Hostesses helped foil mid-air bomber

The FBI says air hostesses foiled Richard Reid's bid to blow up a passenger jet.

One of the cabin crew confronted him after she smelled a burnt match.

She restrained him with the help of a colleague before passengers joined them.

An affidavit by FBI special agent Margaret Cronin describes how Hermis Moutardier warned the Captain via the jet's intercom system.

Reid had put one match in his mouth, lit a second and attempted to set fire to the inner tongue of his training shoe.

Ahe noticed a wire sticking out from his footwear and as she frantically grabbed at the shoe, Reid - who is 6ft 4ins tall - shoved her back against the overhead baggage compartment. She tried again to get hold of it, and he pushed her to the floor.

Her colleague Cristina Jones waded into the struggle.

Passengers rushed to their aid and managed to subdue Reid.

Other passengers on the American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, told how about 10 or 12 men pounced on Reid, tying him to his seat with neckties, belts and even headphones, before he was injected with sedatives from the airline's medical kit.