The US Department of Justice (DOJ) today issued a six count criminal indictment to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab related to his alleged attempt on 25 December to destroy a Delta Air Lines Airbus A330.
The indictment states Abdulmutallab boarded the aircraft in Amsterdam carrying a concealed bomb with several ingredients including Pentaerythritol known as PETN, and Triacetone Triperoxide, known as TATP. DOJ explains TATP is a highly explosive substance.
The six counts issued to Abdulmutallab were attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder within the special aircraft jurisdiction within the USA, a willful attempt to destroy or wreck an aircraft within the USA's jurisdiction, willfully placing a destructive device on an aircraft, use of a firearm in a crime of violence and possession of a firearm to further a crime of violence.
Each count has certain penalties ranging from 20 years, 30 years or life in prison.
US Attorney General Eric Holder states the investigation into the attempt to destroy the aircraft has already yielded valuable intelligence.
But during a 5 January briefing Obama admitted that US intelligence gathering agencies knew Abdulmutallab travelled to Yemen and joined extremists there. Obama also stated those agencies had knowledge that al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula sought both to strike American targets in Yemen and in the USA.
The US President admitted the country's intelligence gatherers "failed to connect the dots".
Holder in announcing the indictment of Abdulmutallab today stated: "Anyone we find responsible for this alleged attack will be brought to justice using every tool - military or judicial - available to our government."
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news