Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab:

A Nigerian man who allegedly attempted to blow up a passenger plane carrying 278 has been arrested. Suspected “bomber” Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab was subdued and arrested when the plane landed.
According to the AP, “One law enforcement source said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaeda to detonate the plane over U.S. soil.”

It’s not clear how seriously we should take this claim but the White House quickly stated: “We believe this was an attempted act of terrorism.”

The WSJ reported that Mutallab had a device containing a mix of powder and liquid strapped to his leg. They also reiterated the the potential al Qaeda connection: “The suspect told investigators he was given the device by al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, along with detonation instructions, the official said. ‘This guy claims he is tied to al Qaeda, specifically in Yemen,’ the official said. ‘He claims he was on orders from al Qaeda in Yemen. Who knows if that’s true?’”

The plane, an Airbus 330-300 aircraft, began it’s journey in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit.