A federal judge is set to decide on Thursday if the Nigerian man who pleaded guilty to trying to blow up a U.S. airliner bound for Detroit in 2009 will spend the rest of his life in prison.

A bomb hidden in the underwear of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, now 25, caused a fire but failed to explode on a Delta Airlines flight carrying 289 people on December 25, 2009.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds will decide whether Abdulmutallab should be sentenced to life in prison as called for under existing sentencing guidelines.

Abdulmutallab's lawyer, Anthony Chambers, earlier this week asked for a lighter sentence, saying the mandatory life sentence was too harsh for an attempted bombing that killed no one.

"Given the circumstances and what did NOT occur in the instant matter it is fair to say that the mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment is excessive and grossly disproportionate to the conduct," Chambers said in a court filing, emphasizing the word "not."

While not making a specific request, he asked on Abdulmutallab's behalf that the judge impose a sentence below the advisory guideline range because a life sentence would be a "misinterpretation of justice."

Prosecutors have urged the judge to give Abdulmutallab the maximum sentence - consecutive terms of life in prison.

In October, Abdulmutallab pleaded guilty days after his trial began, saying he had wanted to avenge the killing of  Muslims by the United States.

Court officials said that Abdulmutallab's parents and one of his sisters will be in the Detroit courtroom on Thursday. Six victims are scheduled to speak before Edmunds declares sentencing.

Abdulmutallab, who has been held at a federal prison in Milan, Michigan since 2009, will also be given a chance to address the court before sentencing.

Prosecutors also last week offered new details about how Abdulmutallab's plot was directed by U.S.-born Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who had become an al Qaeda leader in Yemen.

Awlaki was killed in a drone attack in Yemen last September. In court papers, the FBI identified Awlaki as "chief of external operations" for al Qaeda's Yemen branch as well as an Internet-saavy propagandist and recruiter.

When the bomb caused a fire but failed to explode, Abdulmutallab was quickly subdued by passengers and crew. The incident led U.S. officials to bolster airport security, deploying full-body scanners to try to detect hidden explosives.

The judge is also due to rule on Thursday whether the prosecution can show a video that the FBI created to simulate the bomb Abdulmutallab tried to detonate.

Muslims always causing Havoc everyone in the World Yet  Religion of Peace !!   

http://news.yahoo.com/nigerian-underwear-bomber-sentenced-detroit-055625662.html

Was there ever any doubt this was the sentence he would recieve?  Simple dispensation of due justice such as this typifies how much of a joke Nigeria is. Let us see the sentence Ibori will recieve in the UK considering he was cleared of over a hundred charges , linked with corruption, in Nigeria

^^^ Before u start blasting all things 9ja u might want to take a second to read the actual story cos he hasn't been sentenced YET!

Please let em do fast and send him to Guatemalo bay, where he belongs, he doesn't belong to this present world, and pls n pls, let em not release him so he doesn't come back here to head Boko Haram, you knw, with his additional knowledge, Boko H, will finish even Aso Rock were Eby Jolatan dey sleep, lolz

With no possibility of parole please.

The subject of your message is a little misleading. The post says the judge is set to pass a sentence on him. Your subject says something else. How come even the moderators didn't see this gaffe?

The judgement is due in some hours.

.NET

jobfront:

Please let em do fast and send him to Guatemalo bay, where he belongs, he doesn't belong to this present world, and pls n pls, let em not release him so he doesn't come back here to head Boko Haram, you knw, with his additional knowledge, Boko H, will finish even Aso Rock were Eby Jolatan dey sleep, lolz

Chai!!! See ooooo!        

Why such a partial judgement, he shld ve been given a capital punishment since he wanted 2 die anyway. But not the type given 2 Rev king. Nigeria

Let him be saved by what he believed

Scam post!
Content differ from topic

So confusing abi na 419 post? Anyways, the guy deserves to die after that was what he wanted on that day he attempted bombing the plane.

wesley80:

^^^ Before u start blasting all things 9ja u might want to take a second to read the actual story cos he hasn't been sentenced YET!

People like you will never learn. Always pandering to emotions and sentiments. The life sentence was mandatory and 100% expected for Abdulmutallab's offence. For America, only a simpleton would expect a judge to move against a mandatory sentence, towards more leniency, for such a high-profile and definitive case where a firm precedence needs to be set.

Abdulmutallab has now been officially sentenced to life in prison and all you have said above only amount to the usual empty NL emotional b.it.c.hing, that leads ostensibly educated individuals such as yourself to disregard facts, commonsense, history and reality . America is not Nigeria. Abdulmutallab was always going to recieve the mandatory punishment for his crime in a society where folks understand that justice must be seen to be done otherwise they risk becoming the failure Nigeria now is .