THE INTERROGATION OF THE SO
CALLED UNDERWEAR BOMBER.
>> TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT HE
KNEW, HOW HE'D BEEN TASKED AND
REALLY IF THERE WERE OTHERS.
>> TONIGHT, HE'S SPEAKING OUT
FOR THE FIRST TIME.
>> HARD TO FORGET THE ATTEMPTED
UNDERWEAR BOMBING.
AGO.
>> THERE WERE NEARLY 300 PEOPLE
ON BOARD WHEN 23-YEAR-OLD UMAR
TRIES TO IGNITE A LIQUID BOMB.
>> THE ASIAN WHO INTERROGATED
HIM IS TELLING HIS STORY TO
DEFENDER KEVIN DIETZ WITH HOPES
PLOTS.
>> AS METRO DETROITERS WERE
OPENING CHRISTMAS PRESENTS ON
DECEMBER 25TH, 2009, MEMBERS OF
THE JOINT TEARISM TASK FORCE
WERE GETTING URGENT PHONE CALLS
TO REPORT TO METRO AIRPORT.
>> FLIGHT 253 ON THE RUNWAY AT
DETROIT METRO AIRPORT FOLLOWING
THE 2009 ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP THE
PLANE, AND ALL 290 PEOPLE ON
BOARD.
INSIDE, PURE TERROR.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF HE LIT
HIMSELF ON FIRE OR LIT SOMETHING
ON HIS LAP AND IT WENT UP IN
FLAMES.
>> WE SAW, LIKE, FUMES, THEN
THERE WAS A FLAME FIRE COMING
OUT.
>> THE 23-YEAR-OLD NOW FOREVER
KNOWN AS THE UNDERWEAR BOMBER
SNUCK EXPLOSIVES ON TO THE PLANE
HEADED FROM AMSTERDAM TO DETROIT
IN HIS UNDERWEAR AND TRIED TO
LIGHT THE EXPLOSIVES AS THE
PLANE WAS DESCENDING FOR
LANDING.
>> HE WAS SEVERELY BURNED.
>> IT WAS FAIR GUYING.
TERRIFYING.
>> ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, CELL
RINGING.
>> I INTERVIEWED AT THE HOSPITAL
THAT DAY.
>> IT DIDN'T MATTER HE WAS
ENJOYING CHRISTMAS MORNING WITH
HIS FAMILY.
>> I HAD SOME YOUNG KIDS AT THE
TIME AND WE JUST GOT DONE
OPENING PRESENTS, WE WERE
EAT BREAKFAST.
>> THE JOINT TERRORISM TASK
FORCE WAS NEEDED AT THE AIRPORT.
>> THAT'S OUR JOB.
THE LOCAL POLICE OFFICER, HE'S
THAT'S OUR JOB.
THAT'S WHAT WE GET PAID TO DO.
>> THE FIRST REPORTS WERE THAT
IT MIGHT BE FIRE FIRE CRACKERS.
>> OBVIOUSLY WHEN A CRISIS LIKE
THAT HAPPENS, THERE'S A LOT OF
INITIALLY.
>> BUT SOON THE WORLD WOULD KNOW
IT WAS MUCH MORE SERIOUS.
>> A GUY JUST TRIED TO DET NAID
A DEVICE ON A PLANE, HE'S
CLAIMING THAT AL QAEDA AND THE THE
ARABIAN PENINSULA DIRECTED HIM
TO DO IT AND THAT'S WHERE IT
STARTED.
>> THE BIGGEST CONCERN, THERE
MIGHT BE BOMBERS ON OTHER
PLANES.
>> WE REACHED OUT WHERE HE WAS
BEING TREATED WHERE WE CONDUCTED
INTERVIEWS OF HIM, TRYING TO
DETERMINE WHAT HE KNEW, HOW HE'D
BEEN TASKED AND REALLY IF THERE
WERE OTHERS.
>> FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NOT.
THE NEXT STEP, FIND OUT HOW HE
GOT A BOMB ON TO THE PLANE AND
AGAIN.
>> THE WHOLE THING, THAT
NON-METALLIC DEVICE, THAT WAS
REWILL ONE OF THE FIRST TIMES
WE'D SEEN THAT, AND THE FACT HE
WAS ABLE TO GET THROUGH AIRPORT
CONCERN.
>> TODAY THE LOCAL JOINT
TERRORISM TASK FORCE HAS GROWN
TO NEARLY 100 MEMBERS FROM MANY
AGENCIES.
>> WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING
WE CAN TO KEEP THE PEOPLE SAFE.
WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER
TOWARDS THAT SAME GOAL.
>> THERE ARE MORE THREATS TODAY
THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME IN
HISTORY.
AGENT WATERS SAYS HOLIDAYS ARE
JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE WAR ON
TERROR.
>> I CAN GUARANTEE YOU ON
CHRISTMAS DAY, NEW YEAR'S,
DOESN'T MATTER, WE'RE WORKING.
CONSTANT.
FOR ISIS, THE IDEA OF A
SUCCESSFUL ATTACK DURING THE
HOLIDAYS IS A SYMBOLIC VICTORY
FOR THEM.
>> THE FEDS SAY RIGHT NOW THEY
HAVE MORE TERROR THREATS THAN AT
ANY TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE
UNITED STATES AND SAY OUR
COLLECTIVE WILLINGNESS TO CALL
IN THREATS WHEN WE ARE
SUSPICIOUS IS THE KEY TO KEEPING
ALL OF US SAFE.
KEVIN DIETZ, DEFENDERS.
>> WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING, YOU
SPEAK UP.
>> THAT'S INTERESTING, BECAUSE
WITH THE TERM UNDERWEAR BOMBER,
IT'S ALMOST OVER THE YEARS
OF AROUND IT.