Abdulmutallab pleads not guilty

Lawyers for the Nigerian man accused of trying to set off a bomb on a Christmas Day flight to Detroit have pleaded “not guilty” on his behalf.  Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab refused to enter a plea in his first appearance in a Detroit court.

The 28 year old would be terrorist has been charged with the attempted murder of 288 people.

On December 25, 2009 Abdulmutallab allegedly attempted to set off an explosive that was hidden in his trousers.  The bomb did not explode, but did set fire to his clothing, leaving him badly burned.  Passengers quickly acted and subdued the Nigerian until the plane landed in Detroit, MI.

Abdulmutallab reportdly boarded the flight from Amstradam without a passport.  The incident is being called a “failure” in security measures by President Obama and has led to a number of new security measures being put into place by the Transportation Secrity Administration (TSA).