[wsj] DETROIT - The Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a bomb aboard a jetliner on Christmas Day fired his attorneys Monday, saying he wished to represent himself and indicating he might plead guilty.
Prosecutors accused Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old son of one of Nigeria's richest men, of detonating an explosive device in his underwear on a Dec. 25 flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. He faces six counts including the attempted murder of the 278 remaining passengers and 11 crew members.
Monday's hearing for Mr. Abdulmutallab in U.S. District Court in Detroit was supposed to be a routine matter to schedule his upcoming trial. Monday's hearing was the first time Mr. Abdulmutallab had appeared in federal court since Jan. 8. He is being held at a federal prison in Michigan while awaiting trial. No trial date has been set. |