‘Not Guilty’ Plea Entered on Behalf of Abdulmutallab

In connection with failed bid to blow up a US plane, a ‘Not guilty’ plea has been entered on behalf of accused Umar Frouk Abdulmutallab after he declined to enter a plea during his first court appearance in Detroit, said media reports.

Abdulmutallab has been indicted on six counts over the alleged failed attempt to set off a bomb stitched into his underwear on a Northwest Airlines transatlantic flight.

During the hearing, the 23-year-old Nigerian youth said little in the Detroit court. Judge Mark Randon entered the not guilty plea on his behalf after he declined to enter a plea, reported BBC.

Al Jazeera reported that the not guilty plea could mean that the government would either have to present its case against Abdulmutallab or to negotiate with him to enter a different plea.

“Supposedly there were many witnesses so the government does not have to rely on a confession from him. So it remains to be seen what shape any plea would take,” Al Jazeera correspondent said.