Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old son of a prominent Nigerian banker, has been formally charged in the United States on two counts of trying to destroy a plane in U.S. airspace and for bringing a "destructive device" onto an aircraft. If the bomb had detonated as planned, it would have wreaked havoc for the 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day (25 December). Even though the device did not detonate, pertinent questions have been raised over the security screening process of passengers and lapses by security agencies for failing to act on tip-offs about terror suspects. The incident has once again put the spotlight on the global fight against terror, bringing sub-Saharan Africa—and particularly Nigeria as the country with the highest number of Muslims on the African continent—under scrutiny.

Narrow Escape

Abdulmutallab began his journey aboard a KLM flight from Nigeria on 24 December 2009 to Amsterdam (Netherlands), before boarding the Northwest flight to Detroit (United States). Sewn into his underwear was a device containing the explosive pentaerythritol (PETN). As the plane neared its destination, Abdulmutallab went to the bathroom for about 20 minutes. When he returned to his seat, he reportedly complained of feeling unwell and pulled a blanket over him, after which passengers heard popping sounds and one passenger, Dutch video director Jasper Schuringa, set on Abdulmutallab, seeing that his trousers were open and noticing a burning device between his legs. “I pulled the object from him and tried to extinguish the fire with my hands and threw it away”, Schuringa said. Abdulmatallab was then dragged to the front of the plane by Schuringa and crew members where he was stripped and handcuffed, the Daily News reports. The device had failed to detonate properly.

Under the Influence

In an internet posting, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, active in Yemen, has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it was retaliation for an alleged U.S. strike on Yemeni soil. The terrorist organisation has said that it came in retaliation for an alleged U.S. strike on Yemeni soil. This corroborates with what Abdulmutallab told U.S. security officials over the weekend: that he was acting under instruction from al-Qaida.

Prior to the incident, Abdulmutallab had been out of contact with his family since October 2009, which was apparently out of character for the young man who had been described by former tutors as a model student. Having graduated from University College London (United Kingdom) in 2008, where he studied mechanical engineering, he told his parents of his desire to study Arabic in an Arabic country. He then enrolled at the University of Wollongong in Dubai in January 2009 on an international business course, choosing it for its cosmopolitan feel, according to his family. However, Abdulmutallab abandoned the course mid-way, saying that it did not interest him, instead choosing to study Arabic in Sanaa (Yemen) as he found it more interesting. The al-Qaida network is active in Yemen where Abdulmutallab stayed between August and December 2009. It was soon after he enrolled that he reportedly severed ties with his family after his parents voiced their objection to him studying in Yemen. This prompted his father, a former minister and ex-chief executive officer of Nigeria’s First Bank, to alert the United States, Nigerian and Saudi authorities to his son as he attempted to bring Abdulmutallab back home.

U.S. Response

Three days after the attempted bomb attack, U.S. President Barack Obama broke his silence while on holiday in Hawaii to give a carefully calibrated response. Attempting to allay the fears of American citizens, he said, "The American people should be assured that we are doing everything in our power to keep you and your family safe and secure during this busy holiday season," Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. However, his critics have accused him of soft-pedaling by waiting three days before commenting on the attack. Congressman Peter King said that there has been a presidential "vacuum", while Republican Senator Jim DeMint criticised Obama for "soft talk". However, the delay could also be construed as a tactic to avoid giving undue media exposure to terrorism, while trying to keep Americans calm. Ultimately the President enunciated the U.S. position on its fight against terror by saying, “We will continue to use every element of our national power to disrupt, dismantle and defeat the violent extremists who threaten us …whether they are from Afghanistan or Pakistan, Yemen or Somalia, or anywhere where they are plotting attacks against the U.S. homeland," AFP reports.

Outlook and implications

Co-ordinated investigations between the security agencies from the United States, United Kingdom, Nigeria and Yemen are under way and the Abdulmutallab family has vowed to help the authorities. Abdulmutallab’s hearing is scheduled for 8 January 2010 and, if found guilty, he will face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of US$250,000. Although the device did not go off as planned and serious injuries and deaths were averted, the passengers' narrow escape points to failure by the security agencies to stop Abdulmutallab from boarding the plane in the first place. He had already been placed on a watch list by the U.S. National Counterterrorism Centre for two years—a list of 550,000 people with suspected ties to terrorism—and the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria had already been alerted of his extreme religious views. After strong Republican criticism, U.S. Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano admitted the system’s failings, saying, “Our system did not work in this instance. No-one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way,” ThisDay reports. We can now anticipate a tightening of counter-terrorism initiatives and the frontlines in the global war on terror now have to be redrawn. While religious leaders in Nigeria have sought to downplay the attempted attack as an isolated incident, Nigeria will now come under closer scrutiny for further signs of religious radicalism.

Global Insight (Reino Unido)