Europe News

Dutch, British airports beef up security after US airliner incident

Dec 26, 2009, 21:02 GMT

Aircrafts of Delta-Northwest are being supplied before departure at Schiphol Airport, near Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 26 December 2009.EPA/MARCEL ANTONISSE

Brussels/Washington - The European Union is to look into whether any safety rules had been breached after a passenger on flight from Europe to the US allegedly tried to set off an explosive device on the aircraft, in what US authorities said was an attempted terrorist attack.

Investigators in the US were interviewing a Nigerian man who claimed to have been directed by al-Qaeda to ignite an explosive aboard flight Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, ABC News reported, quoting an unnamed official.

The Northwest Airlines Airbus carrying 278 people landed safely at midday in Detroit after the passenger had been subdued, according Delta Airlines, which operates Northwest. Initially, a spokeswoman said it was believed the man had set off a firecracker on the plane.

Police in Britain meanwhile searched an apartment building in London and questioned people with links to the suspect in connection with the investigation, the BBC reported. The suspect, who has been identified as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was also confirmed to have been a mechanical engineering student at University College London between 2005 and 2008.

Security was also stepped up at British and Dutch airports, with Britain's airport operator BAA saying, 'passengers travelling to the United States should expect their airline to carry out additional security checks prior to boarding.'

Prime Minister Gordon Brown was quoted by the BBC as saying authorities in Britain were working with their US counterparts and would take 'whatever action' was necessary to ensure public safety.

The European Union's top justice official, Jacques Barrot, said he was 'horrified by the attempted terrorist attack.' The EU's executive arm was in touch with its Dutch and US counterparts as well as the relevant authorities 'to make sure that all rules and procedures were followed in Europe,' he said.

All passengers at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport who were bound for the US were to be body-searched, an official from the National Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism (NCT) said early Saturday.

An investigation into the operational affairs of the plane involved in the incident had also been launched, the official added, declining to give further details.

In Taiwan, security checks on US-bound flights were also stepped up, on the request of the US Department of Homeland Security, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said. The checks were to be carried out from Saturday through to December 30 and focus on plastic, liquids and sprays, the agency said.

The suspect reportedly flew onboard a KLM flight 588 from the Nigerian capital of Lagos to Schiphol before boarding Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Suspect was on a US government watch list, but not its no-fly list, ABC reported.

Passengers onboard flight described hearing a popping noise as the plane was preparing to land, then seeing a brief fire. There was yelling and screaming, they told local media.

Another man then jumped on the suspect to subdue him, the witnesses said. Reports also said other passengers and crew put out the fire, using fire extinguishers and blankets.

The suspect was dragged to the front of the plane.

Two people were injured.

The White House afterwards called the incident an attempted terrorist attack. President Barack Obama was briefed on the incident while on Christmas vacation in Hawaii.

IntelCenter, an independent terrorist monitoring group, said the incident appeared to be 'a serious terrorist attempt against the US' that may have connections to Nigeria and al-Qaeda cells in Yemen.