’ stuff that Philip Zimbardo introduced and I keep talking about here.  It’s not going to be a cop, or a soldier, or whatever that is going to protect people all the time and in every situation.  Most of the time, it’s going to be a civilian with the courage and conviction to do what has to be done, and during those mad minutes.  We should be celebrating heroes that stepped up to stop these animals and make them examples as to the kinds of citizens the world needs in order to stop Al Qaeda and any other criminals or murderers.

   Another way to look at this is the one thing that can stop a super empowered individual, whom has the intent to do bad things, is another super empowered individual intent on doing good things. We need heroes in waiting, and this attack is a prime example of why. So start watching those Surviving Disaster shows and get the word out! -Matt

Edit: Cannoneer #4 just posted a similar deal in praise of the passengers that took this guy down.

Edit#2: 12/27/2009 Jasper Schuringa was the hero.  Here is his Facebook page, and I guess he is a director and into film stuff.

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Nigerian arrested in failed plane attack claims links to al-Qaeda

By Michael Leahy and Spencer S. HsuSaturday, December 26, 2009; 12:16 AM

A Nigerian man, claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda, allegedly tried to set off an incendiary device aboard a transatlantic airplane Friday as it descended toward Detroit’s airport in what the White House called an attempted act of terrorism.

The man was quickly subdued after another passenger leapt on top of him, others on the plane said, and Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam landed safely around 1 p.m. Friday. The suspect was being treated at a hospital for burns he suffered while igniting the device, the Transportation Security Administration said.

The FBI is investigating the incident. President Obama, celebrating Christmas in Hawaii, was informed about it, a spokesman said, and he asked aides to ensure that all measures are in place to provide secure air travel.

Officials said they are not prepared to raise the terrorism alert level, currently at orange — or the second-highest of five levels — for domestic and international air travel. However, the Homeland Security Department said late Friday that passengers “may notice additional screening measures, put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights.”

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Tags: , airline, Al Qaeda, hero in waiting, Nigeria, Philip Zimbardo, terrorism