Farouk ‘is an Arsenal Fan’
From Imam Imam in Funtua with agency reports, 12.28.2009
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Abdulfarouk Umar Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian at the centre of a failed attempt to bomb an airliner, is just like the guy next door - a basketball player and a football fan.

His favourite club is the Arsenal Football Club of England. A former domestic staff of the Mutallabs, Basiru Hamza, described Farouk as a jovial person who takes much interest in his books. "He is religious and holds strong views on many things.

He likes basketball and his favourite soccer club is Arsenal FC. Later in life, when he became very religious, he started talking less and less about sports. One topic he always talks about is international politics. He holds strong views about United States and Israel.

"The last time I saw him was four years ago in Kaduna, but I am really surprised to hear that he wanted to blow up a plane. I know he used to be religious, but I never imagined he would have the nerves to kill someone.

May be the school he went transformed him, I don't know, but he was a good boy and his father was a good man," the 34-year-old Hamza said in Hausa language. Residents of Funtua, the sleepy Katsina State home town of Abdulmutallab, have expressed shock over attempted bombing reports.

Those who spoke with THISDAY yesterday said the reports were not only disturbing, but capable of destroying the good reputation of the father in the community. The attempted bomber was described by neighbours as gentle, nice and one who takes his studies seriously.

Though the Mutallabs don't reside in Funtua on permanent basis, they frequent the town during festivities like family weddings or Sallah celebrations. The Associated Press (AP)?reported yesterday that one of Abdulmutallab's former teachers has said he was shocked to hear the news.

He said yesterday that Abdulmutallab was so well-respected in high school that classmates nicknamed him ''the Pope'', AP reported. But Umar Farouk also showed signs of inflexibility, said Michael Rimmer, a Briton who taught history at the British International School in Lome, Togo.

He said that, in a 2001 discussion about the Taliban in Afghanistan, Abdulmutallab was the only one to defend their actions -- something he attributed at the time to a desire to play the devil's advocate. He also noted that during a school trip to London, Abdulmutallab became upset when the teacher took students to a pub and said it wasn't right to be in a place where alcohol was being served.

Rimmer said that overall, his impression of Abdulmutallab had been an extremely positive one -- noting in particular an incident in which the youngster chose to give 50 pounds to an orphanage rather than spend it on souvenirs in London.

''At one stage, his nickname was 'The Pope,''' Rimmer said. ''In one way it's totally unsuitable because he's Muslim, but he did have this saintly aura. ''In all the time I taught him we never had cross words,'' Rimmer said from London in a telephone interview.

''Somewhere along the line he must have met some sort of fanatics, and they must have turned his mind.'' Rimmer described the institution - an elite college preparatory school in the West African country, attended by children of diplomats and wealthy Africans - as ''lovely, lovely environment'' where Christians often joined in Islamic feasts and some of the best Christmas carolers were Muslims.

Abdulmutallab showed no signs of intolerance toward other students, Rimmer said, explaining that ''lots of his mates were Christians.'' The Briton noted that he has not seen or heard from his former pupil since 2003, when he was about 15, but added that other students had been in touch to express their shock.

"He was such a brilliant boy and nobody in the family had the slightest thought he could do something as insane as this," a relative told AFP in Kaduna. "Farouk was a devoted Muslim who took his religion seriously and was committed to his studies," he said on condition of anonymity. Most of the family only met up with him on his return to Nigeria on holidays from his studies abroad but found him to be easy-going and passionate about Islam, a cousin said.

"He was of course a very religious, polite and studious fellow but it was unthinkable that he would do anything close to attempting to bomb a plane. I still can?t believe this is for real," the cousin said, also asking anonymity. US security officials told the media on Saturday that Abdulmutallab had confessed to training with an Al-Qaeda bombmaker in Yemen.

Abdulmutallab had announced he wanted to pursue a summer course in Arabic in Yemen in July and his banker father had consented given his flair for the language, said the cousin, who also did not want to be named. But the family had become concerned when the young man announced that he wanted to stay on in Yemen and drop his post-graduate programme in business administration at Dubai University.

"We became worried when in August Farouk called and said he was no longer interested in his post-graduate studies anymore, saying he would be staying in Yemen to pursue another course he did not disclose," said another relative who gave his name only as Sani. Their alarm was heightened when he sent a text message a few days later informing his family that he was severing all contact with them, he said.

Since then they had not been able to get in touch with him, he said. The family was stunned by the young man's attempt to blow up the Northwest Airlines as it descended into Detroit. He had caught the plane in Amsterdam after flying in from Lagos. "We could not believe it when we learnt that Farouk had boarded a flight from Lagos to Amsterdam while all along we had the impression that he was in Yemen," Sani said


http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=162884

Bomber, sorry I meant Gunner, for life!.

The Gunner is a definite Goner

No be na wa, Na real wa!

Wo wa wi wa!

selingel:

Bomber, sorry I meant Gunner, for life!.

a classic

LMAO

Lol,ibro-arkinses

.

Guy,dnt tell me ur wonderin who dis is?

Useless thread

Digriz:

Useless thread

No. Nice thread. Gunners are Bombers.

tsheeeew

Hmmmm- Football club supportership is a form of escapism for most football fans. Perhaps, if Arsenal had been winning titles, he wouldn't have been depressed to the point of been radicalised to being a suicide bomber

selingel:

Bomber, sorry I meant Gunner, for life!.

arkinses:

The Gunner is a definite Goner

ROTFLOL

one bomber gunner down MORE 2 GO

as d name implies gunners.what a pity my boss is an arsenal fans also.

Posted by: IYA NGBALI
one bomber gunner down MORE 2 GO


Then you are next

So him Allah no tell am make him no watch futbol.
I think say anything western is forbidden.
Ode. Olodo.

umar farouk abdulmutallab being an arsenal fan proves that arsenal will keep rulling in every sector of the world, up gunners, up farouk, up arsenal, at least farouk as become Hero now

@selingel
       see the fact that D guy is an arsenal fan is no issue cos it wud have been any club.me i dont know y u are stressing the arsenal part.better leave us alone o.well its not your fault.if not for that useless silly boy wen no get sense.see as im disgrace im family.e wan come disgrace arsenal join.thank GOD say e get wetin we dey call DISOWN. ARE THERE ANY ARSENAL FAN IN THE ROOM JOIN ME IN DISOWNING FAROUK BEFORE HE GIVES US A BAD NAME ABEG.

@walestar01
          abeg o.i agree yes we'll kip ruling.i agree up ARSENAL, i agree up gunner but u see the one wen you come take spoil everything na that UP FAROUK.which kind talk be that.you no hear wetin them call am BOMBER.I NO DEY PRAISE BAD THING cos farouk na very silly boy.see as im waste im yeye life.oyinbo come dey show us yey papaz and swagger.na farouk cos am.STAY HOUSE im noo hear, GO SCHOOL im no hear.e say na bad thing e must do.na im u dey praise am. MAKE GOVERNMENT HEAR YOU.YOU GO SEE YOURSELF WITH FAROUK FOR PRISON.THAT IS IF THEM NO GO KILL AM.


the person wen send am message go don curse am.them send afganistans them do well.even if them send other people dem go do well.as far as say na nigeria u send message comma must dey.olodo.shebi if im go do im go make sure say im bomb america.
even the americans sef.person do half work them dey shout.na say e dey hear well con complete the work i for see wetin them go do weda them go kill all of us i go know nonsense tsheeeew.

please i beg u people leave arsenal out of this o.na farouk n im family plus anyone wen wan carry the sh*t rub theirself


@iya ngbali
      e be like say u don dey smoke igbo.wetin be the meaning of that one.one down many to go.no problem we go go but na u go lead the road.wetin.she u hear say na we wan bomb america.

@airller
babe how u dey?u dey vex o.am not an arsenal fan but being unfair to the arsenal fans i understand how u feel my dear.its a terrible situation and i think we are pushing arsenal fans lol.its funny the way u guys react.as for faruk he didnt claim naija all this while its not when he has cos wahala dat he is claiming naija. GOD WILL PUNISH HIM.HE WIL NOT SURVIVE THE SIX COUNT CHARGES IN JESUS NAME, AMEN BY FIRE. disgracful child.i am sure by now his parents wud see him as a born by mistake na say im mama know she for abort the pregnancy carrying a bomber in her womb.

@the guy saying up faruk
i agree with airller.make government hear you them go give you to america.u no go sufri talk am.me i no dey ther o.lol

in all sha lets take it easy with the arsenal fans.i helep una deny am jare

Up gunners.

lol

Arsenal fans!!! Sorry o