Washington, December 27: Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, charged with trying to blow up a US plane mid air, faces a prison term up to 20 years if convicted and a fine of up to USD 250,000.
The 23—year—old Nigerian national, who was arraigned today, was brought on a wheel chair into a conference room of a Detroit hospital.
Wearing a green gown and blue hospital socks, with one hand cuffed to his chair, he had a bandage on his left thumb and right wrist, and part of the skin on the thumb was burnt off.
The judge sat at the far end of a 10-foot table, the suspect at the other end, a media report said.
Abdulmutallab, 23, has been charged with “willfully” attempting to destroy the Amsterdam-Detroit Northwest Flight 253 and with placing a destructive device on the aircraft.
The charges were filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit.
“Each count carries a prison term of 20 years in federal prison,” reported Action News of Detroit — whose reporter was among the two journalists allowed inside the make shift court room hearing.
“During the arraignment Adbulmutallab did not say much, however, he did speak very good English. He answered the questions that Judge Paul Borman asked, telling him that he understood the charges he was facing,” the paper said.
—PTI