Detroit plotter Abdulmutallab indicted by grand jury
January 7th, 2010 - 6:19 am ICT by IANSWashington, Jan 7 (DPA) A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on charges relating to his alleged attempt to blow up a US airliner on Dec 25 over Detroit.
The indictment in Detroit accuses 23-year-old Abdulmutallab of detonating PETN explosives on board a Delta-Northwest flight from Amsterdam as it was coming in for landing in Detroit. The explosive failed to detonate but caused a small fire that was extinguished by other passengers and crew.
Abdulmutallab faces six criminal charges, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, which could bring a sentence of life in prison if convicted. The first hearing at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is expected Friday.
Abdulmutallab has been held in a federal prison in Detroit since the failed attack. The White House, which has drawn criticism from some conservatives for trying Abdulmutallab in a civilian instead of military court, has said he provided useful intelligence to
interrogators.
This investigation is fast-paced, global and ongoing, and it has already yielded valuable intelligence that we will follow wherever it leads,” US Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. “Anyone we find responsible for this alleged attack will be brought to justice using every tool - military or judicial - available to our
government.”
The other charges Abdulmutallab faces are: attempted murder within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States; wilful attempt to destroy and wreck an aircraft; wilfully placing a destructive device on an aircraft; and two counts of possession of a
destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence.
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Tags: alleged attack, criminal charges, dec 25, destructive device, eastern district of michigan, eric holder, farouk, federal grand jury, federal prison, furtherance, interrogators, jan 7, landing in detroit, life in prison, military court, northwest flight, petn explosives, us district court, use of a weapon, weapon of mass destruction
