Stereotypes

The Charming Terrorist

How did Abdulmutallab almost cause disaster?

The emerging details about the life and studies of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian student who attempted to set off an incendiary device on a Detroit-bound airplane on Christmas Day, seem to demonstrate "how difficult it is to build a stereotype of the radical Islamist willing to give his life for the jihadist cause," writes the Financial Times. As investigators look into his possible connections with radical clerics, former classmates are shocked at his involvement with al Qaeda, pointing to his participation in anti-terrorist events in London and his good-natured charm. But this may be what al Qaeda is looking for, says Yemeni journalist Abdulelah Hider Shaea: "They don't depend on numbers—they want quality people like Umar: one person convinced of the ideology, willing to die while smiling so he cannot be noticed in the airport."