(overseas, but heading for USA)(small) Explosive device set off aboard airliner

[dburg30]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/12/25/airliner.firecrackers/index.html

A passenger ignited a small explosive device on a Northwest flight Friday from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, according to a federal government bulletin.
A senior administration official said the White House is considering the incident an attempted terrorist attack.
The passenger was immediately subdued, according to Susan Elliott, spokeswoman for Delta, Northwest's parent company, Elliott said earlier that the suspect had ignited several small firecrackers. The incident resulted in some minor injuries, she said.
A passenger, identified as a Nigerian national, was later placed in custody and is being treated for burns suffered in the explosion, said the bulletin, obtained by CNN from a source familiar with the investigation.
The passenger "is claiming to have extremist affiliation and that the device was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used," according to the bulletin.
The FBI is investigating the incident, said bureau spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold.
President Obama, who is spending the holidays in his home state of Hawaii, was briefed on the incident during a secure phone call with aides and instructed in a subsequent discussion with security advisers "that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel," White House spokesman Bill Burton said. The president made no changes to his schedule, Burton said.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement Friday saying that air passengers "may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights."
One passenger from the flight was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said.
"All passengers have deplaned and out of an abundance of caution, the plane was moved to a remote area where the plane and all baggage are currently being rescreened," the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement. Passengers from the flight were being interviewed.
The Northwest plane, an Airbus 330, landed shortly before noon. It was carrying 278 passengers.

So I cant tell if it was 'just' firecrackers, or if that's what they thought it was initially.
But expect, as it says in the story, more security at checkpoints....

 

[seashoreCM]

News flash! (some years ago) Passenger tries to ignire explosive in his shoe.
Result: Take your shoes off at the airport checkpoint.

News flash! (yesterday, see above) Passenger tries to ignite explosive strapped to his leg.
Result (?): Pull up your pants legs (roll up your sleeves too?) at the airport checkpoint.

 

[ancestry]

Sad. Unfortuantely my first thought was NOW what type of additional screening measure are going to be implemented. <sigh>

 

[ImprovGal]

Sad. Unfortuantely my first thought was NOW what type of additional screening measure are going to be implemented. <sigh>

Apparently it's not only additional screening measures that have been implemented. Anecdotal reports on flyertalk for the various airlines indicate: inflight entertainment disabled, passengers required to stay seated without accessing any carryon items for 1 hour prior to landing, further limitations of carryon baggage (down to one item). Some of these service modifications may be only on international flights inbound to the US. It's all anecdotal so there may not be consistent policies yet. Security screenings have been reported to be taking longer and I've seen suggestions that passengers now arrive 3 hours prior for domestic and 4 hours prior for international flights.

Perhaps it will settle down soon so everyone can know what to expect when flying, but perhaps the inconsistencies are part of the new plan to make it harder for terrorists to plan around expected protocols?