CHICAGO, Dec. 25 (XINHUA) -- U.S. Federal investigators are interviewing a 23-year-old passenger from Nigeria who they say ignited an explosive device on a U.S.-bound flight, injuring himself and two others.

The Nigerian man, who was on a Northwest flight, told authorities that he was directed by al-Qaida to ignite a small explosive device in the flight over U.S. soil, according to ABC News.

The man was identified as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. He was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, which took off in Nigeria, heading for Detroit via Amsterdam. The plane was carrying 278 passengers.

"The U.S. government believes the event was an attempted act of terrorism," a White House official told The Detroit News on condition of anonymity.

The suspect had been in a law enforcement intelligence database but was not on the government's no-fly list, a law enforcement official said.

Authorities initially believed the passenger had set off firecrackers that caused some minor injuries.

An official at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport said the passenger was subdued immediately, but gave no details on the injuries. An Federak Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman in Detroit said the incident is being investigated.