‘Underwear bomber’ pleads guilty to 2009 bomb bid

The so-called “underwear bomber” pleaded guilty Wednesday to trying to bomb a US-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009, saying he had sought to avenge the killing of innocent Muslims.

After firing his own lawyers and insisting on representing himself, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 25-year-old Nigerian, drew gasps of shock when his intention to plead guilty became clear at a court in Detroit, Michigan.

“I am guilty of this count in U.S. law but not in the Koran,” Abdulmutallab, wearing a black skull cap, said, confessing to trying to kill 289 people on a packed transatlantic airliner using explosives secreted in his underwear.

He said he “had an agreement with at least one person” to attack the U.S. in retaliation for U.S. support for Israel and in retaliation for the killing of innocent Muslims in Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and beyond.

“I carried with me an explosive device onto Flight Northwest 253, again to avenge my fellow Muslims,” said Abdulmutallab, who has confirmed that he traveled to Yemen for Al-Qaeda training prior to the attack.

Judge Nancy Edmunds read through each of the eight terrorism related charges. Each time, Abdulmutallab said “I plead guilty,” and when asked if he was was pleading guilty because he “was guilty,” said “that’s right.”

The surprise guilty pleas come a day after Abdulmutallab declined to present an opening statement to jurors.

“Has anyone promised you that I would go easy on you if you pleaded guilty?” asked Edmunds. “No,” replied the Nigerian, who wore a long tunic under his blazer and said “Allahu Akbar!” (God is Great!) as he left court.

The plot, which U.S. officials say was the work of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, failed because the explosives stitched in his underwear never detonated fully and instead caused a fireball.

Passengers and crew were able to restrain Abdulmutallab and put out the small fire aboard the flight, which was carrying 279 passengers and 11 crew members.

The botched operation triggered global alarm and led the United States to adopt stringent new screening and security measures, including controversial pat-downs at airports and a massive expansion of the no-fly list.

It also cast a spotlight on Yemen, where Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is increasingly seen by U.S. officials as a threat comparable to the terror network’s core leadership in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The reputation of the U.S. intelligence services also took a hit because Abdulmutallab’s father, a prominent Nigerian banker, had warned the CIA about his son’s growing radicalization.

Abdulmutallab’s calm and respectful demeanor on Wednesday was in sharp contrast to his disruptive behavior during jury selection.

This was marked by incendiary outbursts, including a pledge that militants will wipe out “the cancer U.S.,” and praise for radical Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi and former leader Osama bin Laden, both killed in U.S. raids.

Abdulmutallab faces life in prison for the terrorism-related charges he pleaded guilty to. He is to be sentenced on Jan. 12.