Al-Qaeda Group in Yemen Claims Responsibility for Attempted Northwest Bombing

David Sessions

Washington Reporter

Posted:

12/28/09

An al-Qaeda branch in Yemen boasted Monday that it was behind the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit on Christmas Day, the New York Daily News reports. A message posted on an al-Qaeda Web site in the Arabian Peninsula called the bomber a "Nigerian brother" and said he used a device manufactured by the terrorist group. The bomb failed as a result of a "technical fault."

"We call on every soldier working in the Crusader Army and the agent governments to repent before Allah and take the example of the brother hero mujahid, Nidal Hasan, and fight all the Crusaders with all available means to support the religion of Allah and raise his word on the earth," the AQAP statement said.

The Yemeni military, with help from the United States, has carried out two strikes against al-Qaeda targets in recent weeks, for which the group had vowed revenge. The most recent strike, just before Christmas Eve, targeted a radical cleric tied to Maj. Nasan, who allegedly shot and killed 12 U.S. military personnel at Fort Hood in November.

U.S. intelligence and military officials have called Yemen a haven for al-Qaeda and placed a strong emphasis on its strategic importance. The United States recently returned six detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the country, and has worked closely with the Yemeni government to prevent them from returning to radical activity.