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This picture shows Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on the runway after arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Amsterdam on Friday, Dec. 25, 2009. A passenger aboard the plane set off firecrackers Friday, causing a commotion and some minor injuries, a Delta official said.(Xinhua/AP Photo)
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SANAA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Yemen had arrested 29 suspected al-Qaeda members and will continue to hunt down other members of the terror network, government officials said Monday.
Al-Qaeda had planned to attack oil facilities, government buildings and the British embassy, said Yemen's National Security Chief Ali Mohammad Al-Ansi.
Yemen's Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Abdullah Al-Kurbi said the recent months have seen enhanced cooperation between his country and the United States, and the U.S. information had been a "key element" in Yemen's anti-terror operations.
Al-Qaeda claimed on Monday that it was behind the failed Christmas Day attempt to bomb a U.S.-bound plane, Dubai-based Al Arabiya news channel reported.
In a statement, al-Qaeda said that their "Nigerian brother," 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had broken all U.S. security barriers in getting on board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Dec. 25.
The man had tried to destroy the plane carrying 289 people with an explosive device obtained from al-Qaeda, but failed due to a "technical fault," the report quoted al-Qaeda as saying.
Earlier, the Nigerian attacker claimed he had ties with al-Qaeda, the terrorist group that was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
Al-Qaida claims responsible for failed attack on U.S.-bound airliner
CAIRO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Al-Qaida claimed on Monday that it was behind the failed Christmas Day bombing of a U.S.-bound plane, Dubai-based al-Arabiya news channel reported.
In a statement, al-Qaida said that the "Nigerian brother," referring to the Nigerian suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had broken all U.S. security barriers, and smashed the myth of U.S. intelligence, said the report. Full story
Continuing monitoring efforts made to strengthen air security: Obama
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Monday said in an address to public that the U.S. government was keeping continuing monitoring efforts to strengthen the air security, hours after the al-Qaeda claimed the responsibility for the Christmas bombing attack plot on a U.S. international flight.
Obama delivered the address from Hawaii, where he is in his Christmas and New Year vocation, saying that the federal government had immediately responded to the incident in three steps. Full story
Suspect's father to meet security officials: report
CHICAGO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A retired Nigerian banker said he is meeting with security officials because he fears his son may have been the man who allegedly tried to bomb a Detroit-bound flight, the Associated Press said Saturday.
Former bank official Alhaji Umaru Mutallab was quoted as saying that his son, identified by U.S. officials as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, was a student in London. He said his son left London to travel, though he did not know where to. Full story
FBI: Attempted airplane bomber might have acted alone
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian who attempted to set off an explosion device on a Delta international flight might have acted alone, said a Federal Bureau of Investigation official on Saturday.
The official, who spoke on anonymity, told CNN that the suspect, who was identified as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, has been "talking a lot" to FBI investigators. Full story
U.S. imposes more restrictions on air travelers after terrorism attempt
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. authorities imposed more restrictions on air travelers on Saturday after a terrorism attempt on a Delta Airlines flight Friday.
Among other steps being imposed, passengers on international flights coming to the United States will have to remain in their seats for the last hour of a flight without any personal items on their laps, CNN reported. Full story
