[29/December/2009]

SANA'A, Dec. 29 (Saba) – Yemen has condemned the failed bombing of a U.S. passenger jet by a Nigerian man as it approached Detroit on Christmas Day.

Yemen condemns such terrorist acts targeting the innocent and it reiterates its full support for the fight against terror anywhere on the globe, a source at the Foreign ministry said.

Regarding information that the would-be bomber, Umer Farouk Abdulmutallab, the source affirmed that the Migration and Passport Authority had affirmed he lived in Yemen from August to December 2009 after he got an entry visa to study Arabic language in Sana'a.

The entry visa was granted to the Nigerian after authorities found he could get visas from other friend countries and seeing his U.S. visa was still valid, the source made clear.

Authorities are investigating to find contacts of Abdulmatalab while in Yemen and possible results would be handed to U.S. within cooperation with Yemen on the fight against terror.

U.S. reports noted that device AbdulMutallab is said to have carried aboard the flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, contained pentaerythritol tetranitrate, an explosive also known as PETN.

The amount of explosive was sufficient to blow a hole in the aircraft, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN Sunday.

FR
Saba