On December 25, 2009, disaster was narrowly avoided over the skies of Detroit. Soon, sleepy Christmas Day newscasts were gripped by Al Qaeda’s attempted terror attack onboard Northwest Flight 253 and as details of the bomb plot began to emerge, relief for safe arrival of Flight 253 was tempered by one unsettling question: How could this have happened? On Fri., Sept. 10 at 10 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT Discovery Channel presents UNDERWEAR BOMBER: DETROIT PLANE PLOT, a one-hour special that explores the critical question: How did alleged bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab remain under the U.S. intelligence radar and evade three sets of airport security?
On Christmas Day 2009, as Northwest Flight 253 begins its descent towards Detroit Metropolitan airport, a 23-year-old man is seen by other passengers vacating the toilet, returning to his seat and pulling a blanket across his lap. Strapped to his leg is a deadly military-grade explosive, designed to rip the plane from the sky. How did alleged bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab smuggle this bomb through three sets of airport security, and – as more details surfaced about his past – how did he slip through U.S. intelligence screenings? And what would have happened to the 290 passengers and crew onboard if that bomb had detonated? UNDERWEAR BOMBER: DETROIT PLANE PLOT reveals Abdulmutallab’s journey from the terrorist hotspot of Yemen to a passenger jet bound for Detroit and asks: How safe it is to fly today?
See How a Would-Be Terrorist Nearly Brought Down Flight 253 When UNDERWEAR BOMBER: DETROIT PLANE PLOT Premieres September 10
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