Islamic fundamentalism rife on British university campuses may be responsible for the attempted terror attack on the Detroit-bound flight targeted on December 25.
According to Britain's Times Online, the would-be bomber of Northwest Airlines Flight 253, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, may have been recruited by al-Qaida in London.
Abdulmutallab, a 23 year-old Nigerian of privileged background, was President of the Islamic Society at University College London while a student at the institution. In January 2007, he organized a conference called War on Terror Week, at which he presented a lecture entitled "a lecture on the Islamic position with respect to jihad [holy war]."
British security sources say the country's campuses are hotbeds of Islamic zealotry, particularly academic institutions in the nation's capital. Previous investigations revealed that university political meetings and Islamic religious groups are frequently canvassed by terror groups for recruits.
The fourth president
Abdulmutallab is the fourth president of a student Islamic society in London to be brought up on terrorism charges in the last three years. Two have been convicted, and one is undergoing a retrial related to a 2006 attempt to blow up airliners with liquid bombs.
The US government has displayed the special underwear worn by Abdulmutallab during his attack, which had explosives sewn inside. Though the materials ignited, causing flames to rise 6 feet up the walls of the cabin, the attack was considered a failure by Al-Qaida. The terror organization issued a statement in which they blamed a "faulty detonator" for the flop.
Abdulmutallab wanted to stay in Britain, perhaps to conduct a terror attack in that country, according to the Times. However, he was rejected for a student visa renewal, after applying to study life coaching at a college which does not exist. In the wake of the rejection, Abdulmutallab moved to Yemen, where he received training from Al-Qaida. His mother, Aisha, is also from Yemen.