The infamous underwear bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was given a life sentence in prison for his attempt to bomb a U.S.-bound flight on Dec. 25, 2009. The Nigeria native pleaded guilty to the charges against him in the fall of 2011.
Media labeled Abdulmutallab "underwear bomber" when the Nigerian called the bomb he hid in his underwear a "blessed weapon" that would avenge Muslims around the globe.
Along with his guilty plea at the 2011 court hearing, Abdulmutallab, the son of a wealthy banker, added: "The US should be warned that if they continue to kill and support those who kill innocent Muslims, then the US should await a great calamity... or God will strike them directly."
Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate the bomb aboard a flight heading to Detroit from Amsterdam but the device malfunctioned and badly burned the Nigerian.
Despite his appeal against it, the federal appeals court maintained the original life sentence. The court decided to pursue it despite the argument that the sentence was "cruel and an unusual punishment" for Abdulmutallab's crime.
Although the so-called "underwear bomber" pleaded guilty, Abdulmutallab challenged his sentence shortly after his trial started. The Nigerian was trained for his mission at an Al Queda institution in Yemen under the close supervision of U.S.-born Islamist Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
According to Circuit Judge David McKeague, the "underwear bomber" was an "educated and adept individual" who chose a "deliberate, conscious, and complicated path" in the name of martyrdom. The judge added that the original life sentence given to the Nigerian was "appropriate" considering the seriousness of his crime, whether it had been successfully carried out or not.
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