Nigerian man's visa was turned down by the UK

Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, the London-educated Nigerian man who allegedly tried to blow up a US plane, was banned from re-entering Britain, even as the government stepped up security at all airports in the country.

Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, the London-educated Nigerian man who allegedly tried to blow up a US plane, was banned from re-entering Britain, even as the government stepped up security at all airports in the country.

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Son of a wealthy Nigerian banker, 23-year-old Mutallab, had applied for a new student visa for a six-month UK course in May, but was turned down.

After a meeting of COBRA, the Government's emergency committee yesterday, the state of alert in UK is now likely to go from substantial to severe over the next 48 hours.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "We will continue to take whatever action is necessary to protect passengers on airlines and the public."

Scotland Yards anti-terror cops searched Mutallab three bedrooms flat in Westminster mansion on Sunday for more clues.

US officials charged Mutallab with attempting to detonate a bomb strapped to his leg - and activated with a syringe of chemicals - on the Northwest Airlines Airbus 330 flying from Amsterdam.

US Visa records list Mutallab as a mechanical engineering student from University College London in the city dubbed "Londonistan" by Washington commentators because of repeated links to global terrorism.