Washington, Dec 27 : US federal officials brought criminal charges Saturday against a Nigerian man suspected of trying to destroy a Northwest Airlines aircraft Friday as it approached the airport in Detroit, Michigan.

The US Department of Justice said that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, had tried to set off an explosion using PETN, also known as pentaerythritol, a high explosive.

The material is similar to that used in the bombing attempt by the so-called shoe bomber in December 2001, Richard Reid, media reports said.

FBI agents also recovered apparent remnants of a syringe from the vicinity of Abdulmutallabs seat, believed to have been part of the device.

"This alleged attack on a US airplane on Christmas Day shows that we must remain vigilant in the fight against terrorism at all times," Attorney General Eric Holder said. "Had this alleged plot to destroy an airplane been successful, scores of innocent people would have been killed or injured."(DPA)