Nigerian man pleads guilty to trying to blow up plane over Detroit with bomb in his underwear

Washington Post (AP)

12 October 2011

Nigerian man pleads guilty to trying to blow up plane over Detroit with bomb in his underwear

DETROIT — A Nigerian man said Wednesday he tried to bring down an international flight over Detroit with a bomb in his underwear in retaliation for the killing of Muslims worldwide, taking a federal court by surprise as he pleaded guilty on the second day of his trial.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who had never denied the accusations against him, calmly answered questions from U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds before pleading guilty to all eight charges he faced, including conspiracy to commit terrorism and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

.He then told the courtroom that the underwear bomb was a “blessed weapon to save the lives of innocent Muslims.”

“I intended to wreck a U.S. aircraft for the U.S. wreckage of Muslim lands and property,” Abdulmutallab said.

Outside court, defense attorney Anthony Chambers said Abdulmutallab, who had chosen to represent himself and was being assisted by Chambers, pleaded guilty against the lawyer’s wishes.

“We wanted to continue the trial but we respect his decision,” Chambers said.