US plane attack suspect quizzed after ‘terror attempt’

A Nigerian reported to have links to al-Qaeda is being questioned after an attempted act of terrorism on a plane arriving in the US, officials say.

They say the 23-year-old man was trying to ignite an explosive device as the jet approached Detroit from Amsterdam.

He was overpowered by some of the 278 passengers and 11 crew. Reports say he burnt his leg. No-one else was hurt.

Police in the UK are conducting searches and inquiries into the man, believed to be a London student.

Nigeria has ordered its security agencies to investigate the incident and verify the suspect’s identity and motives. It has also said they will “co-operate fully” with the US investigations.

The Nigerian, named as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, had third-degree burns, said Peter King, a Congressman on the US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee.

The Metropolitan Police said its officers were liaising with the US authorities, and University College London says it has a student of the same name.

Officials have described the device as a mixture of powder and liquid which failed to go off properly.

One terrorism expert said it looked as though a new way of concealing explosives on the body was involved.

President Barack Obama, on holiday in Hawaii, has ordered increased security for air travel.

White House spokesman Bill Burton said the president was monitoring the situation.

The suspect’s name was in a database indicating “a significant terrorist connection” although it did not appear on a “no-fly” list, said Mr King.

Mr Abdulmutallab reportedly told investigators he had links to al-Qaeda and had received the explosives in Yemen.

Mr King also said investigators were looking into whether the incident was part of a larger plot and a “worldwide alert” had been raised.

The US Department of Homeland Security said “additional screening measures” had been put into effect since the incident.

Northwest Airlines Flight 253 had begun its descent towards Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Friday afternoon when the incident occurred.

The Airbus 330, which had originated in Amsterdam, was about 20 minutes from landing when passengers noticed something was wrong.

One of them, Syed Jafri, said he had been seated three rows behind the suspect and had seen a glow and smelled smoke.

Then, he said, “a young man behind me jumped on him”.

“Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic,” Mr Jafri added.

As the suspect was being tackled, he was reportedly shouting and a passenger said she had heard the word “Afghanistan”.

Another unnamed passenger heard a “little pop”, then saw “a bit of a smoke and then some flames”.

After “yelling and screaming”, the passenger added, “they took him out and it was really quick”.

Fellow passenger Melinda Dennis said the man had been severely burned on one leg, and a fire extinguisher and water were used to put out the fire.

The suspect later told the US authorities he had had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion, the ABC television network reports.

Dr Sally Leivesley, an adviser on terrorism and public protection, told the BBC: “This has looked as though it’s a first attempt of a new way to use the body to conceal explosives.”

“They may be concealing the explosives on the human body – but on the inside upper leg, and we only know this by seeing a very badly burnt leg on the suspected perpetrator.”

Met Police search London flat in US plane attack probe

Police are conducting searches at a mansion block in London in connection with the inquiry into an attempted act of terrorism on a US passenger plane.

Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, a Nigerian being held after the flight to Detroit, is thought to have been a student at University College London.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the UK would take “whatever action was necessary” to protect passengers.

UK airport operator BAA said searches on flights to the US would increase.

Meanwhile, a statement on British Airway’s website said Washington has revised its security arrangements for all travellers to the US and they would only be allowed one piece of hand luggage.

A BA spokesman said the directive meant US-bound passengers on all airlines would be subjected to additional screening.

“We apologise to passengers for any delays to their journeys. Safety and security are our top priorities and will not be compromised.”

Extra resources

Passengers on the Northwest Airlines Flight 253 operated by Delta say a man was overpowered on Christmas Day after trying to ignite an explosive device as the Airbus 330 approached Detroit from Amsterdam.

According to reports in the US, Mr Abdulmutallab has links to al-Qaeda.

Mr Brown said he had been contact with Sir Paul Stephenson, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, because of the “serious potential threat”.

He said: “The security of the public must always be our primary concern.

“We have been working closely with the US authorities investigating this incident since it happened.”

BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said the British authorities were informed of a possible connection to the UK on Thursday evening.

The MI5 and police teams assigned to the case are trying ascertain first of all whether the reported identification is correct, our correspondent said.

It is understood one of their key priorities will also be to check whether the arrested man has cropped up in the course of any other investigations.

BBC News correspondent Richard Slee said there was fairly low-key police activity at the last known address of Mr Abdulmutallab, a basement flat in a smart mansion block near Harley Street in central London.

Reporting from the scene, he said police forensic officers have been seen going into the building on Mansfield Street.

A blue English Heritage plaque states that philanthropist Sir Robert Mayer once lived there.

The Metropolitan Police said its officers were liaising with the US authorities.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “We are in liaison with the US authorities.

“Searches are being carried out at addresses in central London.”

A UK Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “In response to events in Detroit the US authorities have requested additional measures for US-bound flights.

“We are monitoring the situation and will make any assessments as necessary as this develops.”

Airline Passengers Allowed Off Stuck Planes Under U.S. Rule

Dec. 21  — U.S. airlines would have to let passengers off planes stuck on airport tarmacs after three hours, under a new federal rule prompted by consumer complaints.

The rule, which takes effect in April, exempts airlines from the limit for safety or security, or if air-traffic controllers say returning to the gate would disrupt airport operations, the Transportation Department said today in a statement. The rule applies to domestic flights; airlines flying International routes would set separate limits.

“Airline passengers have rights, and these new rules will require airlines to live up to their obligation,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today in a written statement.

Carriers, including Delta Air Lines Inc. and AMR Corp.’s American Airlines, have been trying to fend off a limit since flights that waited for as long as 10 1/2 hours in late 2006 and early 2007 put tarmac delays in the national spotlight.

Continental Airlines Inc. and two regional carriers were fined $175,000 last month for stranding passengers all night on a grounded plane in August, the first time carriers have been punished for extended tarmac delays.

Traveler groups including FlyersRights.org of Napa, California, and the Business Travel Coalition of Radnor, Pennsylvania, back a deadline for airlines to release passengers and have said it should be set at three hours.

Crandall Endorses Rules

Former American Airlines chief Robert Crandall also endorsed such a rule, saying in September that the government should initially require that passengers be allowed off after four hours and narrow that standard to three hours in 2011.

There were 1,096 flights stuck on tarmacs for three hours or more in the year ended Sept. 30, according to government data. About 6.5 million flights were scheduled in that period.

Carriers say operators should decide when to release passengers in delays due to weather or heavy traffic. The airlines have been under pressure from Congress to cut the number of such incidents.

In August, 47 passengers on an ExpressJet Holdings Inc. 50- seat plane were stuck on the ground in Rochester, Minnesota, for 5 1/2 hours. Continental, which hired ExpressJet to make the flight, was fined $50,000 by LaHood’s department.

ExpressJet was fined $50,000, and Mesaba Airlines, a unit of Atlanta-based Delta, was assessed $75,000 for its role in giving faulty information to the stranded crew.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved legislation on July 21 that includes a three-hour rule. That legislation, part of a $34.6 billion proposal to fund the Federal Aviation Administration for two years, is still pending before a separate Senate panel.

General defends court martial for pregnant soldiers

A US Army general in northern Iraq has defended his decision to add pregnancy to the list of reasons a soldier under his command could face court martial

It is current army policy to send pregnant soldiers home, but Maj Gen Anthony Cucolo told the BBC he was losing people with critical skills.

That was why the added deterrent of a possible court martial was needed, he said.

The new policy applies both to female and male soldiers, even if married.

It is the first time the US Army has made pregnancy a punishable offence.

Gen Cucolo told the BBC it was a “black and white” issue for him.

He said married soldiers in combat zones should either put their love lives on hold – or take precautions.

“I’ve got a mission to do, I’m given a finite number of soldiers with which to do it and I need every one of them.”

“So I’m going to take every measure I can to keep them all strong, fit and with me for the twelve months we are in the combat zone,” he said.

A/H1N1 pandemic death toll exceeds 10,000, says WHO

GENEVA, Dec. 18  — The death toll of A/H1N1 influenza continues to increase worldwide, reaching at least 10,582 by Dec. 13, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a latest update on Friday.

    Of all the deaths, some 6,335 occurred in the Americas, and at least 1,654 occurred in Europe. The other four WHO regions, Western Pacific, South-East Asia, East Mediterranean and Africa reported 1,020, 892, 572 and 109 deaths respectively.

    The reported number of fatal cases is an under-representation of the actual numbers as many deaths are never tested or recognized as influenza related, the WHO noted.

    The H1N1 flu virus was first identified in North America in April, and the WHO declared the new influenza as a pandemic in June. So far the virus has caused infections in more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities.

    In the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, transmission of the pandemic influenza virus remains active and geographically widespread. However, disease activity has peaked or passed its peak in many places, particularly North America, according to the update.

    In the temperate region of the southern hemisphere, sporadic cases of pandemic influenza are being reported without evidence of sustained community transmission

US diplomats in Pakistan visa row

US diplomats have complained that Pakistan is delaying the extension of visas of more than 100 US officials.

They say that those affected are engaged in diplomatic, military and aid services and may not be able to return to Pakistan after the Christmas break.

There are also reports of US diplomatic vehicles being repeatedly stopped and searched at Pakistani checkpoints.

But Pakistani foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit told the BBC there was “no question of delaying tactics” on visas.

The claims come at a time when the US administration is calling for international support for its “war on terror”.

The latest developments indicate a new low in US-Pakistan relations.

Visa clampdown

“At least 135 visas are being held up by the Pakistani authorities,” the chief spokesman of the US embassy in Pakistan, Richard Snelsire, told the BBC News website.

“Extensions of these visas have not been denied, but they are being delayed,” he said.

But Mr Basit said that Pakistan had good relations with the United States, so there was no question of any deliberate initiative to inconvenience the Americans.

“The delays may be due to procedural constraints,” he said.

“It happens in other countries as well. Many Pakistanis sometimes get visas very late, or are refused.”

The Associated Press news agency quoted an unnamed US diplomat as saying the visa clampdown and the US vehicle searches were a reaction to widespread anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, and were probably temporary.

American officials say that those employees likely to be affected by the visa delays include aid workers and others bringing help to Pakistan.

US President Barack Obama signed into law a $7.5bn (£4.6bn) aid package for Pakistan last October for economic and social programmes.

Under the law, a large number of American workers must be deployed in Pakistan to carry out accounting and aid-monitoring procedures.

American diplomats believe this additional deployment may increase the strength of the US embassy staff from about 500 to nearly 800.

Various quarters in the Pakistani establishment have been critical of this impending increase in US diplomatic activity in the country.

The Pakistani army has also publicly criticised some provisions of the US aid package as “intrusive meddling” in the country’s internal affairs.

In recent weeks, the Pakistani media has carried prominent reports of incidents of American officials “resisting” Pakistani law enforcement officials conducting searches of their vehicles at security checkpoints.

The Americans believe the practice is meant to harass US diplomats.

IIM-Indore professor found murdered on campus

INDORE: A professor of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Indore was found murdered at her residence in the campus here early Friday, police  said.

“Amrita Panchauli, 32, was found lying in a pool of blood at her residence in the institute campus. She appears to have been stabbed with a knife or some sharp-edged weapon,” an official at the Indore police control room said.

The campus has been sealed and heavy police force deployed.

Amrita’s neighbours informed the police in the morning when they saw that the doors of her house had not been opened till 8am. The professor used to usually leave the house early in the morning for work.

She was last seen at 8.30pm ON Thursday by a neighbour.

Amrita, who belonged to Udaipur in Rajasthan, had been working at IIM-Indore for one and a half years.

Baby rescued from kidnapper nurse in Puducherry

CHENNAI: Four days after she was kidnapped by a nurse, one-and-a-half year old Amsalakshmi was rescued by the Chennai police from Puducherry bus terminus on Saturday night. Thenmalar, the 25-year-old nurse, told the police that she took away the baby to blackmail Amsalakshmi’s father Kudiyarasu (34) into marrying her. Police arrested Thenmalar and a couple who had sheltered her in Perambur.

The baby, which went missing from her house in MGR Nagar on Wednesday, was found to be healthy and unharmed. On questioning, Thenmalar told police that she was having a relationship with Kudiyarasu for the last seven months and she wanted to get married to him though he was already married. Police had received information that Thenmalar and the child were in a house in Perambur on Friday, but minutes before a team reached the house, she slipped away with the child.

“Thenmalar’s friend Priya, a software engineer, and her partner Manikandan were hiding her in their house in Perambur. We have taken the couple also into custody. We traced Thenmalar to Puducherry, where she had gone to take the help of another friend. A police team with the photographs of the nurse and the child spotted them at the Puducherry bus terminus and brought them to Chennai,” T Nagar deputy commissioner of police G Sampath Kumar told TOI.

It has now turned out that Thenmalar had disappeared with the baby for two days three months ago, but the parents did not prefer a complaint then. Thenmalar, a resident of Ayanavaram, used to visit Kudiyarasu’s house and take care of Amsalakshmi when her mother Vani Sree (25), a call centre employee, would be away at work. According to Thenmalar, she has been having an affair with Kudiyarasu, a supervisor with the electrical department of HCL, where she was working with a medical team. She said she was initially not aware that Kudiyarasu was married and fell in love with him. She claimed that he agreed to take her as his second wife after she took away the baby three months ago, but he did not keep his word.

On Wednesday, when Kudiyarasu and his wife were away, Thenmalar who was to take care of Amsalakshmi, disappeared with the baby on her two-wheeler. Inquiries revealed that Thenmalar, a native of Kancheepuram, came to Ayanavaram a few years ago and stayed in a working women’s hostel. She got a job in a private hospital, where she met Manikandan when he was taking care of his ailing father, and later his girlfriend Priya, who was working with HCL. Thenmalar got a job in HCL through Priya and there she met Kudiyarasu.

Thenmalar, Priya and Manikandan were remanded in judicial custody after being produced before a magistrate court on Sunday.

Boy steals Rs 8 lakh from dad, buys car in driver’s name

CHENNAI: Gone are the days when children used to pocket coins from their father’s wallets to buy candies. With changing times and aspirations, as  well as peer pressure, the amounts stealthily pocketed are getting larger and, of course, candies are no longer what children want.

Recently, a rich businessman’s son, a plus-one student, stole Rs 8 lakh from his home in Anna Nagar and purchased a car in the name of his father’s driver. It was the driver who finally blurted out the truth, and the family ended up with egg on its face.

The businessman, who kept large amounts of money at home, found Rs 8 lakh missing from the locker. There was no sign of a burglary, but he preferred a police complaint.

Investigations revealed that the driver had purchased a new car, and he was taken into custody. When police grilled him, he revealed the truth — his employer’s son had stolen the money to purchase the car, which was registered in the driver’s name. The shocked businessman then requested the police to drop the case.

Sources told  that the boy had stolen the money a few weeks ago, but his parents learnt about it only last week. “They seemed to have kept a lot of cash at home. The boy took the money to purchase a Swift Dzire car. He used the vehicle to go partying with his friends and for long drives. He would park the car by the roadside to prevent his parents from noticing it,” a police official said.

“When we questioned the boy, he said many of his classmates drove posh cars and that they all had girlfriends. It was to attract female attention that he stole the money to purchase the car. Since he was not old enough to get a driving licence, he knew his parents would not get him a car. So, he took the easy way out,” the official added.

 

Decoding teen’s secret sex-messages

Do you see red if your teenage kid is texting “8″? If not, then it’s time you should know that your child is suggesting oral sex, according to a new list by NetLingo.com.

Titled ”Top 50 Text Acronyms Parents Should Know”, the list compiled by contains terms that are completely unknown to most people, teenaged or otherwise.

“I swear, I’ve used the Internet for 13 years, and still insist half of this stuff is either made up or never used,” Fox News quoted a commenter on online aggregator site Digg as saying.

And a cell-phone expert- Sascha Segan of PC Magazine-agrees: “I honestly have to say I have never seen most of these terms. It looks like a lot of them come from online sex chat rooms, and not just any chat rooms, but sadomasochistic ones.”

Some of the very specific terms on the list, even include terms like “NIFOC” that means “Nude In Front Of The Computer”, and “ILF/MD” that apparently means “I Love Female/Male Dominance”.

NetLingo.com is a Web site devoted to collating and explaining online jargon, and had compiled the list only a couple of years back, and each term listed there clicks through to a page indicating its origin.

“This is stuff that’s being used all across the Internet, in instant messaging, in chat rooms, in text messaging. There are spikes in the amount of usage for each acronym, and regional variations,” said Erin Jansen, founder of NetLingo.com.

While Jansen’s not claiming that every teenager is using each acronym, but she insists that all of them are things that parents should be aware of.

“It’s a good overview of what parents ought to be aware of, even if their kids aren’t going to these weird chat rooms, because kids pick them up anyway. It’s like when I was young and my friends and I looked up dirty words in the dictionary,” Jansen says.

Segan, however, isn’t convinced that a middle-school-aged teen would soon be fluent in bondage terminology.
However, some of the terms are accurate, chiefly the ones having to do with the presence of parents in the room, or “parent or mom over shoulder”.

“CD9, POS, MOS — those are real. But a lot of the other stuff is just laughably out of date,” he said.

NetLingo.com does have a longer list of commonly used text terms, which is more useful.

“That’s the one parents should be looking at. If parents don’t know those, it doesn’t mean they’re old — it just means they’re not tuned into Internet culture,” said Segan.

 

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