The White House is considering a Northwest Airlines incident as a "terrorism attempt," CNN quoted an administration official as saying on Friday.

This picture shows Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on the runway after arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Amsterdam on Friday, Dec. 25, 2009. A passenger aboard the plane set off firecrackers Friday, causing a commotion and some minor injuries, a Delta official said.[Xinhua/AP Photo]

A man supsected of extremist affiliation on Friday tried to ignite a small explosive device on a Northwest Airlines flight bound to Detroit.

"We believe this was an attempted act of terrorism," a White House official said on condition of anonymity.

U.S. congressman Peter King, the ranking Republican member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told reporters that the suspect was Abdul Mudallad, a 23-year-old Nigerian, who tried to ignite the device prior to the plane's landing in Detroit.

He said the suspect "definitely has terror connections."

King also said the flight began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit.

The suspect was placed in custody and is being treated for burns suffered in the explosion, according to a federal government bulletin obtained by CNN.

The explosive device "was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used," the bulletin said.

U.S. intelligence officials said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid, which failed when the suspect tried to detonate it.

All 278 passengers on the Airbus A330 wide-body jet were evacuated at a Detroit airport upon landing.

"Out of an abundance of caution, the plane was moved to a remote area where the plane and all baggage are currently being rescreened. A passenger is in custody and passengers are being interviewed," the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement.

The interviewing process is still going on.

The flight was operated as Northwest flight 253.

Passengers described brief moments of panic on board, as screams erupted and flight attendants ran for fire extinguishers.

One woman told CNN affiliate WDIV that a man threw a blanket over the suspect's legs to help put out the small fire.

"It was terrifying," a passenger named Richelle Keepman said. "I think we all thought we weren't going to land, we weren't going to make it."

U.S. President Barack Obama, who is spending his Christmas and New Year holidays in his home state of Hawaii, was briefed on the incident in a secure phone call.

Obama instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel, White House spokesman Bill Burton said.

The president made no changes to his schedule.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement, saying that air passengers "may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights."