2 Terror Suspects Arrested by Dutch Authorities after US Flight

Two male passengers on a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam with United Airlines have been arrested by Dutch authorities after suspicious items were found in their checked luggage. The US Department of Homeland Security says that the items were thought to be dangerous in and of themselves. However, Dutch authorities were notified, as the items appeared to be mock bombs – maybe to test security.

Reports say that one of the men is believed to be 48-year-old Ahmed Mohammed Nasser al Soofi, a Yemeni that has a permanent residence in the US. He was carrying $7,000 cash and what are thought to be mock bomb devices in his 2 bags, which were checked. The mock-ups included cell phones and watches taped to shampoo bottles. The second man is said to be 37-year-old Hazem Abdullah Thabi al-Murisi, who is also of Yemen nationality and was in the US on a visa as a visitor.

Officials have reported that al Soofi was set to fly from Chicago to Dulles (near Washington) and then to Yemen, but he changed his itinerary from Chicago to Amsterdam instead. However, his bags didn’t go to Amsterdam with him and were sent to Dulles, where authorities confiscated them. Meanwhile, Al-Murisi was set for a flight from Chicago to Dulles, but he also changed his flight to Amsterdam instead.

Although this is all very suspicious, it appears to have been a complete coincidence that the two men were both on the same flight but changed to a different flight, both bound for Amsterdam. Authorities say that the men aren’t linked and that they aren’t connected to a terror threat, but they are still investigating to find out if al Soofi was conducting his own security test.