Undated photo obtained on December 29, 2009 shows Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab posing in London.MIKE RIMMER
The 23-year-old Nigerian Muslim accused of attempting to blow up a Detroit-bound jet on Christmas Day pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of attempted murder and possession of weapons of mass destruction.
In shackles with his head shaved, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab said little during a brief appearance in a heavily guarded Detroit courtroom.
Multiple security and intelligence failures allowed the would-be terrorist to board a transatlantic flight with nearly 300 people onboard. Only a malfunctioning chemical detonator and quick-thinking passengers prevented the worst death toll from a terrorist attack since Sept. 11, 2001. The passengers, led by a Dutch filmmaker, overpowered Mr. Abdulmutallab, snatched a smoking syringe from him and doused the fire started when the bomb sewn into his underwear failed to explode. The flight landed minutes later.
Mr. Abdulmutallab, the son of a prominent Nigerian banker, is apparently spilling his story to interrogators and a plea bargain may be in the offing.
Otherwise, he could face life in prison if convicted.
U.S. Attorney-General Eric Holder has said interrogation of Mr. Abdulmutallab has already provided "valuable intelligence," presumably about al-Qeada's operations in Yemen where he is said to have trained for the attack.
However, the lead prosecutor in the case, Barbara McQuade, said it is premature to talk about a deal. "If he wants to plead guilty, he has the right to do that," she said. "We need to prepare as if this case is going to trial."
Small groups of American Muslims and Nigerian-Americans carrying signs denouncing Mr. Abdulmutallab and extremist violence gathered outside the courthouse yesterday.
Maryam Uwais, a Nigerian lawyer, and Mahmud Kazaure, an American lawyer of Nigerian origin, both hired by Mr. Abdulmutallab's family, were present in the courtroom. Neither, however, are part of the defence team headed by public defender Miriam Siefer, who has been involved in other high-profile and controversial terrorism cases.
Any trial could be months or years away.
Mr. Abdulmutallab said almost nothing during the brief appearance.
Asked if he had taken any drugs or alcohol in the last 24 hours, he said he was still on painkillers - apparently as a result of the serious burns he suffered to his legs - but that he understood the charges.
Congress will be probing what went wrong - President Barack Obama has admitted there was a cascade of intelligence failures - with Senate hearings planned for later this month.
"Human error, poor judgments, outmoded systems and the sheer volume of data can still cause failures in the government's ability to detect terrorist plots as the recent attacks at Fort Hood and on Christmas Day demonstrate," said Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine. She called for all visas issued to visitors to the United States to be checked against the Homeland Security watch list of nearly half a million names.