A local Islamic leader in Detroit has said he was disturbed by the attack in a plane about to land there. He called for Muslims to work with law enforcement agencies to fight terrorism.
"We want to do everything we can to make sure this doesn't happen," said Victor Begg, of Bloomfield
Hills, head of the Council of Islamic Organisations of Michigan. "We want to be on the front lines to help law enforcement."
The Muslim community should partner with law enforcement agencies "to stop these maniacs -- who in the name of religion -- pursue these political goals", Detroit Free Press Journal quoted Begg as saying Friday.
Begg said that he and family members had taken Northwest flights from Amsterdam to Detroit.
"We could have been on that flight," Begg said. "These guys kill indiscriminately."
Begg and the council helped organise an event Friday where Muslims and Jews worked together to help the needy in metro Detroit on Christmas Day.
"It's really depressing," Begg said of the incident Friday on the plane. "It sets back all the work we do."