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Underwear Bomber Pleads Guilty to All Counts

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, whose trial on charges that he attempted to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009 with a bomb in his underwear began yesterday, pleaded guilty today to all 8 counts against him. Several charges against him carry 30 years to life. Some require a mandatory 30 year sentence and some of them require a consecutive sentence. Sentencing is set for January 12, 2012.

Abdumutallab made a statement in court. [More....]

Abdulmutallab read from a statement saying he was guilty under U.S. law, but not under Islamic law, for the crimes charged. He said he tried to carry out the bombing in retaliation for the murder of innocent civilians in Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan, Somalia and elsewhere by the United States.

He warned the U.S. that, if it continued to murder innocent Muslims, a calamity would befall the U.S. If you laugh at us now, we will laugh at you later,” he said.

He said committing jihad against the United States is one of “the most virtuous acts” a Muslim can perform.

Stand-by lawyer Anthony Chambers said Abdulmutallab made the decision on his own:

"It's disappointing," he said, adding that he never wants a client to plead guilty to charges that could result in a life sentence. He said Abdulmutallab made the decision on his own and announced it this morning.

It does not appear there was a plea agreement or any sentencing concessions. I can't help but wonder if the judge's ruling yesterday that the Government would be allowed to show a photograph of his burned genitals had something to do with his decision. Perhaps he wasn't willing to endure that final humiliation, given that he had virtually no chance of an acquittal on all counts.

Update: In Attorney General Eric Holder's statement on the guilty pleas, he stresses that our federal courts are up to the task of trying terrorists:

“Contrary to what some have claimed, today’s plea removes any doubt that our courts are one of the most effective tools we have to fight terrorism and keep the American people safe. Our priority in this case was to ensure that we arrested a man who tried to do us harm, that we collected actionable intelligence from him and that we prosecuted him in a way that was consistent with the rule of law.
< US Issues World Wide Terror Alert Linked to Iran | House Committee Issues "Fast and Furious" Subpoena to AG Holder >
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  • Display: Sort:
    he tried to carry out the bombing (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Edger on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 12:03:49 PM EST
    in retaliation for the murder of innocent civilians? (covers eyes, looks away)

    These guys will say anything to escape responsibility, won't they?

    Sheesh. Everybody knows he did it because he hates you for your freedom, right?

    Bushbama (5.00 / 3) (#2)
    by lentinel on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 12:11:03 PM EST
    He said he tried to carry out the bombing in retaliation for the murder of innocent civilians in Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan, Somalia and elsewhere by the United States.

    How many more of these people are we creating on a daily basis?

    Understand, I do not sanction or excuse what Abdulmutallab tried to do.

    Perhaps, as others have said, he just wanted to kill Americans because of a religious indoctrination.

    But, personally, I believe that our actions are creating terrorists such as Abdulmutallab by the bushel.

    The American people have not demonstrated any sign of remorse for the killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. That is because the government has persuaded us that these deaths somehow avenge or are related to what happened to us on 9/11. It is the same with all the civilian deaths that have incurred in Afghanistan. We say we're really sorry about bombing that wedding party, and continue with business as usual.

    These actions are not without consequences imo.

    I wish we could change the direction of what is generically referred to as our foreign policy, but that doesn't appear to be even a remote possibility.

    Abdulmutallab goes to jail.
    Bin Laden gets killed.
    Anwar al-Awlawi gets killed.

    And I don't see us getting anywhere.

    hundreds of thousands (2.00 / 1) (#3)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 12:15:21 PM EST
    .

    US and allied forces killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians.  Do you have a credible cite?

    .

    Parent

    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 12:29:35 PM EST
    LINK

    102k-112k in Iraq alone.  These are US military verifiable deaths, not estimates that Wikileaks printed.

    I would imagine actual deaths are considerably higher, but that is a number no one can prove.


    Parent

    That link (2.00 / 1) (#9)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 12:42:40 PM EST

    does not provide a count of civilians killed by US or allied forces.  

    Parent
    And, Abdul, (5.00 / 2) (#11)
    by lentinel on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 01:22:57 PM EST
    what do you care?

    Do some research if it matters to you.

    The internet is a handy resource.

    I would wonder, I must confess, that if the total number of Iraqi civilians killed was closer to 100,000 - that would be OK with you?

    Justified?

    I think your response is a combination of lazy, heartless and a lame attempt to change the subject.

    You might also google how many Iraqis were forced to abandon their homes and flee their country.

    If it matters to you.

    Parent

    I Suspect You Know This... (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 04:08:45 PM EST
    ... and it's why you are being a d1ck about it.

    Iraqi Civilian Count

    We maintain a daily count based on news reports. It is not intended to be complete. There is no agency that keeps track of accurate numbers of Iraqis killed. JustForeignPolicy maintains a running estimate based on the Lancet study with the rate of increase derived from the Iraq Body Count.

    LINK

    They estimate 1.4 million.

    Parent

    How many Iraqis died (none / 0) (#10)
    by Edger on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 12:53:01 PM EST
    irrelevent to this discussion (none / 0) (#12)
    by ruffian on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 01:24:09 PM EST
    unless you mean that anti-US terrorists were created because of past US backing of Saddam Hussein.

    Parent
    never mind - I not get you are probably (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by ruffian on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 01:25:27 PM EST
    referring to the sanctions.

    Parent
    Let us start with (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by BBQinDenver on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 12:33:40 PM EST
    Secretary of State Albright, who in an interview concerning the effects of sanctions on Iraq, said that the death of half a million children was worth it.

    Parent
    Abdul was looking for someone credible (5.00 / 3) (#8)
    by Edger on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 12:41:33 PM EST
    Dick Cheney fer instance. Or Bush. Or Ahmed Chalabi maybe? Rumsfeld?

    Parent
    patronizing (2.00 / 0) (#14)
    by diogenes on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 03:36:42 PM EST
    "How many more of these people are we creating on a daily basis?"

    So we wise Westerners have free will whereas everyone else in the world are noble savages whose will is controlled by what we do to them?

    Parent

    You really (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by lentinel on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 05:03:52 PM EST
    don't know what I'm talking about?

    I'll put it to you this way:

    Look what those few freaks on a couple of planes on 9/11 created in one single day.

    Their actions created a country that turned its back on its commitment to civil liberties, from its commitment to the Geneva convention, and from its reverence for its constitution.

    And, their actions created a populace that accepts all that and a destroyed economy in the bargain.

    It has nothing to do with some people having free will and others being noble savages. It has to do with actions and consequences.

    Parent

    Those "few freaks" (none / 0) (#20)
    by jbindc on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 06:39:31 PM EST
    Were well financed and orchestrated by Osama bin-Laden and al-Qaeda.

    They were not just a few random guys who thought hijacking planes was a good idea for a Tuesday morning.  They were part of a group that coordinated between hundreds of people, for a plot that was years in the making.  Please stop characterizing them as one-off crazies.

    And, if

    It has to do with actions and consequences.

    then what consequences would you have suggested for those that helped finance and back 9/11?   Should we have invaded Iraq when they had nothing to do with it?  No.  But should we have just shrugged our shoulders and beat our breast and said, "Oh we deserved it."?

    Parent

    What (5.00 / 0) (#21)
    by lentinel on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 06:50:03 PM EST
    I am saying is that when some people attacked and killed our civilians on 9/11, it turned the entire country upside down.

    I am also saying that the bombing that we have been engaging in for the last ten years which has resulted in the deaths of at least 100,000 innocent people has and is creating dangerous enemies for us.

    I don't know how you or anyone could not know this.

    Parent

    What I am saying (none / 0) (#24)
    by jbindc on Thu Oct 13, 2011 at 07:53:37 AM EST
    Is that something had to be done.  I guess we should have just turned the other cheek when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and only killed a little over 2000 people.

    Should we have done the bombings in Iraq?  No - since Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.  I said that already.

    But it's naive to say things well, we caused them to hate us, so of course we understand why they flew planes into buildings and killed people.  Therefore, we should have learned our lesson, apologized and played nice.  Then they'll like us.  Sounds like what abused children say - if I behave better, then mommy and daddy will stop hitting me.

    What we should have done is taken out al-Qaeda training camps and strongholds long before 9/11 with some B-52s.

    Parent

    Of course (none / 0) (#25)
    by lentinel on Thu Oct 13, 2011 at 08:07:26 AM EST
    something had to be done.

    Our government decided that what had to be done was to start bombing campaigns in three different countries.

    I am suggesting that what should have been done was to rethink a decrepit foreign policy which was and is entangled with exploitative economic interests.

    If you are convinced that Muslims will hate us no matter what we do, or who we are, or no matter how much their economic situation is improved, then I guess we at at an impasse.

    Parent

    I am convinced that what they demand (none / 0) (#26)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Oct 13, 2011 at 10:56:39 AM EST
    is not going to be given to them, therefor it is indeed an impasse.

    Parent
    You just don't get it (none / 0) (#4)
    by Edger on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 12:16:20 PM EST
    How can they have a war on terror with creating as many 'terrorists' as they possibly can? They need 'justification' for these things to sell to the rubes, you know.

    And besides, it's very profitable.

    Parent

    I Feel Safer Already (5.00 / 0) (#15)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 04:02:43 PM EST


    Defendant omitted influence/ (none / 0) (#7)
    by oculus on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 12:37:38 PM EST
    direction of al Alawki.  Hmmm.  

    Probably (none / 0) (#17)
    by bocajeff on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 05:03:33 PM EST
    The same amount of Germans and Japanese that hate us for what we did over there. Or Vietnamese. Oh wait, that didn't cause the same kind of backlash. Hate to kill the narrative.

    Indeed, whatever "we" do (none / 0) (#19)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 06:39:12 PM EST
    that causes such Muslims or any other group to take offense, we should stop immediately.

    Can I finish my beer (none / 0) (#22)
    by Wile ECoyote on Wed Oct 12, 2011 at 07:29:47 PM EST
    first?

    Parent
    Absolutely not. (none / 0) (#23)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Oct 13, 2011 at 12:37:59 AM EST
    You know alcohol is very offensive to some groups.

    You neanderthal you.

    Parent