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Christmas Day, Northwest Airlines Flight 253
Underwear Bomber Gets Life By Eddy Metcalf |
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February 19, 2012 -
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called
“underwear bomber,” was sentenced on Thursday to life in
prison as a result of his guilty plea to all eight
counts of a federal indictment charging him for his role
in the attempted Christmas Day 2009 bombing of Northwest
Airlines Flight 253. The sentence was handed down by
U.S. District Court Judge Nancy G. Edmunds in Detroit. Abdulmutallab, 25, of Kaduna, Nigeria, pleaded guilty on Oct. 12, 2011, to conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries; attempted murder within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States; willfully placing a destructive device on an aircraft, which was likely to have endangered the safety of the aircraft.
Abdulmutallab also pleaded guilty to attempted use of a
weapon of mass destruction; willfully attempting to
destroy and wreck a civil aircraft; and three counts of
possession of a destructive device in furtherance of a
crime of violence. |
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“As
this investigation and prosecution have shown, Umar Farouk
Abdulmutallab is a remorseless terrorist who believes it is
his duty to kill Americans. For attempting to take the lives
of 289 innocent people, he has been appropriately sentenced
to serve every day of the rest of his life in prison,” said
Attorney General Holder. “Sentence once again underscores
the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in both
incapacitating terrorists and gathering valuable
intelligence from them.”
“On behalf of the victims, we are gratified
that this al Qaeda terrorist has been defeated and will spend
the rest of his life in prison, where he can never hurt innocent
civilians again.
I am very
proud of the work of our prosecutors and agents in Detroit.
Their work shows that the civilian court system is a valuable
mechanism for obtaining intelligence and convicting terrorists
with the legal certainty and transparency that instills public
confidence in American justice,” “The case against Abdulmutallab was a combination of the hard work and dedication of FBI personnel as well as multiple federal, state, and local agencies. Those individuals who experienced Christmas Day 2009 first-hand should be rest assured that justice has been done.” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Arena.
“When it
counted most, under pressure and in the heat of the moment, the
metro Detroit law enforcement community responded as one and
acted decisively,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Moskowitz.
“Their collective actions epitomized the concept of ‘one team,
one fight’ and showed the power of collaboration in the
protection of our homeland.” |