Once upon a time, on Northwest Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, a Nigerian by the name of Umar Farouk Abdulmatallah did something bad. This engineering student from London, the son of a prominent banker, tried to blow up the plane. Although he failed, consequences ensued.
Flash forward a few days. Another Nigerian, perhaps a businessman traveling alone, boards the same flight. What could possibly happen?
Perhaps the flight crew, reviewing the manifest, notice a Nigerian flying aboard their plane. The flight attendants begin to give him special attention, eying him suspiciously. Other passengers begin to notice this very black man with a distinctly African accent flying alone. They notice the flight attendance behaving a bit concerned. The Nigerian also notices this extra attention and feels the negative vibes. He knows about the prior incident. He becomes nervous, or, perhaps, indignant. What could possibly happen?
Or perhaps, a Nigerian businessman boards this flight in Schipol Airport. He has planned this trip to Detroit for months. He’s determined to make this trip in spite of the incident a few days ago. It’s very important to him. He notices the looks he gets from the flight attendants and other passengers as he is getting himself settled. He smiles nervously. He doesn’t want to attract attention. But a few hours into the flight he begins to fidget. He thinks to himself, ”I really, REALLY wish that I didn’t have that SECOND cup of coffee before I boarded!” He begins to fidget more. This is a LONG flight! The hours pass. The plane enters United States airspace. His discomfort grows. He begins to realize that if he doesn’t relieve himself soon, he will explode. He also remembers that the new security rules will keep him in his seat during the last hour of the flight. He fidgets more. Passengers notice. Flight attendants notice. The restroom is unoccupied. He can’t bear it anymore. He makes his move. What could possibly happen?
Perhaps a Nigerian terrorist, a member of Al Qaeda, boards the plane. His bladder has been injected with as much nitroglycerin as it can hold. He sits quietly in his seat for most of the trip. Suddenly, he gets up and heads for the restroom. What could possibly happen?
