UPDATE: WSJ reporting passenger had explosives strapped to his leg, ties to al Qaeda.
The explosive, which was apparently carried onto the flight from its originating airport in Amsterdam, was originally believed to be a small firecracker, but the U.S. official said the device was "more complicated than gunpowder firecracker" and caught fire as the man tried to set it off.I'm writing this via my phone. National reporters are saying, via Twitter, that authorities are no longer saying it was "firecrackers" that someone tried to light on a plane from Amsterdam to Detroit. The White House is reportedly telling reporters on background that it was an attempted act of terrorism.
