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Suspect charged with trying to down jet

LONDON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- A 23-year-old Nigerian was charged by federal authorities Saturday with trying to bring down a Northwest Airlines jetliner as it approached Detroit.

A U.S. Justice Department affidavit in support of a criminal complaint alleges Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab set off an explosive device attached to his body as Northwest Flight 253 from Amsterdam, Netherlands, made its final approach to the Detroit airport Christmas Day.

The Justice Department said a preliminary FBI analysis found the device contained a high explosive called PETN, also known as pentaerythritol. FBI agents also found what appeared to be the remnants of a syringe near Abdulmutallab's seat that may have been part of the device.

"This alleged attack on a U.S. airplane on Christmas Day shows that we must remain vigilant in the fight against terrorism at all times," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said. "Had this alleged plot to destroy an airplane been successful, scores of innocent people would have been killed or injured.

"We will continue to investigate this matter vigorously, and we will use all measures available to our government to ensure that anyone responsible for this attempted attack is brought to justice."

Justice officials said they had learned from other passengers that before the unsuccessful attack, Abdulmutallab had gone to the bathroom for about 20 minutes, returned to his seat and then complained his stomach was upset before pulling a blanket over himself. Passengers then told authorities they heard popping noises similar to firecrackers, smelled an odor and observed Abdulmutallab's pants leg and the wall of the airplane on fire.

Passengers and crew then overpowered Abdulmutallab, and used blankets and fire extinguishers to put out the fire.

Some passengers said Abdulmutallab appeared calm and lucid. A flight attendant asked him what he had had in his pocket, and he replied "explosive device," witnesses said.

In the United States, federal officials imposed new security restrictions.

Passengers will have to remain in seats on the last hour of an international flight bound for America, overseas passengers can bring on only one carry-on and American airports will increase screening, The New York Times reported.

Meanwhile, members of Congress say they plan to investigate the attempt to bring down the plane.

Report: Airline terror suspect linked to al-Qaida

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The Nigerian man charged with attempting to blow up a Detroit-bound plane said an al-Qaida bomb expert provided explosive chemicals, The New York Times reports.

Citing a law enforcement official, the Times reported Saturday the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, had told investigators the bomb expert was connected with an al-Qaida network in Yemen. While the claim has not been independently corroborated, the law enforcement official called it "plausible" and said, "I see no reason to discount it."

Federal prosecutors alleged Abdulmutallab set off an explosive device attached to his body as Northwest Flight 253 from Amsterdam, Netherlands, approached the Detroit airport in the unsuccessful Christmas Day attempt to take down the airliner.

Meantime, Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., said a federal official had briefed members of Congress on the possible Yemen-al-Qaida link, The Washington Post reported.

"The facts are still emerging, but there are strong suggestions of a Yemen-al-Qaida connection and an intent to blow up the plane over U.S. airspace," said Harman, who heads the House Homeland Security subcommittee on intelligence.

The Times said Abdulmutallab told the FBI he had contacted a radical Yemeni cleric through the Internet and the cleric connected him with the al-Qaida network, operating in Yemen and Saudi Arabia as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

A senior White House official told the Times U.S. officials became aware of Abdulmutallab "several weeks ago" but what they discovered then was not enough evidence to suggest he might attempt a terrorist attack.

The suspect's father, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, former First Bank of Nigeria chairman, had warned U.S. Embassy officials in Nigeria and Nigerian security agencies of his son's extremist religious views six months ago, the Nigerian Tribune reported. Mutallab questioned why his son would be granted a permit to travel in the United Sates after having been reported a "security risk," the Tribune reported.

The Times noted the Yemeni government had launched a major offensive in recent days against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula .

The Yemeni government was investigating whether Abdulmutallab came to Yemen to pick up the explosive device, the newspaper said.

Passenger tells of subduing terror suspect

ATLANTA, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- A Dutch passenger told of how he helped subdue the 23-year-old Nigerian man charged with trying to take down a Detroit-bound airliner with explosives.

Jasper Schuringa, who was heading from Amsterdam to visit friends in Florida, told CNN he heard a bang that sounded like a firecracker and another passenger yelling, "Fire! Fire!"

He said he became suspicious when he saw the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was not moving.

Schuringa said he lunged over Abdulmutallab's seat and saw the man held a burning object between his legs.

"I pulled the object from him and tried to extinguish the fire with my hands and threw it away," Schuringa said, adding that he then screamed, "Water! Water!"

As crew aboard the aircraft used fire extinguishers, Schuringa said he pulled Abdulmutallab out of his seat and dragged him to the front of the plane. Abdulmutallab was charged Saturday with attempting to blow up the Christmas Day Northwest Airlines flight.

Schuringa said he pulled the clothes off Abdulmutallab to look for other explosives.

After a member of the crew helped handcuff the suspect, Schuringa walked back to his seat as passengers applauded.

He said his hands were burned, but added: "I am fine. I am shaken up. I am happy to be here."

Turks accused of trying to kill deputy PM

ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Eight Turkish soldiers have been arrested in connection with an alleged assassination plot against Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, the army said.

The military personnel were questioned by a prosecutor Friday before being transferred to army headquarters in Ankara, the BBC reported Saturday.

The detentions come amid mounting tension between the Turkish army, which reportedly sees itself as the protector of the country's secularism, and the governing AK Party, which is rooted in Islam.

A note posted by the General Staff on its informational Web site said the detainees were working at a center in Ankara and two were members of the special forces. Computers belonging to the two were seized, the Turkish news agency Anadolu Ajansi said.

The officers were investigating another military official living nearby, the BBC said.

Dozens of people, including academics, journalists and generals accused of scheming to overthrow the government, have been tried in Turkey this year.

Six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces

NABLUS, West Bank, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The Israeli military said Saturday it killed three Palestinians planning an attack and three others blamed for the death of a Jewish settler.

Maj. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli Central Command, said Israeli forces tracked the three Palestinians suspected of killing Rabbi Meir Hai to the city of Nablus, where each suspect was killed after refusing to surrender, The New York Times reported.

Hai, a 45-year-old father of seven, was fatally shot Thursday while traveling near the settlement of Shavei Shomron.

Lerner said all of the suspects allegedly had ties to the militia group Aksa Martyrs Brigade via past activities.

Meanwhile, three Palestinians were fatally shot in Gaza Saturday after Israeli forces saw them allegedly crawling near a border barrier, the Times reported.

The Israeli military maintains after soldiers' warning shots were ignored, the three Palestinians suspected of plotting an attack were fatally shot by an Israeli aircraft.

Iranians, police clash on religious day

TEHRAN, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Hundreds of riot police on motorcycles and on foot charged outnumbered Iranian protesters chanting anti-government slogans in Tehran Saturday, authorities say.

Three demonstrators were bloodied by baton-wielding security forces, who also arrested at least two people, CNN reported.

Traffic was bumper-to-bumper with car horns sounding. Piles of debris were set afire and tear gas was fired to disperse crowds, witnesses said.

Shiite Muslims, outraged over the June re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, rioted in the streets during the holy period of Ashura. Protesters joined Muslims simply partaking in the religious observance, CNN said.

The holiday, the culmination of the first 10 days of the Islamic month Muharram, commemorates the doomed seventh-century battle of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the prophet Muhammad, to retain the throne of Islam. During the holiday, Shiite Muslims ritually whip themselves and chant "Ya Hussein."

Ashura is expected to climax Sunday with a day of mourning for Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who was a champion of the opposition protesters, CNN said.