BULLETIN - AT 5:24 P.M. ET:  Relating to the story just below, the incident aboard the Delta airliner may - repeat may - have been more serious than originally thought.  Fox reports:

A male passenger reportedly linked to terrorist organization al-Qaeda ignited a powdery substance prior to landing on a Delta Airlines flight to Detroit Friday. The suspect is believed to be Nigerian, Fox News reported.

Several people were hurt and one person 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 suffered second-degree burns, told federal investigators he was directed by al-Qaeda, though authorities are questioning the veracity of that statement, ABC reported. A federal situational awareness bulletin noted that the explosive was acquired in Yemen with instructions as to when it should be used, ABC said.

COMMENT:  We will follow this very closely.  It may well be that the guy was just engaging in bravado when he mentioned al-Qaeda.  HOWEVER, we have seen incident after incident where the "authorities" deny at first that an event is terror-related, the better to be politically correct, and then later have to crawl under a rock when the truth comes out.  Witness Fort Hood.

The fact that a bulletin has been put out noting that the explosive was acquired in Yemen should alert us all.  Blowing up an airliner on Christmas day is what al-Qaeda is about.   This story may grow.

December 25, 2009