City searches after plane plot

Dec 26 2009

Searches are being carried out in central London after a man with suspected links to al Qaida allegedly tried to blow up a transatlantic plane, Scotland Yard said.

Security has been stepped up at UK airports for passengers flying to the US, the Department for Transport said.

The Nigerian suspect allegedly tried to detonate a powdery substance on a flight from Amsterdam as it prepared to land at Detroit with 278 people on board.

US law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. The 23-year-old is reportedly an engineering student at University College London.

It is understood from security sources that police and MI5 will want to see "as a matter of priority" the significance of any time that he spent in the UK. It is also understood that extra staff and resources have been assigned to the investigation as a matter of urgency.

One of the key priorities will be to check whether he has cropped up in the course of any other investigations.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "In response to events in Detroit the US authorities have requested additional measures for US-bound flights. Although general airport security remains the same, with no change to luggage and liquid restrictions, passengers travelling to the US can expect increased searches at the gate before boarding.

Passengers scrambled to subdue the man after the attempted attack on the Northwest Airlines Flight 253 yesterday.

Dutch passenger Peter Smith said: "It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase. First there was a pop, and then (there) was smoke."

He said one passenger appeared to have been burned after climbing across other passengers to try to restrain the alleged attacker.