Detroit plotter Abdulmutallab indicted by grand jury (Roundup)

Jan 6, 2010, 20:46 GMT

Washington - A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on charges relating to his alleged attempt to blow up a US airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day.

The indictment in Detroit accuses 23-year-old Abdulmutallab of detonating PETN explosives on board the December 25 Delta/Northwest flight from Amsterdam as it was coming in for landing in Detroit.

The explosive failed to ignite, instead causing a small fire that was put out by other passengers and crew. Abdulmutallab has been held in a federal prison in Detroit since the foiled plot.

Abdulmutallab faces six charges, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, which by itself could prompt a sentence of life in prison. The first hearing at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is expected Friday.

The other charges are: Attempted murder within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States; willful attempt to destroy and wreck an aircraft; willfully placing a destructive device on an aircraft; and two counts possession of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence.