Nigerian Man Indicted in Bombing Attempt
Updated 8:53 p.m. EST
A Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day was indicted Wednesday on charges including attempted murder and trying to use a weapon of mass destruction to kill nearly 300 people.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was traveling from Amsterdam when he tried to destroy the plane carrying by injecting chemicals into a package of pentrite explosive concealed in his underwear, authorities say. The failed attack caused popping sounds and flames that passengers and crew rushed to extinguish.
Special Report: The Christmas Day Terror Attack
Court papers also reveal the device hidden by Abdulmutallab in his underwear was strikingly similar to the shoe bomb worn by Richard Reid in 2001, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr. Both were made of two "high explosives" - PETN and TATP - a deadly and popular combination favored by al Qaeda bomb-makers.
Read the indictment against Abdulmutallab
The grand jury's indictment said the bomb was designed to detonate "at a time of his choosing."
Officials say that's what he tried to do as the jet was on final approach to Detroit. But, the bomb fizzled when chemicals injected into the explosives didn't produce enough heat to cause a blast, Orr reports.
The Los Angeles Times reported late Wednesday that U.S. border security officials learned of the intelligence concerns about Abdulmutallab while he was in the air and planned to question him when he landed.
The new information highlights how close U.S. officials came to preventing Abdulmutallab from boarding the flight, the Times reported.
There is no specific mention of terrorism in the seven-page indictment, but President Obama considers the incident a failed strike against the United States by an affiliate of al Qaeda.
Abdulmutallab has told U.S. investigators he received training and instructions from al Qaeda operatives in Yemen. His father warned the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria that his son had drifted into extremism in Yemen, but that threat was never fully digested by the U.S. security apparatus.
Since the failed attack, airlines and the Transportation Security Administration have boosted security in airports in the U.S. and around the world. Mr. Obama has said the government had information that could have stopped the attempted attack, but intelligence agencies failed to connect the dots.
Abdulmutallab faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to use a bomb on the plane. He is being held at a federal prison in Milan, Mich., and a message seeking comment was left Wednesday with his lawyers, Miriam Siefer and Leroy Soles.
"This investigation is fast-paced, global and ongoing, and it has already yielded valuable intelligence that we will follow wherever it leads," 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."
Abdulmutallab will make his first appearance in federal court on Friday for an arraignment and a hearing to determine if he stays in custody. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Randon is expected to preside over the arraignment, which has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at the federal courthouse in Detroit, CBS News reports.
"Short of actual murder, these are some of the most serious charges in the criminal code," said Lloyd Meyer, a former terrorism prosecutor at U.S. war crimes tribunals at the Guantanamo Bay prison. "These charges are tailored to the facts of what happened over the sky in Detroit."
© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day was indicted Wednesday on charges including attempted murder and trying to use a weapon of mass destruction to kill nearly 300 people.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was traveling from Amsterdam when he tried to destroy the plane carrying by injecting chemicals into a package of pentrite explosive concealed in his underwear, authorities say. The failed attack caused popping sounds and flames that passengers and crew rushed to extinguish.
Special Report: The Christmas Day Terror Attack
Court papers also reveal the device hidden by Abdulmutallab in his underwear was strikingly similar to the shoe bomb worn by Richard Reid in 2001, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr. Both were made of two "high explosives" - PETN and TATP - a deadly and popular combination favored by al Qaeda bomb-makers.
Read the indictment against Abdulmutallab
The grand jury's indictment said the bomb was designed to detonate "at a time of his choosing."
Officials say that's what he tried to do as the jet was on final approach to Detroit. But, the bomb fizzled when chemicals injected into the explosives didn't produce enough heat to cause a blast, Orr reports.
The Los Angeles Times reported late Wednesday that U.S. border security officials learned of the intelligence concerns about Abdulmutallab while he was in the air and planned to question him when he landed.
The new information highlights how close U.S. officials came to preventing Abdulmutallab from boarding the flight, the Times reported.
There is no specific mention of terrorism in the seven-page indictment, but President Obama considers the incident a failed strike against the United States by an affiliate of al Qaeda.
Abdulmutallab has told U.S. investigators he received training and instructions from al Qaeda operatives in Yemen. His father warned the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria that his son had drifted into extremism in Yemen, but that threat was never fully digested by the U.S. security apparatus.
Since the failed attack, airlines and the Transportation Security Administration have boosted security in airports in the U.S. and around the world. Mr. Obama has said the government had information that could have stopped the attempted attack, but intelligence agencies failed to connect the dots.
Abdulmutallab faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to use a bomb on the plane. He is being held at a federal prison in Milan, Mich., and a message seeking comment was left Wednesday with his lawyers, Miriam Siefer and Leroy Soles.
"This investigation is fast-paced, global and ongoing, and it has already yielded valuable intelligence that we will follow wherever it leads," 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."
Abdulmutallab will make his first appearance in federal court on Friday for an arraignment and a hearing to determine if he stays in custody. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Randon is expected to preside over the arraignment, which has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at the federal courthouse in Detroit, CBS News reports.
"Short of actual murder, these are some of the most serious charges in the criminal code," said Lloyd Meyer, a former terrorism prosecutor at U.S. war crimes tribunals at the Guantanamo Bay prison. "These charges are tailored to the facts of what happened over the sky in Detroit."
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What a laughing stock we are.
///This guy could have told us plenty about the operation and leaders that sent him here, instead he is alrady lawyared up, and treated like he is an American Citizen. He has expectations of being treated well, eating well, even reading his Koran in peace. He will never talk.
This insanity at a time of War must make the Progressive feel good, but for the rest of us, it makes us sick. Here's WHY :
This policy is putting more American citizens at great risk. Therefore, we are LESS SAFE under Pres. Obama vs. Bush and Chaney.
This policy is putting more American citizens at great risk. Therefore, we are LESS SAFE under Pres. Obama vs. Bush and Chaney."
Obama score : 1 failed attack
Bush and Cheney score : 911 (about 3000 victims) + 1 failed attack (Richard Reid, the "shoe bomber").
After this, Bush and Cheney had 7+ years to fix the problem ...
Obama not one year yet ...
abbe: Radical Islam rejoices in weakness, makes heroes out of baby killers, and now they don't even have to worry about being harshly interrogated by US forces. Want facts, just read the story on the AP about how Fatah has stopped TORTURE of HAMAS members in the West Bank, like stringing someone up for 80 days straight ! and worse. and ABAS and FATAH are the so called "Moderates". We are living in a dream world.
Time to wake up.
If I am correct then we should offer him a lawyer and a fair trial. Ok I will give you that. We could take him and the Somali Pirate and put them in a hard labor camp or make them pound sand for the rest of their life's. I say give him the trial and if convicted then shoot him in the head and be done with him.
I feel this should be a crime against America and be dealt with as such. Bobnjersey this is not too complex for me to understand, you will never here me mock or make fun of any one on these blogs and I do value your point. U just feel that we need to deal with this fast and efficiently. After conviction shoot him.
How about this one "you got a perdy mouth"
Semper Fi Marine.
Don't forget if he takes a rehab class he will shave his time by 9 months. So he will only be in for 2 years. If the trial takes 1 year he will get that as time served so Next December he should be able to head back to Nigeria.
This boy is just a kid--but based on what he tried to do, he is :
1. Crazy
2. A fanatic
3. And no matter how many years behind bars--he will remain a threat to society--if not in actions then in ideology.
the possible prison sentence is waaaaay too lenient.
they kill them--they kill the tokens that are a threat to their empire and regime--they don't kill the rich ones or the ones with rich connections and relatives. Doesn't anyone wonder how Bin Laden is surviving for YEARS in the mountains with a dialysis machine? Where does he plug it in? Into a large pile of rocks?
Hope this clears it up.
he's not a soldier ... and there's no war declared. trying to hijack or bring down a plane is a crime ... one that's can be characterized by the charges filed.
why do you think this is the only way you can see it?
[... he is essentially a spy and should be treated as one - lined up against a wall and shot - no trial, no due diligence - just shot. That's how spy's are treated throughout history - if you commit and military act without a uniform you are a spy and therefore no longer subject to the rules of war. ]
what secrets was he trying to garner from the u.s.?