Suspected bomber cut off contact with family

THE Nigerian man accused of trying to bring down a US airliner cut off contact with his relatives and vanished from their lives until they awoke to news of the attempted Christmas Day attack, his family said yesterday.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s father talked to Nigerian security two months ago, and in November visited the US embassy in Abuja, to discuss concerns about his 23-year-old son’s religious beliefs.

US officials said the alert was relayed to Washington and shared with all relevant agencies and departments.

Abdulmutallab told officials who arrested him on the Detroit-bound airliner that he had sought extremist training in Yemen.

On Christmas Eve, officials say Abdulmutallab re-entered Nigeria for only one day to board a flight in Lagos, where he passed airport security with explosives hidden on his body.

Abdulmutallab is being held in a prison after suffering burns in the botched bombing. He claimed to be carrying out an attack on orders from al-Qaida.

This coincides with reports yesterday that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing.

The family said the suspect bomber’s father, prominent banker Umaru Abdulmutallab, asked the authorities to bring his son home. “We provided them with all the information required of us to enable them do this,” the statement said.

Abdulmutallab attended a British preparatory school in Togo and graduated from the illustrious University College London last year.

The family promised to co-operate with Nigerian and US authorities.

A statement said: “From very early childhood, Farouk, to the best of parental monitoring, had never shown any attitude, conduct or association that would give concern.

“We, along with the whole world, are thankful to almighty God that there were no lives lost in the incident.”

Meanwhile, US Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano conceded that the aviation security system failed when the man was allowed to board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Abdulmutallab had been placed in a US database of people suspected of terrorist ties in November, but was not restricted from flying.

“Our system did not work in this instance,” she said on NBC Today show. “No one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way.”

Separately, a university in Dubai said Abdulmutallab attended the school earlier this year.