Attempted terror attack aboard plane

Did you hear about firecrackers aboard a U.S. plane?

Well, it's as bad as you may have feared.

Now even the mainstream media is reporting it as an attempted terror attack.

Gateway Pundit is on it:

A Nigerian terrorist was arrested today after trying to explode a powdery substance taped to his leg on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
The man who suffered second-degree burns told federal investigators that he was directed by al Qaeda.
ABC reported:

Federal officials and police are interviewing a Nigerian man, who allegedly tried to “explode” a powdery substance aboard a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, injuring himself and two other passengers, law enforcement officials said.

The man said he was directed by al Qaeda to explode a small device in flight, over U.S. soil, ABC News has learned. Authorities have no corroboration of that information, and the credibility of the suspect’s statements are being questioned, officials said.

Robert Spencer at Jihadwatch has posted several entries, including this:

December 25, 2009

Suspect in attempted bombing of Detroit flight had visa to attend "religious ceremony"

This is potentially significant, due to the highly plausible double meaning of the "ceremony" as an act of jihad, as well as for jihadists' common habit of referring to an upcoming attack as a "wedding." At the very least, it would behoove authorities to ask for more details before granting a visa, and restrict the interval for which it is valid.

"Man Attempts to Set Off Explosives on Detroit-Bound Airplane," by Richard Esposito and Scott Mayerowitz for ABC News, December 25:

[...] The suspect was identified as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, who according to federal documents is an engineering student at University College of London.

He was flying from Nigeria to the United States for a religious ceremony, according to his entry visa, which was issued June 16, 2008 and was good until June 12, 2010.