Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab surprised a federal court today by changing his plea to guilty and admitting that he tried to bring down an international flight over Detroit with a bomb in his underwear on Christmas 2009. The bomb didn't work, but the 25-year-old said that he planned to kill all 300 passengers on the plane in retaliation for the killing of Muslims worldwide, the Washington Post reports:
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.
Read more at the Washington Post.
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