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    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»December 25, 2009: Underwear Bomber Fails to Blow Up Plane
    Crime

    December 25, 2009: Underwear Bomber Fails to Blow Up Plane

    Major DanBy Major DanDecember 25, 2016Updated:August 18, 202331 Comments3 Mins Read
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    A Brief History

    On December 25, 2009, one of the most bizarre terrorist plots to destroy an airliner and its passengers failed when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was unable to get his bomb hidden in his underwear to explode.

    Digging Deeper

    The 23 year old Nigerian man was educated at the University College in London, England and had earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 2008.  He attempted to further his education with classes toward a Master’s degree at Wollongong University in Dubai.  Unfortunately, this son of one of the richest men in Nigeria squandered his education by becoming a radicalized Islamist terrorist, influenced by the Al-Qaeda terrorist group that masterminded the 9/11 attacks.  Umar was known to Western intelligence agencies as a possible threat due to his habit of posting his feelings on the internet, including talking about his sexual frustration at length.  It seems his parents would not allow him to marry until he had earned his Master’s degree.

    British intelligence did not allow Umar to return to Britain and further notified the US intelligence community of the possible threat he posed. Umar obtained his explosive device in Yemen and headed to the US where he was to attend an Islamist seminar in Texas.  Incredibly, though the State Department wanted to bar Umar from traveling to the US, the US intelligence agencies over ruled them and allowed Umar to travel to the US in an effort to use Umar as bait to catch more important terrorist suspects.

    Umar began his terrorist journey by flying from Ghana (Africa) to Amsterdam, Netherlands, where he got on a Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit, Michigan.  As the jetliner approached Detroit, Umar went to the rest room where he readied his bomb, and covered his body with a blanket when back in his seat.  Manipulating the device hidden in his under shorts with acid that was supposed to set off the explosion, Umar only succeeded in catching himself on fire.  Other passengers quickly subdued Umar and put the fire out with a fire extinguisher, dragging the now pants-less sap to the front of the cabin.  Umar admitted to trying to blow up the plane and was arrested upon landing.

    Umar also admitted his ties to Al-Qaeda and was convicted of terrorist acts and sentenced to 4 life sentences with an additional 50 years.

    Because only Umar’s genitals and legs were harmed and no one else suffered injury, Umar’s defense counsel argued that life sentences were too extreme.  Apparently those sentences were just right because they stood up to an appeal.  Meanwhile, passengers of US airline flights were subjected to even more stringent searches and regulations.

    Along with the equally unsuccessful “Shoe Bomber,” the “Underwear Bomber” showed the great lengths Islamic terrorists would go to in order to harm Americans.  Even a person born into wealth and privilege could be a potential terrorist.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Do US regulations and efforts at airport security go far enough, or not far enough, in your opinion.  What measures would you like to see increased or decreased when it comes to passenger searches and regulations?  Please share your ideas in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    United States Congress Senate.  ATTEMPTED TERRORIST ATTACK ON NORTHWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT 253.  BiblioGov, 2011.

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    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

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    <span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="15069 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=15069">31 Comments

    1. Mackenzie H on February 17, 2017 11:07 pm

      He deserves LIFE IN PRISON!

      Reply
    2. Christie Benton on February 18, 2017 11:58 am

      It is so frustrating to fly because of idiots like this. While I understand the want for safer skies, sometimes this makes traveling unbearable. I travel a lot and with young children, it is so expensive now because you cannot pack drinks for the kids, and are forced to pay 4$ for a beverage.

      Reply
    3. Dan Sumpter on February 19, 2017 8:30 am

      They should have just let the guy burn to death.

      Reply
    4. Jared A. Hutt on February 20, 2017 2:53 pm

      It is unfortunate, but the world we live in dictates that out security measure be as stringent as possible as it relates to airline travel.

      Reply
    5. Luke Lyden on February 20, 2017 8:58 pm

      I remember when this happened! That could have been an awful tragedy.

      Reply
    6. Kay McCargish on February 21, 2017 12:05 pm

      I cannot believe that U.S. Intelligence thought it was a good idea to let him in the country as bait and not have him searched. Luckily, no one was injured but him. For a mechanical engineer, he wasn’t too bright.

      Reply
    7. Bailey Cleary on February 21, 2017 5:53 pm

      I’m glad he wasn’t successful blowing up the plane

      Reply
    8. Jared Good on February 21, 2017 10:07 pm

      Im glad he didn’t succeed and everyone was ok but he should have never been able to get on the plane in the first place.

      Reply
    9. Cara Zang on February 22, 2017 3:00 pm

      This goes along with my comment earlier about the terrorist article, there is always going to be another terrorist trying to harm. It scares me that people are bred to think the way to have honor is by killing innocent people.

      Reply
    10. Chelsey R Stillings on February 24, 2017 8:33 am

      Glad to see that everyone was okay .

      Reply
    11. Dan Fidoe on February 25, 2017 2:04 pm

      The intelligence community puts too many lives at risk at times. Unfortunate his wounds did not kill him.

      Reply
    12. Jeffrey Keenan on February 25, 2017 3:01 pm

      Why did I not hear of this on the news? This is a crazy story, he does not fit the stereotypical physical description of a terrorist. We are lucky that the bomb did not work properly.

      Reply
    13. Juan Rodriguez on February 25, 2017 5:30 pm

      Terrorist are going to whatever it takes to hurt the U.S. and we need to remember that because our society is known for forgetting about what happen in the past or lesson learned from previous incidents.

      Reply
    14. Jason Orellano on February 25, 2017 8:20 pm

      Our justice system really did its part here. Four life sentences, thats great!

      Reply
    15. Shaun Emerick on February 26, 2017 12:12 am

      For someone that sounded so smart he sure made a lot of stupid mistakes, his biggest throwing away his future by associating with Al-Qaeda and becoming a terrorist. It really was a stroke of luck that he idiotically caught himself on fire before he could do any harm. The biggest question that comes to mind is why he turned to terrorism when he was wealthy, smart, and had been given access to the best education and schools possible?

      Reply
    16. John Milton on February 26, 2017 12:41 am

      For some reason, I cannot remember ths happening but our justice system did something right for once!

      Reply
    17. Chelsey R Stillings on February 26, 2017 4:25 pm

      I’ve never heard of this before. I was shocked to see the mistakes he made.

      Reply
    18. Jeremiah Linden on February 26, 2017 11:09 pm

      I find it remarkable that we are willing to protect such a criminal.

      Reply
    19. Crystal Thurman on February 27, 2017 12:42 am

      Simple mistakes could have huge consequences, thank god this wasn’t the case in this situation.

      Reply
    20. Ashley Betsa on April 21, 2017 12:55 pm

      Are you kidding me?! Umar’s defense team felt that his sentence was too harsh due to his genitals and legs being destroyed and no one else suffered injury. Really, how can you defend someone who openly admitted to a terrorist attack?! How would you feel if one of your family members was on that flight?!

      Reply
    21. Nakia Bridges on April 26, 2017 2:19 am

      So a life sentence is too extreme because his genitals were hurt? So we value genitals over lives now?….. Get outta here!!! That’s crazy!

      Reply
    22. Robert Conley on April 26, 2017 11:07 am

      Glad he was the only one injured. I always laugh when people complain abut being patted down and searched. I have always felt that if you have nothing to hide then it shouldn’t be a big deal.

      Reply
    23. Megan on April 27, 2017 10:43 pm

      Wow, I don’t ever remember hearing of this “underwear” bomber. Glad he was the only one that was hurt.

      Reply
    24. MIA on April 28, 2017 9:47 am

      Wow… I never knew the government to actually care about peoples feelings. They really did not give him a life sentence because of his genitals.

      Reply
    25. Adrian Lewers on April 28, 2017 7:18 pm

      I recently traveled to florida wearing my sweatpants that I had rolled over at the top. The security lady kept asking me to pull up my pants and I clearly did not understand what she meant. She eventually rolled her eyes and let me go through. I was annoyed, she was annoyed. I am still thankful for increased security measures.

      Reply
    26. Amanda Miller on April 30, 2017 2:54 pm

      Reasons like that is why I prefer to drive I will take my chances on the road, there are places I would love to visit especially those countries my ancestors came from.

      Reply
    27. Michael Tovissi on May 1, 2017 12:39 am

      I feel like every terrorist should get life sentences because they want to kill innocent people.

      Reply
    28. Payton Brown on May 3, 2017 5:30 pm

      As annoying as all the checks are at airports, I’m glad security is so important there.

      Reply
    29. Misty Prosser on May 3, 2017 9:11 pm

      People find airport security checks to be annoying, I find it to be a necessary evil. Those security checks help prevent scary things like this from happening.

      Reply
    30. Angela Kessinger on May 3, 2017 10:14 pm

      I do not fly often but my brother and sister-in-law fly often. For that I am thankful for the strict security checks. It helps to set my mind at ease that they are in somewhat less danger than if these security checks were not in place. Nonetheless, I always am relieved when they have safely landed.

      Reply
    31. Jessica Kessinger on May 9, 2017 12:02 am

      As Angela stated i do not fly often but my aunt and uncle fly frequently. I also am very thankful for the strict guidelines for the security.It makes it easier to believe flying is a safe way of travel for when I do travel by flying.

      Reply

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