Northwest Flight 253 – News Stories About Northwest Flight 253 - Page 2

Dec 29, 2009 12:57 PM CST

Yemen Wants Help Fighting al-Qaeda

Foreign minister estimates about 300 are in the country

(Newser) - Yemen is confident it can do away with the hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters operating within its borders, but it needs more support from the West. The call from the country’s foreign minister comes as investigators probe the link between the recent terror attempt on Northwest Flight 253 and al-Qaeda...

This Isn't '2001 All Over Again'

OPINION

Dec 29, 2009 12:29 PM CST

This Isn't '2001 All Over Again'

Ignore the alarmists and recall how safe the last 8 years have been

(Newser) - No matter how fear-mongers spin it, Friday’s terror attempt on Northwest Flight 253 “was not 2001 all over again,” Walter Shapiro writes. GOP Rep. Pete King and others can wax "apocalyptic" about what “would have been remembered forevermore as the Christmas Day massacre,” but...

Ex Gitmo
Inmates
Linked to
Bomb

Dec 29, 2009 6:46 AM CST

Ex Gitmo Inmates Linked to Bomb

Al-Qaeda leaders did art therapy, were freed in Saudi Arabia

(Newser) - Two former Guantanamo Bay inmates are believed to be behind the plot to blow up the Northwest flight to Detroit, according to officials and Defense Department documents. Muhamad Attik al-Harbi—who now calls himself Muhamad al-Awfi—and Said Ali Shari were sent in 2007 to Saudi Arabia where they entered...

Obama Interrupts Golf Game After Injury to Friend's Child

UPDATED

Dec 28, 2009 5:16 PM CST

Obama Interrupts Golf Game After Injury to Friend's Child

Ambulance seen near first family's vacation compound

(Newser) - President Obama interrupted a round of golf this afternoon, raising concerns because an ambulance was seen at the home where he is vacationing, but all is well with the first family, the Honolulu Advertiser reports. A child vacationing with the Obamas suffered a "run-of-the-mill beach injury," according to...

TSA Backs Off Some New
In-Flight Restrictions

Dec 28, 2009 5:09 PM CST

TSA Backs Off Some New In-Flight Restrictions

Go ahead—throw a blanket over your lap and watch some TV

(Newser) - Two days after implementing stiff restrictions on carry-on items and in-flight entertainment, the TSA relaxed the new rules today, airline sources tell MSNBC . Passengers will be allowed to have blankets on their laps and leave their seats during the final hour of a flight, use electronic devices, and watch TV...

Obama Orders Security Team to Play Offense

Dec 28, 2009 3:49 PM CST

Obama Orders Security Team to Play Offense

'The US will do more than simply strengthen our defenses'

(Newser) - Breaking his public silence on the issue, President Obama said today the US "will not rest until we find all who were involved" in the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines plane. He has ordered a comprehensive review of the terrorism watch-list system. "The American people should be...

Napolitano Backtracks,
Says System Failed

Dec 28, 2009 2:22 PM CST

Napolitano Backtracks, Says System Failed

Homeland Security chief changes stance; visa oversight probed

(Newser) - Facing a storm of criticism for saying "the system worked" in the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253, Janet Napolitano reversed course today. "Our system did not work in this instance," the Homeland Security secretary said. She added, "No one is happy or satisfied with...

Al-Qaeda Offshoot
Takes Responsibility
for Northwest Incident

Dec 28, 2009 1:53 PM CST

Al-Qaeda Offshoot Takes Responsibility for Northwest Incident

Attempted bombing was payback for air strikes in Yemen, group says

(Newser) - A group known as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the attempted attack on a US airliner on Christmas Day, saying it was retaliation for a US operation against the group in Yemen. In a statement posted on the Internet, the group said 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk...

10 Other
Ill-Timed
Potty Breaks

DON'T FEEL BAD, FLIGHT 253 GUY

Dec 28, 2009 11:19 AM CST

10 Other Ill-Timed Potty Breaks

In honor of the Nigerian who stayed in Flight 253's bathroom for an hour

(Newser) - The Nigerian man who found himself dragged from the tarmac in handcuffs after spending an hour in the bathroom of Northwest Flight 253 might feel better knowing he’s in good company. Gawker revisits a few other poorly-timed bathroom breaks in a list Azaria Jagger admits is basically “an...

Tighter Security Means
No More JetBlue TV

Dec 28, 2009 9:51 AM CST

Tighter Security Means No More JetBlue TV

'This is patently ridiculous, and also, sucks,' says Gawker

(Newser) - The latest casualty of the TSA’s updated airline security regulations: JetBlue LiveTV programming, at least on flights that originate outside the US. The TV service—a “distinguishing feature” of the airline, as Vimeo founder Jakob Lodwick points out—has been disabled in the wake of Northwest Flight 253,...

Flight 253 Hero Pockets
$18K for Photos

CHECKBOOK JOURNALISM

Dec 28, 2009 8:19 AM CST

Flight 253 Hero Pockets $18K for Photos

Jasper Schuringa is making bank off two pix...sort of

(Newser) - Jasper Schuringa, who burned his hands while taking down Flight 253's would-be terrorist, may be the hero of the hour—but he’s not above profiting from said heroism, hitting up media outlets for serious cash for pix of the bomber and himself, writes Foster Kamer for Gawker . With the...

Terror Suspect Had Cut Off Ties
With Family

Dec 28, 2009 6:44 AM CST

Terror Suspect Had Cut Off Ties With Family

Abdulmutallab's family was alarmed because it was out of character

(Newser) - The Nigerian man accused of trying to bring down a US airliner cut off contact with his family and disappeared from their lives until they awoke to news of the attempted Christmas Day attack, his family said today. A statement from the family of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab said his disappearance...

Incident on Northwest
Flight 'Nonserious': Feds

UPDATED

Dec 27, 2009 3:34 PM CST

Incident on Northwest Flight 'Nonserious': Feds

Detroit-bound Nigerian passenger not believed to be a threat: feds

(Newser) - After two security alerts in 3 days on the same Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, officials now say today's incident was "nonserious." The behavior of a passenger who spent an hour in the bathroom alarmed the crew, but he does not appear to be dangerous, reports CNN...

'Disruptive' Amsterdam-to-
Detroit Passenger Arrested

UPDATED

Dec 27, 2009 2:20 PM CST

'Disruptive' Amsterdam-to- Detroit Passenger Arrested

Cops meet Northwest flight; route is the same as in Christmas incident

(Newser) - Police met a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit today after the crew reported a "verbally disruptive" passenger, CNN reports. The flight was on the same route that saw a Nigerian passenger set himself on fire in an attempted terrorist attack Friday. The unruly passenger on today's flight, who...