In both cases, passengers and crew subdued the alleged bomber before the explosive material could fully ignite. In the Detroit attack, passengers heard popping noises and saw suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's pants on fire when they intervened, according to court documents.

Amid a soaring suicide rate among soldiers, it’s worth looking at how the Army’s aggressive video games distort our impressions of war.

The religious background and motivations of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian national accused of trying to blow up Northwest Airlines flight 253, are still unclear. But experts say his time in London may have helped fuel a militant world view.

AP - President Barack Obama on Monday vowed to use "every element of our national power" to keep Americans safe and said the failed Christmas Day plot to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner was "a serious reminder" of the need to continually adapt security measures against changing terrorist threats.

AP - You are now free to move about the cabin. Or not. After a two-day security clampdown prompted by a thwarted attempt to bomb a jetliner, some airline officials told The Associated Press that the in-flight restrictions had been eased. And it was now up to captains on each flight to decide whether passengers can have blankets and other items on their laps or can move around during the final phase of flight.

AP - Charlie Sheen's wife told police the actor pinned her on a bed, put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her in a Christmas Day fight in Aspen that began when she said she wanted a divorce.