Christmas Bomber Fires Lawyers

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man who allegedly tried to set off an explosive on a Detroit-bound plane last Christmas, has chosen to represent himself. The 23-year-old said in court today that “any representation I have, there will be conflict of interest.” He added, “I want to plead guilty to some counts.” U.S. District Court Judge Nancy G. Edmunds allowed the move, despite Abdulmutallab’s obvious lack of legal expertise, and assigned him a court-appointed attorney to help him with his case. It’s not clear on which charges Abdulmutallab plans to plead guilty; some of the six against him carry life sentences. Previously, according to U.S. investigators, he confessed to receiving training for his mission from an al Qaeda cell in Yemen. No pleas, guilty or otherwise, have been accepted yet.