HolyCoast: The Hero of Flight 253
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Saturday, December 26, 2009

The Hero of Flight 253

Thanks to this guy (and an incompetent bombmaker) a lot of people got home on Christmas night that might otherwise have ended up in a smoking pile outside of Detroit:
The passenger who tackled a suspected terrorist on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 said Saturday that he's "happy" to be alive.

Jasper Schuringa, a video director and producer from Amsterdam, told CNN how he helped the cabin crew to subdue Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old who reportedly ignited a small explosive device on board the plane Friday as it prepared to land in Detroit.

Schuringa said he heard a sound that reminded him of a firecracker and someone yelling, "Fire! Fire!"

But he was only certain something was wrong when he saw smoke. He saw Abdulmutallab's pants open and he was holding 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.

He said he then screamed for water and pulled Abdulmutallab out of his seat and dragged him to the front of the plane.

Schuringa told CNN that Abdulmutallab seemed out of it and "was staring into nothing."

To ensure the suspect did not have other explosives on his body, Schuringa stripped off Abdulmutallab's clothes. He then handcuffed the alleged attacker with the help of a crew member.

Schuringa said the other passengers applauded as he returned to his seat and that he sustained minor injuries during the take down.

"My hands are pretty burned. I am fine," he said. "I am shaken up. I am happy to be here."
The finest security measures (we're told) in the world didn't keep a guy on the no-fly list from getting on that plane and threatening nearly 300 lives - not to mention those on the ground who might have been killed by a falling aircraft. Unfortunately, the predictable reaction will be a clamp down on everybody, making flying an even less desirable mode of travel than it is now.

I'm already hearing that on international flights coming in to Canada or the U.S. all passengers are restricted to their seats for the last hour of flight and cannot have anything in their laps or on their tray tables. How long until that rule spreads to all flights?

Traveling by air will begin to look like a trip on the Sheriff's bus to the county jail.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope he gets the congressional medal of honor and an award of at least several millions of dollars.

Somehow, though, I can't see the Dems wanting to reward that type of behavior, though -- it might encourage more people to act like that instead of waiting for the government to do something.

Anonymous said...

Israel has the best security measures in the world.

Sam L. said...

I have a niece-in-law who just came in from Toronto yesterday. Plane was delayed and missed her connection in Frisco.

marci said...

I will carry what I want in my carry on as I always do, I will not be strapped to my seat nor will my family and we will use our laptops if I want.. Last I heard I live in America and shall not be punished for terrorist acts when I travel to islands or abroad. Raise the terror alert level MR PRESIDENT and grow some gray matter while your out of it. This man is so going to be a ONE TERM only if he even makes it that far as well as Crazy Pelosi and senile Reed.