Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 25, the Nigerian man who went on a terrorist suicide mission for al-Qaeda in 2009, was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to blow up an international flight with a bomb in his underwear.
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Last fall Abdulmutallab, the well-educated son of a wealthy banker, pleaded guilty to all charges on the second day of trial.
Today, Abdulmutallab sat with his hands folded under his chin, leaning back in his chair as the sentence was announced.
According to the Associated Press, in October Abdulmutallab said the bomb in his underwear was a “blessed weapon” to avenge poorly treated Muslims around the world.
It failed to fully detonate aboard an Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight but caused a brief fire that badly burned his groin.
Passengers pounced on Abdulmutallab and forced him to the front of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 where he was held until the plane landed minutes later.
Abdulmutallab admitted freely to the FBI about his desire to commit martyrdom for his Islamic faith. In 2009, months before the attack, he traveled to Yemen in a desperate bid to see Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric and one of the best-known al-Qaeda figures, according to the government.
He told investigators that his mission was approved after a three-day visit with his mentor.
Prosecutors said in a court filing last week that Abdulmutallab was an:
“Unrepentant would-be mass murderer who views his crimes as divinely inspired and blessed, and who views himself as under a continuing obligation to carry out such crimes.”
Abdulmutallab lawyers argued that his life sentencing was unconstitutional because he physically didn’t hurt anyone and the crime never happened.
Either way, his attempted attacks still caused fear in public.
