A passenger, Jasper Schuringa, told CNN that he helped subdue and isolate Abdulmutallab with the aid of the cabin crew.

Al Qaeda links arrested after what was described as “an attempted terrorist attack” on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit is “talking a lot” to the FBI, a media report said.

The initial impression is that the suspect was acting alone in the incident, which set off a major security alert, and did not have any formal connections to organised terrorist groups, CNN said citing a senior official who is familiar with the investigations.