Attorney Kurt Haskell, a witness on the underwear bomber flight, runs for Congress as a Democrat.

From the Haskell family blog:

Haskell and his wife, Lori, (also a lawyer) were on the Xmas 2009 flight on which the underwear bomber set fire to his underwear in an attempt to set off hidden explosives. Based on what appeared to be special treatment accorded to the bomber to help him get around security to board the flight (which was witnessed by Kurt and Lori Haskell) and also the way the aircraft was secured and passengers handled and questioned after they were back on the ground in the USA, the Haskell's suspicions were aroused that there were unacknowledged parties assisting the underwear bomber that day.

In the 2 years following the incident, the Haskells continued to investigate the matter and concluded that in all likelihood the bomber had been used as a patsy and intentionally provided with a dud bomb by the real instigators of the plot. Their aim was not to bring down the aircraft, but to cause a very public scare that would lead the public to believe that all flights were presumably now under threat from similar bombs.

Victim Impact Statement
by Kurt Haskell

Every victim of a crime in Michigan is entitled to make a statement in open court regarding the impact of the crime on their life. The statement is limited to the victim's physical, emotional and financial well being as it relates to the crime. Keep that in my as you read my statement. Below is a copy of the victim impact statement I gave today at the Underwear Bomber sentencing hearing. When reading my statement, keep in mind that I am a practicing attorney in the State of Michigan. In addition, I regularly practice in the Court the hearings are taking place at and therefore, I am somewhat limited as to what I can say. We were limited to 5 minutes each.

I wish to thank the Court for allowing me these 5 minutes to make my statement. My references to the government in this statement refer to the Federal Government excluding this Court and the prosecution. On Christmas Day 2009, my wife and I were returning from an African safari and had a connecting flight through Amsterdam. As we waited for our flight, we sat on the floor next to the boarding gate. What I witnessed while sitting there and subsequent events have changed my life forever. While I sat there, I witnessed Umar dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, being escorted around security by a man in a tan suit who spoke perfect American English and who aided Umar in boarding without a passport. The airline gate worker initially refused Umar boarding until the man in the tan suit intervened. The event meant nothing to me at the time. Little did I know that Umar would try to kill me a few hours later as our flight approached Detroit. The final 10 minutes of our flight after the attack were the worst minutes of my life. During those 10 minutes I sat paralyzed in fear. Unfortunately, what happened next has had an even greater impact on my life and has saddened me further.

When we landed, I was shocked that our plane taxied up to the gate. I was further shocked that we were forced to sit on the plane for 20 minutes with powder from the so called bomb all over the cabin. The officers that boarded the plane did nothing to ensure our safety and did not check for accomplices or other explosive devices. Several passengers trampled through parts of the bomb as they exited the plane. We were then taken into the terminal with our unchecked carry on bags. Again, there was no concern for our safety even though Umar told the officers that there was another bomb on board as he exited the plane. I wondered why nobody was concerned about our safety, accomplices or other bombs and the lack of concern worried me greatly. I immediately told the FBI my story in order to help catch the accomplice I had seen in Amsterdam. It soon became obvious that the FBI wasn't interested in what I had to say, which upset me further. For one month the government refused to admit the existence of the man in the tan suit before changing course and admitting his existence in an ABC News article on January 22, 2010. That was the last time the government talked about this man. The video that would prove the truth of my account has never been released. I continue to be emotional upset that the video has not been released. The Dutch police, meanwhile, in this article (show article), also confirmed that Umar did not show his passport in Amsterdam which also meant that he didn't go through security as both are in the same line in Amsterdam. It upsets me that the government refuses to admit this fact.

Continued at:
http://haskellfamily.blogspot.com/2012/02/victim-impact-statement.html

More background on this case can be found with internet searches. See also http://www.kurthaskellforcongress.com/index.html