Underwear bomber” appeals life term sentence
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the "underwear bomber"
The notice of appeal by the “underwear bomber” was dated Thursday and posted on Friday in the electronic court record for federal court in Detroit, the Associated Press reported.
Abdulmutallab had pleaded guilty to a failed terrorist attack, four months ago in October. He had been carrying the explosives in his underwear and had attempted to blow up the Detroit bound plane, which had 289 passengers on board.
While the explosives hadn’t detonated completely, they had caused a brief fire, buringing Abdulmutallab’s groin.
In his speech before court during his sentence hearing, Abdulmutallab had offered no apologies for his dangerous actions, calling it a revenge mission against United States for their ill treatment of muslims.
While his attorney had argued that the mandatory life sentence be reduced as the plot had failed, prosecutors had maintained that the explosion had failed out of sheer luck.
A 52-second FBI video of the mock explosion that showed the impact the explosives on Abdulmutallab would have caused was played out in court yesterday.
The unrepentant “underwear bomber”, watching the video, shouted twice “God is Great!”
U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds who presided over the case set aside Chamber’s call for a lesser sentence, adding that Abdulmutallab, who described the day as a “day of victory”, had shown no remorse for his actions.
Abdulmutallab had sat with a passive look on his face as the Edmunds handed down the maximum penalty for the crime committed.
“This was an act of terrorism that cannot be quibbled with,” said US District Judge Nancy Edmunds.
