The
notorious underwear bomber's plot in 2009 to blow up a plane on
Christmas Day failed because the explosives became 'degraded' after he
wore the same pair of underpants for two weeks, according to a U.S.
official.
Nigerian
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was on a suicide mission when he attempted to
detonate a bomb in his underpants as the plane, en route from
Amsterdam, approached Detroit.
The
bomb however failed to detonate aboard the flight, which was carrying
nearly 300 people, but caused a brief fire that caused burns to his
groin.
He
was sentenced to life without parole in February 2012 after he pleaded
guilty to all charges on the second day of his trial the previous
October.
The
head of the Transportation Security Administration said this week the
bomb failed to detonate because of how long Abdulmutallab had been
wearing his underwear.
John Pistole told the Aspen Security Forum: 'The bomber had had the device with him for over two weeks.'
Mr Pistole was then asked whether the bomb had become 'damp', to which he replied: 'Let's say it was degraded.'
During
his trial, Abdulmutallab said the bomb in his underwear was a 'blessed
weapon' to avenge poorly treated Muslims around the world.
In
2009, months before the attack, he travelled to Yemen to see Anwar
al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric and one of the best-known al Qaeda
figures, according to the government.
He told investigators that his mission was approved after a three-day visit with his mentor.
Al-Awlaki
and the bomb maker were killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in 2011,
just days before Abdulmutallab's trial. At the time, President Barack
Obama publicly blamed al-Awlaki for the terrorism plot.
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