Plane bomb suspect 'son of top banker'
A prominent Nigerian banker was today meeting security officials over fears his son may have been the man who allegedly tried to bomb a US-bound flight.
Former bank official Alhaji Umaru Mutallab says he travelled from his home in Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated north to meet officials in Abuja, the capital.
The banker says his son, identified by US 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.
Mr Mutallab says: “I believe he might have been to Yemen, but we are investigating to determine that.”
The attempted bombing occurred as Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam prepared to land in Detroit just before noon yesterday.
It later emerged that the US had known for at least two years that the suspect in the attack could have terrorist ties.
An official told the Associated Press that the suspect has been on a list that includes people with known or suspected contact or ties to a terrorist or terrorist organisation.
The list is maintained by the US National Counterterrorism Centre. It includes about 550,000 names.
People on the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment list are not necessarily on the no-fly list. New York congressman Peter King says Mutallab was not on the no-fly list.
