THE NEW YORK TIMES: DETROIT -- A grand jury indicted a Nigerian man on Wednesday on charges accusing him of attempting to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines plane on Christmas Day by trying to use a weapon of mass destruction.
The federal grand jury also charged Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab with attempted murder, possession of a firearm and other counts.
Authorities say Abdulmutallab, 23, was traveling to Detroit from Amsterdam when he tried to blow up the plane carrying nearly 300 people by injecting chemicals into a package of pentrite explosive concealed in his underwear.
The failed attack caused popping sounds and flames that passengers and crew rushed to extinguish.
Since then, airlines and the Transportation Security Administration have boosted security in airports in the U.S. and around the world. >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, January 06, 2010
