by Naomi R. Patton
Detroit Free Press
December 25, 2009
An Ohio man who witnessed the attempted destruction of a Northwest Airlines flight to Metro Airport said he’s proud of how passengers reacted.
Syed Jafry of Holland, Ohio, near Toledo, who had flown from the United Arab Emirates, said after emerging from the airport that people ran out of their seats to tackle the man.
Jafry was sitting in the 16th row — three rows behind the passenger — when he heard “a pop and saw some smoke and fire.” Then, he said, “a young man behind me jumped on him.”
Jafry said there was a little bit of commotion for about 10 to 15 minutes. The incident occurred during the plane’s descent, he said.
He said the way passengers responded made him proud to be an American…
…“Smoke, flames, yelling and screaming,” are what Iliana Schilke of Livonia remembered, sitting a couple of rows behind the suspect. “It was scary when it happened.”
Schilke, like other passengers, said she saw a man jump over his seat to get to the suspect. He was apparently burned in the process.
“It was a fire, it wasn’t just a firecracker, it was a fire,” Calvin Kakar of New York said, seated a few rows in front of the suspect. “We heard a pop and the next thing you know it was a fire.”…
The complete article is here.
