Ann Arbor woman heard 'firecracker' noises as Nigerian man attempted to light explosives on airplane
Veena Saigal was tired. It was the last leg of her trip back to Ann Arbor from New Delhi - an uneventful, but long flight.
That is, until Northwest Airlines Flight 253 began making its descent into Detroit Metro Airport shortly before noon on Christmas Day. The flight attendants made their usual announcements, asking passengers to remain seated, buckled up and informing them of the local weather conditions.
Veena Saigal kisses her 10-month-old granddaughter, Zola, as her husband, Romesh, looks on at their home in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
Mark Bialek | For AnnArbor.com
Suddenly, Saigal - in row 13 - heard a sound like a firecracker from behind.
“I thought maybe something happened with the window,” said Saigal, who has lived in Ann Arbor for 23 years. “After a few seconds, I smelled smoke.”
Saigal was one of 278 passengers aboard the plane when a Nigerian man, who claimed to be acting on orders from al-Qaida to blow up the airliner, attempted to light an explosive device.
At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man. The heroic passenger appeared to have been burned.
Other passengers began rushing toward the front of the plane as flight attendants tried to get them to sit down, Saigal said. She remained seated.
Saigal watched as passengers and crew members pushed the man - identified as 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab - toward the front of the plane. She said it appeared they restrained him with something after seating him in the front of the plane; she could not see the extent of his injuries.
Multiple law enforcement officials said the man appeared badly burned on his legs, indicating the explosive was strapped there. According to the FBI, Abdulmutallab had a device containing what’s believed to be PETN, also known as pentaerythritol, a high explosive. FBI agents also recovered what appear to be the remnants of a syringe from the vicinity of Abdulmutallab’s seat, believed to have been part of the device, a press release said.
Melinda Dennis, who was seated in the front row of the plane, said the man’s legs appeared to be badly burned, and his pants were cut off. She said he was taken off the plane handcuffed to a stretcher.
Veena and husband Romesh Saigal, front, pose with their daughter Ashima, son Shailesh, and son-in-law David, back right, in their Ann Arbor home on Saturday.
Mark Bialek | For AnnArbor.com
Abdulmutallab was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center for his injuries, but no update on his medical condition was available Saturday afternoon.
All those on board the plane applauded the heroic passenger when the incident ended, Saigal said.
“I knew what it was right away - some kind of terrorist attack,” Saigal said. “I thought, ‘OK, the bomb didn’t go off.’ I wasn’t really scared, and no one else really looked that scared. There were a lot of children on the plane, and some were crying.”
Passengers were ordered to stay seated when the plane landed until police could come on board and take the man into custody. Passengers were then allowed off and corralled into an area near the baggage claim at Detroit Metro Airport.
There, the situation grew frustrating for the tired passengers as they waited to be individually interviewed.
Saigal said they were told not to use their phones, but she was able to call her husband to alert him that she would be delayed.
After spending a month in India visiting her brother, she was looking forward to seeing her children and infant granddaughter for Christmas - but they had to wait.
“It was very frustrating,” Saigal said. “We were begging them to tell the people out waiting for us that something happened, but I don’t think they ever did.”
One woman began crying. Authorities questioned each passenger about someone videotaping on the plane - Saigal said she didn’t see anyone with a camera. Police dogs sniffed everyone’s carry-on luggage.
“I was very tired,” said Saigal, who switched planes in Amsterdam for the final eight-hour leg of the trip home. “Everyone was so tired.”
About six hours after the plane landed, Saigal was released to her waiting children. The family decided to go out for Chinese food - the only thing open - and then returned home to catch up on news of the incident on CNN and online.
Saigal said she hadn’t noticed the man accused of the attempted terrorist attack before the incident.
One law enforcement official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said Abdulmutallab’s name had surfaced earlier on at least one U.S. intelligence database, but he was not on a watch list or a no-fly list.
Federal officials said there would be heightened security for both domestic and international flights at airports across the country, but the intensified levels would likely be “layered,” differing from location to location depending on alerts, security concerns and other factors.
Saigal, who travels to India about once a year, said she’s never encountered a problem while traveling before, beyond typical delays.
“It was definitely the strangest and worst thing I’ve had happen,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Amalie Nash is the news director for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at amalienash@annarbor.com amalienash@annarbor.com or 734-623-2521.
Comments
MiSola
Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 12:32 a.m.
When was the last time a El Al flight had any of these problems? Are there security measures they are taking that the United States refuses to take? Why don't we all admit we asleep at the wheel and vigorously demand that equal measures be taken with protecting the lives of our loved ones? Americans are very good at demonstrating and boycotting to get the things they truly want. This is the beauty of our Nation. I believe it's in our hands and our responsibility to procure our safety, instead of hoping people that take private jets anyway, make these choices for us.
billy
Tue, Dec 29, 2009 : 1:55 a.m.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/k/koran/koran-idx?type=DIV0&byte=114839 This is their holy book. They read it. They attack. That is the point of islam. It is a religion/idealogy based on deception. The one true prophet they worship was a warrior who married a six year old and consumated the marriage when she was nine, and Aisha, his child bride, was his favorite amongst his 30+ brides, concubines, and sex slaves captured during jihad.
bedrog
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 3:19 p.m.
to the previous'question: sadly, "yes' nowadays, "freedom' perhaps being justifiably redefined as comparative and not absolute....at its worst what the U.s. and its allies in the very real struggle with islamist totalitarianism represent is far closer to an ideal of 'freedom' than that offered by the jihadists, even to their own people.....and noone wishes it werent so more than me, a liberal democrat who has spent more time in mosques than churches or synagogues and whose screen name is in a language of the region and means "no lies".
sh1
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 2:57 p.m.
Re "if people are wrongly accused and inconvenienced they can be apologized to....overlooking such stuff can lead to deaths, for which apologies are too late," is this what we mean by fighting for "freedom"?
bedrog
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 2:33 p.m.
short of ignatz' "american gulags" a bit less piety about the "evils' of "profiling" might be useful ( hell, all social science is "profiling" based on evidence from ultimately smallish samples).. and some indices ( although far from infallible) of possible threat are indeed "has studied in foreign madrassahs post 9/11"; has converted to islam recently instead of being born into it; and the like... if people are wrongly accused and inconvenienced they can be apologized to....overlooking such stuff can lead to deaths, for which apologies are too late. all that said the jihadist strategy of "takfir"...assimilating into the appearance of 'infidel-dom" the better to strike...is a toughie,and my heart is out,and my hat is off,to those who are in the trenches on this day to day..
llspier
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 2:24 p.m.
You've apparently conveniently ignored a few facts in your 'blame Bush' screed, Tru2Blu76. The reason the information pre-9-11 wasnt shared between the NSA and the FBI was because of Jamie Gorlick's "firewall". Gorlick was a Clinton appointee - Deputy Attorney General - who created a regulation that prevented information-sharing between intelligence agencies. (Look her up on Google for more info on her activities at Fannie Mae and the 9-11 Commission - and Obama's transition team). Bush had been in office a whole 8 months! So you can hardly blame Bush for that fiasco! In truth, a great many acts of what we now call terrorism were occurring under Clinton but it didnt suit his political purposes to let it become public knowledge. We've been playing catch-up ever since. Also, the Air Marshall program has seen massive cuts. There wasnt an Air Marshall on that flight because "the tickets are so expensive"! The fact is, the US cant control the airport procedures in other nations therefore we have little control over who gets on those flights or how they are screened. Maybe we just need to face the fact that the entire world doesnt necessarily love us just because of Obama or Bush - and that overseas flights will remain a risk. So will day-to-day living unless we clean up things like the faulty visa systems. Thank God no one was killed.
Ignatz
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 11:42 a.m.
From what I understand, the bomber was placed on a threat list when his father reported his activities to the American embassy. According to our procedures, this was the right move. Corroborating evidence would be needed to increase his threat level. That was not forthcoming. What would you have the security agencies do? Or are you ready to have people placed in an American gulag based upon the denounciation of a neighbor?
Peter
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 10:04 a.m.
I guess Lockerbie didn't come to mind for you?
stunhsif
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 12:33 a.m.
Thank goodnes the Saigal family had a good Christmas rather than a trajic Christmas. This great country of ours celebrates people of all colors and religions which is a wonderful thing. Back in the day, passengers could carry almost anything ( short of a gun or weapon) onto an airplane and nothing ever happened. Now you cannot even carry shampoo,toothpaste or a pair of tweezers or small scissors without checking them into the baggage area. A big big question now. Is this Mr.Umar Farouk a Muslim? Has anyone ever heard of a non Muslim trying to blow up an airplane, let alone anything else? Why has the Muslim community in the good old USA stood mute and silent in regards to their sister's and brother's across the globe trying to kill innocent people across the world? Someone, please answer this question!!!!
roadsidedinerlover
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 12:25 a.m.
Political correctness? Oh come on! It was a mistake and a lack of foresight by U.S. intelligence. AP News says the suspect's father went to the American embassy in Nigeria to warn officials there about his son. Apparently this father did not have enough information except the fact that his son had gone to Yemen for training. Please tell me where the PC comes into play?Because the suspect is an black African?? It makes more sense to be outraged by the fact that this jerk will be treated for his injuries at U of M Hospital, get food and shelter and a public attorney and we the Michigan taxpayers will have to foot the bill!
American Family
Sat, Dec 26, 2009 : 10:24 p.m.
Abdulmutallab should have never been allowed on the plane. Political Correctness has gone to far to the loony side. It must end, and common sense be allowed to prevail again. Thank God that this nice family's story ended well in the long run.
Gina Valo
Sat, Dec 26, 2009 : 6:53 p.m.
Really beautiful photos, Mark.