Lagos — Twenty-three year old Abdulfarouk Umar Abdulmutallab, son of former Chairman of First Bank Plc, Alhaji Umar Mutallab, was yesterday in Michigan, United States charged with trying to blow up North-west Delta Airlines flight on Christmas day.

He was charged in a make-shift court session at the University of Michigan hospital, where the suspect was being treated for burns. He had bandages in his hands, spoke in English, and told the district attorney that he could not afford to pay for an attorney, according to a pool reporter who attended the session.

He was accused of "willful attempt to destroy an aircraft within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States and wilfully placing and causing to be placed a destructive device upon and or proximity to such aircraft."

In a five-page affidavit deposed by Theodore James, FBI special agent before District Judge Paul Borman, the justice department said Abdul Mutallab had a device containing a high explosive attached to his body on flight 253 from Amsterdam.

Also yesterday, Alhaji Mutallab, who was former Federal Commissioner for Economic Development in the Murtala/Obasanjo administration, was quizzed for hours by a combined team of the nation's security agencies in Abuja over the bombing incident involving his son.

The Justice Department said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab who was born on December 22, 1986 had a device containing a high explosive attached to his body on Flight 253 from Amsterdam.

A preliminary analysis of the device shows that it contained PETN, also known as pentaerythritol, according to the affidavit filed in federal court in Detroit.

Abdulmutallab allegedly told passengers that his stomach was upset, then pulled a blanket over himself, the affidavit said. Passengers then heard popping noises that sounded like fireworks and smelled smoke before at least one passenger climbed over seats and tackled Abdulmutallab.

"Had this alleged plot to destroy an airplane been successful, scores of innocent people would have been killed or injured," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. "We will continue to investigate this matter vigorously, and we will use all measures available to our government to ensure that anyone responsible for this attempted attack is brought to justice."

Abdulmutallab claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over U.S. soil, said a U.S. law enforcement official. But others cautioned that such claims could not be verified immediately.

London's Metropolitan Police also were working with U.S. officials, said a spokeswoman who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.

The father of the suspect Mutallab, told The Associated Press on Saturday that he didn't know exactly where his son was but planned to speak with Nigerian authorities.

"I believe he might have been to Yemen, but we are investigating to determine that," the father said.

Mutallab who left Funtua, his home town in Katsina State early yesterday morning for Abuja after hearing about the news of his son's attempted bombing and arrest reported to the security agencies at the Federal Capital Territory.

THISDAY gathered that as at the time of going to press Mutallab was still with the security agencies.

AFP yesterday evening reported that Mutallab, admitted that the man arrested over a botched attempt to blow up a US airliner on a flight from Amsterdan to Detroit is his son.

"I have been receiving telephone calls from all over the world about my child who has been arrested for an alleged attempt to bomb a plane," Mutallab said.

"I am really disturbed. I would not want to say anything at the moment until I put myself together. I will address a press conference on the issue on Monday. I have been summoned by the Nigerian security and I am on my way to Abuja to answer the call," he said.

Family sources said Mutallab has been uncomfortable with his son's extreme religious views and had six months ago reported his activities to United States' Embassy, Abuja and Nigerian security agencies.

The older Mutallab was said to be devastated on hearing the news of his son's attempted bombing incident. A source close to him said he was surprised that after his reports to the US authorities, the young man was allowed to travel to the United States.

The family home of the Mutallabs, a basement flat in a smart mansion block on Mansfield Street, near Harley Street, Central London was yesterday searched by men of the Metropolitan Police.

THISDAY checks reveal that the suspect, Abdulfarouk Umar Mutallab who studied engineering at the University College, London between September 2005 and 2008 had been noted for his extreme views on religion since his secondary school days at the British International School, Lome, Togo.

At the secondary school, he was known for preaching about Islam to his school mates and he was popularly called "Alfa", a local coinage for Islamic scholar. After his secondary school, the suspect went to University College London to study mechanical engineering and later relocated to Egypt, and then Dubai. While in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, he declared to his family members that he did not want to have anything to do with any of them again.

He attempted to return to Britain for a six months course in May this year but was refused by officials from the UK border agency because his reason for coming to the country was not genuine.

His father, Mutallab, is a regular visitor to the US where he visits for medical check-up and holidays.

Mutallab is married to an Arab of Yemeni-descent. However, THISDAY could not confirm at the time of filing this report if the woman is the mother of the suspect. Timesonline also reported that Mutallab claimed to have lost contact with the son after he left London in November last year.

A man who claims to be a brother of the suspect confirmed to THISDAY yesterday in Kaduna that the suspect, Mutallab, had had "extreme views about religion" and has alienated himself from his family members because they disagree with his views.

The source, who declined to be named, said yesterday that Umar Farouk has had various altercations with his immediate family members over his views on religion.

"We know Farouk's extreme views and were always apprehensive of where it may lead him to. In fact, during the last Boko Haram crisis, we were afraid he may be involved, but he didnt. He has maintained his distance from us and we never bothered him much. He wanted to be left alone so we respect his wishes.

"We were always worried about him because he is young. But I was shocked to hear he wanted to blow up a passenger airliner. I hope it is not true," the family member said.

He described the suspect as 'quiet, nice and gentle', adding that he always minds his business and is someone 'who is morally upright."

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoting a source at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington D.C reported that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has granted access to Nigerian diplomatic officials to meet with the bombing suspect, Abdulfarouk Umar Abdulmutallab.

We have made contact with the FBI and they have permitted some of our officers to visit the suspect in Detroit.

"Two officials, one from our embassy in Washington DC and the other from the Nigeria consulate in New York are already in Detroit to meet with Abdulmutallab," the source said.

The source added that the purpose of the visit was "to verify the identity of the suspect and if he is truly a Nigerian citizen."

Meanwhile, Prof. Dora Akunyili, minister of information and communications, has issued the following statement: "Federal Government of Nigeria received with dismay the news of an attempted terrorist attack on a US airline. We state very clearly that as a nation, we abhor all forms of terrorism.

"The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has directed Nigerian security agencies to commence full investigation of the incident. While steps are being taken to verify the identity of the alleged suspect and his motives, our security agencies will cooperate fully with the American authorities in the on-going investigations. Nigerian government will be providing updates as more information becomes available."

Akunyili also told the North American correspondent of NAN that Nigeria will make open its findings on the attempted bombing incident.

"Everybody is disturbed by the news of the incident but we are handling it. We have issued an interim statement and that will be followed with something more comprehensive," she added.

The Senate while reacting to the incident said the act was condemnable and asked well meaning Nigerians to "rise in condemnation of this naked attempt to smear the image of our dear country."

Chairman of the Committee on Information and Media, Senator Ayogu Eze, speaking on behalf of the Senate said: "We condemn this strange act of terrorism from a Nigerian in very strong terms."

Eze said, "We are at a loss where he got this strange habit from. Nigeria abhors terrorism in all its ramifications. The Senate therefore frowns at this isolated unfortunate incident.

"We ask the world to treat him on his own merit and not associate this horrible conduct with law-abiding Nigerians who are decent and respectable international citizens wherever they are.

Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, had caused panic when he tried to detonate some explosive device strapped to his leg on Christmas Day while the US airliner was about to land at Detroit Metro Airport with 278 people on board.

Abdulmutallab was overpowered by passengers after the failure of the device to ignite properly.

Agency reports quoted the US federal law enforcement and airline security agencies as saying Abdulmutallab was taken into custody and is being treated for second- and third-degree burns on his thighs. Reports say the remains of the device the suspect detonated have been sent to an FBI explosives laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.

Even with the initial official impression that the suspect was acting alone and did not have any formal connections to organised terrorist organisations, there are reports that he was indeed a hard-core, trained al-Qaeda operative. Abdulmutallab was quoted in a US federal security bulletin to have admitted having extremist ties and said the explosive device "was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used".

A statement from Representative Peter King of New York, the senior Republican on the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, branded the explosive device as "fairly sophisticated". "(The device) appears to be different from what we've encountered before," Mr King told Fox News. "My understanding also is that while (the suspect) is not on a watch list, he definitely has terror connections.

"There is a terrorist nexus leading towards al-Qaeda involving this assailant. When it did go off, he himself was seriously injured. My understanding is he has third-degree burns. This could have been catastrophic."

Abdulmutallab flew into Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on a KLM flight from Lagos and is not believed to be on any "no fly" list. This is despite his name appearing in a US database of people with suspect connections. An administration official also said he did not undergo secondary security screening in Amsterdam. It was from here he transferred to Northwest Airlines - which is undergoing a merger with Delta Airlines - for the nine-hour flight to Detroit in an Airbus A330-330.

US President Barack Obama, who was holidaying in Hawaii, acting on briefing on the incident, instructed in a subsequent discussion with security advisers "that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel".

A direct fallout of this incident is more rigorous security checks by airlines. A spokesperson for BAA said British passengers travelling to the US should expect their airline to carry out additional security checks prior to boarding.

A Department of Homeland Security statement on Friday told air passengers that they "may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the travelling [sic] public on domestic and international flights."

Also, University College London issued a statement saying a student named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab studied mechanical engineering there between September 2005 and June 2008. But the college said it wasn't certain the student was the same person who was on the plane.

The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. The incident was reminiscent of Richard Reid, who tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, but was subdued by other passengers.

Intelligence and anti-terrorism officials in Yemen said they were investigating claims by the suspect that he picked up the explosive device and instructions on how to use it in that country. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media.

Officials in the Netherlands said an initial investigation showed that routine security procedures were followed at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam with no irregularities. Mutallab's name was on the passenger manifesto that was forwarded and approved by U.S. authorities before takeoff.

The list that Mutallab had been on in the U.S. is maintained by the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center and includes about 550,000 names, an official said. People on that list are not necessarily on the no-fly list. Dutch anti-terrorism authorities said Mutallab was traveling on a U.S. visa valid through the first half of 2010.

By Yusuph Olaniyonu, Okechukwu Uwaezuoke, Festus Akanbi, Olawale Olaleye in Lagos, Sufuyan Ojeifo in Abuja and Imam Imam in Kaduna with Agency Reports