The underwear bomber appeared in a Detriot court appearance today:
The Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day 2009 called the United States a "cancer" just before jury selection began Tuesday in his trial. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, whose attempted bombing led to a further tightening of U.S. aviation security, also blurted out "Anwar is alive" -- an apparent reference to al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki who was linked to the defendant and killed by a U.S. drone attack in Yemen last week. Abdulmutallab, 24, is charged with attempting to detonate explosives sewn into his underpants as Northwest Flight 253 approached Detroit from Amsterdam. The device malfunctioned and burned Abdulmutallab, who was then overpowered by other passengers. He faces life in prison if convicted.
Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian, was read his Miranda rights when he was arrested in a Detriot a year and a half ago. His inspiration, Awlaki, an American, was not