Possible Al Qaeda Terrorist Ignites Explosive on Delta Flight
DHS Raises Terror Alert Level to Orange

Some injuries; the guy is in custody.

A male passenger possibly linked to terrorist organization Al Qaeda ignited a powdery substance prior to landing on a Delta Airlines flight to Detroit Friday, Fox News confirmed. The man is believed to be Nigerian.

Several people were hurt and one person, possibly the suspect, was admitted to the University of Michigan Medical Center at Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said. An emergency was declared aboard the flight, operated as Northwest flight 253, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson.

The suspect, who ABC reported suffered second-degree burns, told federal investigators he was connected to Al Qaeda, though authorities are questioning the veracity of that statement, Fox News confirmed. A federal situational awareness bulletin noted that the explosive was acquired in Yemen with instructions as to when it should be used, ABC said.

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Early reports suggested the suspect ignited firecrackers on board the Airbus A330 wide-body jet, but a law enforcement official told Fox News the explosive has not yet been identified.

Though it hasn't appeared yet on the DHS website, news organizations are reporting that the terrorism threat level has been raised from yellow to orange, meaning there is a high risk of terrorist events.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 06:33 PM

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