“I Was On Bomber Plane’

A Ghanaian who was on board the American aircraft which escaped a terrorist bomb on Christmas day last year has released his torn jacket to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) as evidence in the ongoing trial of 23-year-old Nigerian-born Abdul Mutalab.

The American investigation organisation offered a replacement, while Delta Airlines offered a cash amount of $400 to replace his torn pair of trousers. Speaking to Daily Guide newspaper in an exclusive interview, Theophilus Maranga, who stood as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate in the 2008 polls of the Agona East Constituency in the Central Region, was on board the near fatal WNW 253 when the would-be terrorist failed in his attempt to blow up the aircraft with a power bomb strapped to his underpants, as it was preparing to touch down in the US city of Detroit.

His harrowing tale of sheer destiny and display of bravado by passengers onboard the aircraft is anything but heartwarming. The forty-nine year old Ghanaian, an immigration lawyer who has lived in New York for many years, was returning there after his failed parliamentary campaign in Ghana. Speaking from the US, Mr. Maranga explained that after losing the election, he was unable to land nay appointment with the Atta Mills government, thus the decision to return to the US. He boarded a KLM flight from Accra to New York via Amsterdam, changing flights in the Dutch city for the WNW 253 Delta Airline to Detroit.

At the time he boarded the aircraft, he did not know that Abdul Mutalab was onboard with the powder bomb and a syringe acquired from Yemen. The Ghanaian was in economy class seat number 24B while the Nigerian bomber was in seat 19A. After a successful transatlantic flight, the captain announced the touchdown and asked the crew to ready themselves for a safe landing. The normal announcement was almost immediately followed by an abnormal deafening ‘pooo’ sound and according to Maranga, his proximity to where the Nigerian was seated exposed him more to the ballistic-like noise.

A cacophonic noise, laced with voices of prayers and screaming from the shocked passengers, immediately filled the air. While the captain was still preparing to land the plane, air stewards and some passengers tried to save the burning Nigerian, including the Ghanaian, who got his jacket which caught fire, ripped off and his pair of trousers torn. Within the twinkle of an eye, after they had subdued the ‘on-fire bomber’, word was all over that a Nigerian with a time-bomb strapped to his body was onboard the plane, further causing panic.

The pilot landed the aircraft safely, having been alerted about what was happening onboard. The FBI, Mr. Maranga said, detained all passengers for a number of hours, questioning them before allowing them to go home. He disclosed that a compensation package was being worked out between Delta Airlines and the US authorities for persons who were onboard that aircraft, to ease the trauma of being exposed to the experience.

It will be recalled that Nigerian –born Abdul Mutalab, 23, earned unsavory headlines on December 25 last year when his attempt to blow up an aircraft carrying 330 passengers and crew failed. He was stopped in his tracks by colleague passengers just when he was in the process of detonating the bomb strapped to his underwear. He has since been standing trial in a Detroit court in the United States.