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Trial to begin for man accused of trying to
bring down plane with bomb in his underwear
By Associated Press
Mon Oct 3,2011
DETROIT — The trial of a young African accused of trying to
bring down an airliner near Detroit with a bomb in his underwear
is no whodunit. Prosecutors have his hospital-bed confession,
dozens of witnesses, remnants of the explosive and an al-Qaida
video featuring the 24-year-old explaining his suicide mission.
Nonetheless, the prosecution of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
carries high stakes. His failed attack was the first act of
terrorism in the U.S. during the Obama administration, and it
could have implications in the debate over whether terrorism
suspects should be tried in civilian or military courts.
The case, which starts Tuesday with jury selection, also
revealed the rise of a dangerous al-Qaida affiliate and the
growing influence of a radical Islamic cleric, who was killed by
a CIA-U.S. military strike only last week.
Abdulmutallab, a well-educated Nigerian from an upper-class
family who has pleaded not guilty, was directed by American-born
cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and said he wanted to become a martyr on
Christmas 2009 when he boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in
Amsterdam with nearly 300 passengers and crew, according to the
government.
A conviction on multiple charges could bolster the argument that
suspected terrorists should be prosecuted through civilian
courts, not military proceedings. Full-throated bipartisan
opposition forced the Obama administration to cancel a New York
trial for professed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,
although there have been no similar issues in Detroit.
“Convictions that are achieved in federal court using proper
procedures will be upheld on appeal. That’s simply too powerful
a tool for the president not to use,” said Vijay Padmanabhan, a
former State Department lawyer who handled cases involving
terror-related detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
“What people will be looking to see is whether the
administration can bring what appears be a fairly
straightforward case to fruition,” Padmanabhan said.
Abdulmutallab faces eight charges, including conspiracy to
commit terrorism and attempted use of a weapon of mass
destruction. The government says he wanted to blow up the plane
by detonating chemicals in his underwear, just seven minutes
before Flight 253 was to land at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
But the bomb didn’t work. Passengers assisted by crew members
saw flames and pounced on Abdulmutallab.
Smoke was everywhere and “we thought we were losing our lives,”
said Patricia “Scotti” Keepman of Oconomowoc, Wis., who was
seated many rows behind Abdulmutallab with her husband, daughter
and two newly adopted children from Ethiopia.
“We held hands and said, ‘Jesus loves me.’ The flight attendant
was screaming,” Keepman said. “Our goal was to not let these
kids know we might not make it. ... He’s forgiven in our eyes
but he needs to be held accountable in a trial. It’s as simple
as that.”
The government says Abdulmutallab willingly explained the plot
twice, first to U.S. border officers who took him off the plane
and then in more detail to FBI agents who interviewed him at a
hospital for 50 minutes, following treatment for serious burns
to his groin.
Abdulmutallab told authorities he trained in Yemen, home base
for Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. He said he was influenced
by al-Awlaki, who was killed Friday by an air strike that
President Barack Obama called a “major blow” to al-Qaida’s most
dangerous franchise.
Following the strike, a U.S. official outlined new details of
al-Awlaki’s involvement against the U.S., including
Abdulmutallab’s alleged mission. The official, who spoke on
condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said al-Awlaki
specifically directed Abdulmutallab to detonate an explosive
device over U.S. airspace to maximize casualties.
Officials have said al-Awlaki was believed to be at a gathering
of al-Qaida figures in Yemen’s Shabwa mountains a day before the
attack, after which Osama bin Laden appeared in a video
declaring Abdulmutallab a “hero.” Abdulmutallab also has been
lauded by al-Qaida’s English-language Web magazine Inspire,
whose editor was killed along with al-Awlaki.
Al-Awlaki’s name had been expected to come up during
Abdulmutallab’s trial, but his death put it back in the
headlines and possibly the consciousness of potential jurors.
Abdulmutallab is acting as his own lawyer. Anthony Chambers, an
attorney appointed to assist him, said al-Awlaki’s death might
make jury selection more difficult but isn’t relevant to the
trial.
“This case centers around the actions of Mr. Abdulmutallab, or
the lack of actions, on a specific date in question,” Chambers
said.
During several court appearances, Abdulmutallab has spoken
politely to the judge but never grilled a witness. Chambers, an
attorney for 26 years, will probably conduct cross-examinations
at trial.
“Anytime someone tries to defend themselves, they’re in a
difficult position,” Chambers said. “Clearly this is a
complicated case even for an experienced lawyer.”
Abdulmutallab has suggested he will interview some prospective
jurors and may give his own opening statement. He has made
references to Islam’s holy book, the Quran, and asked that the
case be judged under Islamic law — a request quickly swept aside
by U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds.
The government plans to show video demonstrations of an
explosive, identical to the one Abdulmutallab carried onto the
plane, being detonated in a field. When Abdulmutallab complained
during a recent hearing that the demonstration is not the same
as on a plane, the judge admonished him that such a display
would be “extremely prejudicial” and worse for jurors to see.
Abdulmutallab’s ability to defeat airport security in Amsterdam
accelerated the deployment of full-body scanners at American
airports. The Transportation Security Administration was using
the scanners in some U.S. cities at the time, but the attack
accelerated their placement. There are now nearly 500 devices
nationwide.
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Associated Press Writer Matt Apuzzo in Washington contributed to
this report.
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