"Underwear bomber" gets life in prison

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab appears in U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds' courtroom in Detroit Oct. 12, 2011, in this courtroom drawing. (AP Photo/Jerry Lemenu)

(AP)

DETROIT - A Nigerian who tried to blow up an international flight near Detroit on behalf of al Qaeda has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The mandatory punishment Thursday for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was never in doubt after he pleaded guilty in October. The 25-year-old says the bomb in his underwear was a "blessed weapon" to avenge poorly treated Muslims worldwide.

The bomb didn't fully detonate aboard an Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight in 2009 but caused a brief fire that burned Abdulmutallab.

He admitted afterward that the attack was inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American-born cleric and leading al Qaeda figure killed by a U.S. drone strike last fall.

Federal Judge Nancy Edmunds announced the sentence in a crowded courtroom that included some passengers from Northwest Airlines Flight 253.

Before the sentencing, Abdulmutallab called it a "day of victory."

Abdulmutallab spoke briefly in court Thursday before prosecutors asked a judge to order the mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Abdulmutallab says the Quran instructs Muslims to kill people in the name of God. He also says Jews must be driven out of Palestine.

As the hearing started, U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds refused to set aside a federal law that calls for a mandatory life sentence for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. His attorney said it would be cruel and unconstitutional punishment when there was no death or serious injury to passengers.

But Edmunds said such a declaration would run counter to decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Abdulmutallab, wearing a white skull cap and an oversized prison T-shirt, was back in court four months after pleading guilty on the second day of his terrorism trial. The hearing was an open platform for passengers and crew who want to speak, but only five of nearly 300 addressed the court.

Abdulmutallab tried to detonate explosive chemicals that were hidden in his underwear minutes before the plane landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The government says he first performed a ritual in the lavatory — brushing his teeth and perfuming himself — and returned to his seat. The device didn't work as planned, but still produced flame, smoke and panic in the cabin.

"I've become bolder. I've become stronger," said passenger Shama Chopra, 56, of Montreal, who plans to speak in court. She ran unsuccessfully for the Canadian Parliament in 2011, a race she couldn't have imagined joining years ago.

"I don't have to feel weak," Chopra said in an interview Wednesday. "I don't have to be scared of anything. God has given me a second chance to live."

On the second day of the trial in October, Abdulmutallab suddenly pleaded guilty to all charges. In a defiant speech, he said he was carrying a "blessed weapon" to avenge Muslims who have been killed or poorly treated around the world. He admitted he was inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American-born cleric and leading al Qaeda figure in Yemen who was killed by a U.S. drone strike last fall.

"The Quran obliges every able Muslim to participate in jihad and fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, and kill them wherever you find them ... an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," Abdulmutallab said.

Anthony Chambers, an attorney appointed to assist Abdulmutallab, said nine members of Abdulmutallab's family, including his father, traveled to Detroit but don't plan to be in court.

In a court filing ahead of the hearing, Chambers urged Edmunds to declare that a mandatory life sentence is unconstitutional.

"Not one passenger lost his or her life. Not one passenger suffered life-threatening injuries," Chambers said.

The government said that is not the threshold.

"Unsuccessful terrorist attacks still engender fear in the broader public, which, after all, is one of their main objectives," prosecutors said in a court filing Wednesday.

The case also had lasting implications for security screening at American airports.

Abdulmutallab's ability to defeat security in Amsterdam contributed to the deployment of full-body scanners at U.S. airports. The Transportation Security Administration was using the scanners in some American cities at the time, but the attack accelerated their placement.

There are now hundreds of the devices nationwide.

Below watch evidence presented in court regarding Abdulmutallab's underwear bomb.

Comments Page: 1 2 posted on 02-16-2012, 15:12:41 PM Obi Abdulmutallab, bags mandatory life sentence Abdulmutallab, bags mandatory life sentence On February 16, 2012 · In News Email0 US District Judge Nancy Edmunds has sentenced Nigerian born ‘underwear’ bomber Umar Abdulmutallab to mandatory life sentence. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 25, was sentenced after pleading guilty in October to eight charges, including the attempted murder of 289 people on board Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines Flight 253. Comm posted on 02-16-2012, 15:14:05 PM Obi Re: Abdulmutallab, bags mandatory life sentence Another good riddance posted on 02-16-2012, 19:02:37 PM Benjani Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison Oh Judge! Why did you temper justice with mercy? You should've given him another "underwear bomb" to strap on. Only this time we make sure it goes off. posted on 02-16-2012, 20:31:47 PM Bill Carson Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison Very sad how Umar ended up, he came from a very decent family. posted on 02-16-2012, 21:12:56 PM Benjani Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison @Bill Carson: [Very sad how Umar ended up, he came from a very decent family.] Decent family, how do you know that? Because his family is rich nde? Fa fa fa FOUL! Ewure(goat) will forever give birth to Ewure, Nkita(dog) will forever give birth Nkita and Kura(hyena) will forever give birth to Kura. posted on 02-16-2012, 22:33:25 PM Tthewiz Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison I thought he was just brain washed and would have realised by now how wrong he was, but it seems he is truly a murdering, evil person. Good riddance and hope he is never paroled. posted on 02-17-2012, 01:05:47 AM Igboamaeze Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison ----- I'm heading to Twitter to hear from the midget and his jesters. And what did I find? Silence. Deafening silence... posted on 02-17-2012, 01:37:15 AM Agensheku Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison So, when are our "home-made" daytime bombers having their own days in court? No matter what "confessions" they are making to their interrogators, they still have to be formally charged before their kiths and kins outside resume bombing telling America to release the pant bomber convict or they would mow Aso villa down. posted on 02-17-2012, 01:58:15 AM Kemet Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison QUOTE: Abdulmutallab says the Quran instructs Muslims to kill people in the name of God. He also says Jews must be driven out of Palestine. Where all dose bad Muslims wey no de understand them terror manual dry yarn "religious of peace". Hear it from a man who is ready to put his put his balls on the line for his faith. Put his balls where his mouth is. posted on 02-17-2012, 05:00:47 AM Lol Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison Most Muslims are cowards anyway, they are either terrorist who shoot from far, while the so called moderate ones secretly support the terrorists in their midst in the name of "fellow Muslim" Islam is one mess of a religion to be honest. The founder was a rapist who married a toddler while attacking non believers. It's a shame his followrs today have no idea what sort of religions they are into. posted on 02-17-2012, 05:16:42 AM Ranter Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison Hw would not be needing under wears as he's gonna be someone's bit'h in the pen. Hope they serve him only bacon until he croaks. posted on 02-17-2012, 06:39:45 AM Exxcuzme Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison QUOTE: Most Muslims are cowards anyway, they are either terrorist who shoot from far, while the so called moderate ones secretly support the terrorists in their midst in the name of \"fellow Muslim\" Islam is one mess of a religion to be honest. The founder was a rapist who married a toddler while attacking non believers. It's a shame his followrs today have no idea what sort of religions they are into. Good job dildo, your first post was a rant posted on 02-17-2012, 07:01:32 AM Mikky jaga Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison Why did the FG lawyers allow the guy to be given the maximum sentence? They have disgraced Nigeria, honestly. posted on 02-17-2012, 07:14:40 AM Bill Carson Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison QUOTE: @Bill Carson: [Very sad how Umar ended up, he came from a very decent family.] Decent family, how do you know that? Because his family is rich nde? Fa fa fa FOUL! Ewure(goat) will forever give birth to Ewure, Nkita(dog) will forever give birth Nkita and Kura(hyena) will forever give birth to Kura. Benjani, I know the family very well and they are good people. Umar just happened to be the black sheep of the family. posted on 02-17-2012, 09:11:24 AM Nijalaw Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison QUOTE: Benjani, I know the family very well and they are good people. Umar just happened to be the black sheep of the family. The usual black sheep excuse. Crap!!!!! Is that your own excuse too?? posted on 02-17-2012, 11:35:41 AM Agensheku Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison QUOTE: Why did the FG lawyers allow the guy to be given the maximum sentence? They have disgraced Nigeria, honestly. With BH flying the green-white-green flag at half-mast, this is the most inauspicious time for Federal government of Nigeria to be entering any allocutus for the pant bomber. The Judge would have asked our lawyers to go tell it to the marines. posted on 02-17-2012, 18:21:18 PM Mgborogwu Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison Thank you, District Judge. Contrary to some who think he should have got the lethal injection or electric chair, I think that he got the best sentence as he can now be kept in solitary confinement for the rest of his life; no parole, ever! Moreover, Nigeria has more to benefit from putting away this scum midget because the zombie Hausa/Fulani/northern terrorists now have one less Islamic murderer to operate with. posted on 02-18-2012, 01:40:01 AM Pukpabi Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison Folks: What kind of religion is this? It just doesn't seem to be "a religion of peace." If Allah wants to kill, he should do it himself. As for me and my people, I worship the God of Mercy and compassion; the God of Love and Peace. Paschal Ukpabi, Esq. posted on 02-18-2012, 03:02:07 AM Patcho Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison Everyday for the thief, one day for the owner. And this goes for Muttalab family who lived in opulence while their immediate neighbors hurted & hurts. posted on 02-18-2012, 13:45:49 PM Chinedu nwobu Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison The guy deserved to be either crucified so as to die slowly on a stake, or buried alive. alternatively he could be cremated alive, or thrown into a zoo to be devoured by a roaring lion or have his hands and legs cut off, his eyes blinded with acid and left to die slowly in a zoo. He deserves nothing but severe torture and slow death to teach mass murderers like him a lesson. posted on 02-18-2012, 14:57:41 PM Chinedu nwobu Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison @Bill Carson what decent family does that mass murderer come from when his father was one of the legendary thieves that looted nigeria to the grave? From where did his father get the £4 million pounds or 1 billion naira with which he bought his mansion in london? How much was his fathers total salary as a minister and as a first bank employee for him to have casually forked out £4 million the equivalent of 1 billion naira to buy his mansion in london? His father was purely and simply among the criminals that robbed and ruined the nation. In more serious nations his father would have been executed for looting. There is no decency in such a family and all of them deserve to be prosecuted and executed period!. posted on 02-18-2012, 15:12:38 PM Emj Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison I wish the Mutallab family well as they must have resigned to faith by now. They tried to raise a son, but he choose his own path......he's now left to live with it. His mission was to destroy,but ends up a living dead. May we never have cause to be so exposed by our children. And for those running around like hares to cast aspersions on the dad..Alhaji Umaru Muttallab the former executive VC, CEO/MD of the United Bank Of Africa when banking was real banking.....get yourselves some zoobo drink.......and some real memory upgrade. posted on 02-18-2012, 16:05:26 PM Auspicious Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison QUOTE: I wish the Mutallab family well as they must have resigned to faith by now. They tried to raise a son, but he choose his own path......he's now left to live with it. His mission was to destroy,but ends up a living dead. May we never have cause to be so exposed by our children. And for those running around like hares to cast aspersions on the dad..Alhaji Umaru Muttallab the former executive VC, CEO/MD of the United Bank Of Africa when banking was real banking.....get yourselves some zoobo drink.......and some real memory upgrade. Eh, you dey min' dem? For dem, enibodi wen get moni, na tif. Funi pepo. -- posted on 02-18-2012, 16:53:32 PM Bill Carson Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison QUOTE: @Bill Carson what decent family does that mass murderer come from when his father was one of the legendary thieves that looted nigeria to the grave? From where did his father get the £4 million pounds or 1 billion naira with which he bought his mansion in london? How much was his fathers total salary as a minister and as a first bank employee for him to have casually forked out £4 million the equivalent of 1 billion naira to buy his mansion in london? His father was purely and simply among the criminals that robbed and ruined the nation. In more serious nations his father would have been executed for looting. There is no decency in such a family and all of them deserve to be prosecuted and executed period!. Mr. Nwobu, Alh. Mutallab is a well known industrialist, he has one of the largest construction companies in Nigeria. I can roll out names of over twenty Igbo and Yoruba young men that have properties worth over £4m each in London without a traceable source of Income, that is where your searchlight should focus. Go to Kaduna and check out Mutallab’s investments, then you will appreciate how modest a man he is. posted on 02-19-2012, 01:23:31 AM Benjani Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison [Benjani, I know the family very well and they are good people. Umar just happened to be the black sheep of the family.] @Bill Carson: You thought you knew the family very well but you are wrong. Had someone told you 5 years ago that a Mutallab would be a suicide bomber you would've said HELL NO! Naturally, these people nomadic are marauders. One thing marauders does best is violently taking what doesn't belong to them. When things are going their ways, they lay low and enjoy it, but when not, they become murderers. @Emj: [And for those running around like hares to cast aspersions on the dad..Alhaji Umaru Muttallab the former executive VC, CEO/MD of the United Bank Of Africa when banking was real banking.....get yourselves some zoobo drink.......and some real memory upgrade.] No aspersions casting here at all. All you see are statements of facts. Being a former VC, CEO/MD all denote one thing and one thing only, that he was a salaried worker just like you and I. When he held those positions, he wasn't earnning N1million per month. Calculate his pay for those years, then deduct the apropriate taxes and expences, you will find that what is left CANNOT secure him 1/4th of the empire he has today. Isn't time to show our leaders that they can't fool all the people all the time? So, instead of memory upgrade, it should be memory debugging. The decision making process will not function properly until the bug is removed. @Auspicious: [Eh, you dey min' dem? For dem, enibodi wen get moni, na tif. Funi pepo.] Atiku get moni, Babangida get moni, Obasanjo get moni Orji Uzor Kalu get moni and Alamieyeseigha get moni. Biko nu, tell us how dem get their buku moni o. Na tru inheritance from their fathers or na tif tif? Wen pepo see road and they countinue to enter for bush naim be di mother of all FUNI. posted on 02-19-2012, 06:08:36 AM Eire Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison His father... Umaru Mutallab was the Nigerian Minister of Economic Development in 1975. He then spent a decade as the Managing Director and CEO of United Bank for Africa. For the last ten years, Umaru has been the chairman of the First Bank of Nigeria. So, Abdulmutallab’s father was instrumental through his government position in facilitating the World Bank and IMF’s entrance into the Nigerian economic system. He then goes on to head up several banks making himself filthy rich while the vast majority of Nigeria is impoverished to unprecedented degrees all the time and kept in check by ruthless police and military oppression. That’s the “underwear bomber’s” “banker” father; a corrupt Nigerian banker with excessive connections to the IMF and the World Bank and who OWES everything he has to them. So far what we know about Daddy Warbucks is this; he went to the State Department (U.S. Embassy) and then he went to the CIA offices in Nigeria supposedly to “warn” them about his “radicalized” son. Yet, no emails or web comments appear to make Abdulmutallab look very radical. So why was Daddy Warbucks with his deep IMF and World Bank connections really meeting with the State Department (US Embassy) and CIA? Why is it that after the supposed “warnings” Abdulmutallab was STILL able to get on that flight with all the warning signs and red flags? 2. The Underwear Bombers Mother Abdulmutallab’s mother isn’t talked about much. Ever wonder why that is? Well, I’ll tell you; it’s because she is from Yemen. That’s right. Yes, Abdulmutallab went to Yemen. But is it possible he went to visit his mother or other relatives there and NOT “al-Qaeda” operatives? It’s hard to figure out, because everything about his mother is being scrubbed up on the net. Very little is being said about her and who she is. Yemen increased its national debt to the tune of 5 billion dollars from July to September of this year (they may have borrowed more since Sept). The IMF, World Bank, and Paris Club members are on the hook for that money if the revolution in Yemen is successful. A World Bank and IMF indebted super wealthy “free-market” reformer in Nigeria goes to the State Department and then to the CIA in Nigeria to talk about his son. The FBI announces immediately that the son “confessed’ that it was all Yemen’s fault. After the attack, all the banking controlled congressmen and the Obama administration announce we will attack “the terrorists” in Yemen and thus help “stabilize” the current corrupt government of that nation. Now, one more thing… this one is funny actually that no one else caught it. Daddy Warbucks, Umaru Mutallab (remember, one of the wealthiest men in Africa, banker extraordinaire) played a major role in introducing Islamic banking into Nigeria. Islamic Banking is represented and organized globally by what is called the Islamic Development Bank which is deeply involved with Nigeria now (thanks in part to Umaru Mutallab) mainly through a bank called Jaiz Bank. Umaru Mutallab sits on the board of Jaiz Bank and is in fact it’s chairman. posted on 02-19-2012, 09:09:31 AM Chinedu nwobu Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison @Bill Carson you said that the Mutallab father is the owner of a construction company and thus a contractor. That has actually said it all. If you dont know what government contractors do in nigeria, i would be very surprised. Contactors or construction company owners are actually among the kingpins of nigerian corruption. They share money for contracts without actually doing anything. Every nigeria has a budget and contracts are awarded but nothing is ever done. Have you ever asked yourself where the money goes? Answer: it is shared between government officials and the contractors. there is no way Abdulmutallab father could have made all his money through his legitimate earnings. He is corrupt to the hilt as banker, former minister and government contractor. posted on 02-19-2012, 16:43:30 PM Bill Carson Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison QUOTE: there is no way Abdulmutallab father could have made all his money through his legitimate earnings. He is corrupt to the hilt as banker, former minister and government contractor. We should then agree that Soludo and Ngozi as banker and Government Minister respectively are corrupt to the hilt. posted on 02-21-2012, 12:50:54 PM Chinedu nwobu Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison @ Bill Carson if you can show me a £4 million or even £2 million pound house owned by Soludo or Ngozi i will agree with you! Meanwhile go and investigate the scams construction contractors are involved in in nigeria and you will get the gist. posted on 02-21-2012, 12:58:33 PM Bill Carson Re: "underwear Bomber" Gets Life In Prison QUOTE: @ Bill Carson if you can show me a £4 million or even £2 million pound house owned by Soludo or Ngozi i will agree with you! Meanwhile go and investigate the scams construction contractors are involved in in nigeria and you will get the gist. Soludo has a house in NW London worth over £2m, easy to verify. Go to the Full Discussion Thread Comments Page: 1 2