A man suspected of planning to blow up a Delta Air Lines flight in Detroit could face charges as soon as Saturday, according to an official familiar with the case.
The suspect, identified by a member of Congress as Abdul Mudallad, is a Nigerian national who claims to have ties to al-Qaida.
It was unclear today why the man wanted to attack the flight arriving from Amsterdam.
The plane, an Airbus 330, landed about noon in Detroit, and was carrying 278 passengers on a flight from Amsterdam. There were no major injuries.
Many on board were unaware of what had occurred at the front of the plane — learning about the incident only after they had left the aircraft and were questioned by FBI agents.
Others were keenly aware, having a bird’s-eye view of the man, who was tackled by passengers shortly after he tried to light what many thought was a firecracker.
“It was terrifying. I thought this was it,” said Richelle Keepman of Oconomowoc, Wis., who sat just rows in front of the suspect.
She said she thought she was going to die when she saw the flames and commotion.
Michigan native Melinda Dennis was sitting in first class when the suspect was placed in a seat across the aisle from her.
“He didn’t say anything,” said Dennis, who lives in Europe and was connecting to a flight to Arizona. “He was burned very severely on his leg.… He was very calm and didn’t show any reaction to pain.”
Passengers subdued the man and may have prevented him from detonating the explosives, officials said.
A White House official said the incident was an attempted act of terrorism.
Federal officials imposed stricter screening measures after the incident.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., ranking GOP member of the House Homeland Security Committee, identified the suspect as Abdul Mudallad, a Nigerian. King said the flight began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit. There were 278 passengers aboard the Airbus 330.

There was nothing out of the ordinary until the flight was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory.
That is when the pilot declared an emergency and landed without incident shortly thereafter, Cory said in an e-mail message. The plane landed at 11:51 a.m.
One U.S. intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.
The counterterror official said the passenger was being questioned this evening.
The passenger created a disturbance by lighting what was reported to be firecrackers -- or perhaps a "powdery substance" -- onboard the flight, injuring himself and several other passengers, according to Delta Airlines
FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold confirmed today that agents are at Metro.
The man was apparently already on the government's no-fly list of suspected terrorists, ABC News said a senior intelligence official told them.
President Barack Obama was notified of the incident and discussed it with security officials, the White House said. It said he is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates from his vacation spot in Hawaii.
One passenger from the flight was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said. She would not say what the injuries were.
Because Delta Airlines in Detroit did not handle security for the flight, Elliott said she could not answer how the items that were ignited got on the plane.
She said Delta has a hub in Amsterdam and this one was among several flights today.

The Homeland Security Department said passengers may see additional screening measures on domestic and international flights because of the incident.

“We encourage those with future travel plans to stay in touch with their airline and to visit www.tsa.gov for updates,” the department said.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has been briefed on the incident and is closely monitoring the situation.

The department encouraged travelers to be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior to law enforcement officials.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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