Second airport arrest unrelated to attack

Paul Egan / The Detroit News

Romulus -- Federal officials did take a second person into custody at Detroit Metropolitan Airport shortly after an attempted bombing incident on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, but the passenger who got handcuffed was off a different flight, and the incident was not related, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said today.

Ron Smith, chief Customs and Border Protection officer in the Detroit field office, said passengers from Flight 253 are likely giving accurate accounts when they say they saw dogs sniffing bags in the luggage area and a man led away in handcuffs shortly after they got off their Christmas Day flight on which a man created a small fire while trying to detonate explosive chemicals hidden under his clothes.

"There was a second person taken into custody, but it had nothing to do with Flight 253," Smith said. "They did see dogs, but again, it was a totally different incident."

Kurt Haskell, a Taylor attorney, told The Detroit News he saw dogs checking bags in the luggage area and a man led away in handcuffs a short time later.

Smith would not say why the man was taken into custody or with what he was charged. Asked if it was drug-related, he said: "Something like that."

Meanwhile, Dutch security officials said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is charged in the apparent terrorist attack, was carrying a valid Nigerian passport and U.S. visa, CBS News reported.

Haskell told The News he saw another man come to Abdulmutallab's aid at the airport in Amsterdam when the 23-year-old Nigerian appeared to be attempting to board without a passport.

pegan@detnews.com (313) 222-2069

Labels: Abdulmutallab, Christmas, underwear bomber

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