Also in the US Senate, 20 Senators who are members of the Republican Party are collecting signatures from their colleagues in support of a letter to President Barack Obama objecting to the administration’s decision to try the suspect, Abdul-Mutallab in a civilian court. The Senators want the trial transferred to a military court, a development which will elevate the offence to the status of an attempt to levy war against the United States.
The US Senate’s invitation to Alhaji Mutallab dated January 7 was signed by its Chairman, Senator John Kerry who was the Democratic Presidential candidate in the 2004 elections. The letter was addressed to Nigeria’s acting ambassador in Washington, Babagana Wakil.
The letter which requested the former Chairman of First Bank to testify before it stated that: “The United State Senate Committee on Foreign Relations would like to extend an invitation to Mr. Farouk Abdulmut-allab, former Chief Executive Officer of the First Bank of Nigeria, to testify before the Committee on the morning of January 20,2009 (wrongly dated).
“Mr. Abdulmutallab acted in a heroic fashion by informing US authorities of his concerns about his son’s whereabouts and activities and by seeking to disrupt what he believed could have been a dangerous situation. We would like to afford him the opportunity to discuss his experience with his son and to provide his recommendations on the process by which he worked with US authorities.
“I would also note that Mr. Abdulmutallab’s appearance would allow him to correct the negative press to which Nigeria has been unfairly subjected over the past two weeks.
“The Committee is happy to pay for Mr. Abdulmutallab’s travel to the United States, hotel accommodations in Washington, and return to Nigeria. A Committee staff member, Mr. John Kiriakou, can make Mr. Abdulmuta-llab’s arrangements. Mr. Kiriakou can be reached at [email protected]. His direct phone number is 202-224-5598 and his cell phone number is 703-655-8616.
“Thank you in advance for your assistance, Mr. Amba-ssador. I look forward to seeing you and to welcoming Mr. Abdul-mutallab before the Committee.”
When THISDAY contacted Presidency about the letter, Presidential Spokesman Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi who was on official duty in Angola where he is on a mission as a member of the Presidential Committee on Super Eagles participation in 2010 World Cup confirmed that the government was aware of the invitation and the Foreign Ministry is expected to formally convey it to Alhaji Mutallab at meeting soon.
“I am aware of the efforts and sleepless nights by the Vice President on this issue, especially how he has tasked our security agencies and Chief Ojo Maduekwe and President Yar’Adua has been briefed on all these efforts”, Adeniyi said. He noted that Senator Kerry’s letter vindicates Nigeria as a nation which abhors terrorism and that Farouk’s unfortunate action cannot be used to stigmatise the entire citzenry.
However, agency reports stated that the letter prepared by the Republican Senators asking President Obama to transfer Abdulmutallab’s trial to a military court was still circulating among Senate offices for signatures as at weekend. Initial signatory included senior Republicans on the Senate Judiciary, Intelligence and Armed Services committees.
The sponsors of the letter argued that critical questions such as whether Abdul-mutallab obtained money for the operation, and if so, from whom; the identities of all the people who assisted him; and how he trained for the attempted bombing remained unanswered.
The Republicans were said to have written the letter the same day Abdulmutallab pleaded not guilty in a federal court in Detroit. A US grand jury on Wednesday indicted him on six counts in the alleged plot, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a penalty of up to life in prison, attempted murder, and wilful attempt to destroy or wreck an aircraft.
His next appearance in court was not set Friday.
Abdulmutallab allegedly attempted to detonate a bomb made from explosives PETN and TATP as Northwest Delta Airline Flight 253 was descending into Detroit en route from Amsterdam. There were 279 passengers and 11 crew members on board. The flight landed safely after passengers and crew subdued him.
Abdul Mutallab had pleaded not guilty to all six charges, including attempted murder and the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.
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