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Underwear bomber faces more charges

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

Federal prosecutors filed new charges against Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner last Christmas.

Abdulmutallab was previously charged with attempted murder and attempting to use a weapon on mass destruction.

The Detroit Free Press reports:

The new charge of conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, says he acted in concert with others whose names are known and unknown to the federal grand jury.

The charges say he traveled to Yemen to received training in making and detonating the bomb.

Abdulmutallab is one of many terrorism suspects being tried in civilian court, a decision that has drawn criticism from many conservatives.

The Detroit News reports the federal government promised extra financial help in securing costs related to the trials of these high profile suspects, "but local officials say they haven't yet seen any of that money, and Michigan's bipartisan Congressional delegation is pushing to ensure the costs [are] covered."

 

Mark Brush was the station's Digital Media Director. He succumbed to a year-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in March 2018. He was 49 years old.