Alleged Underwear Bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Hints at Guilty Plea

(Sept. 13) -- The so-called "underwear bomber" who allegedly tried to blow up a Detroit-bound plane showed up in chains today in a federal courtroom in Detroit and hinted that he might want to plead guilty to some charges, according to newspaper reports.

Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 24, also fired his court-appointed attorneys, saying they weren't representing his best interests, the reports said. He will now represent himself.

In this artist rendering, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, right, stands with his attorney Miriam Siefer in federal court in Detroit, Monday, Sept. 13, 2010.

Carole Kabrin, AP

In this artist's rendering, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab stands with his attorney, Miriam Siefer, in federal court in Detroit on Monday. Abdulmutallab told the judge he wants to represent himself.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds asked Abdulmutallab a series of questions to which he responded "yes, I understand," according to the Detroit Free Press. She told him he was making an unwise decision but said she would appoint standby lawyers if necessary, the Free Press reported.

"In my opinion, you would be far better defended by a trained lawyer then by yourself," Edmunds told Abdulmutallab.

"They have worked on what they believe is in my best interest," Abdulmutallab said of his legal team, according to The Detroit News. "But not what I believe is in my best interest."

At one point, Abdulmutallab indicated he might be considering pleading guilty to some charges and asked the judge, "If I want to plead guilty to some counts, how would that work?" She said she couldn't offer him legal advice, according to the Free Press.

Abdulmutallab is charged with attempting to murder nearly 300 people on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day. Authorities say he tried to ignite an explosive device in his pants, but it only created smoke before fellow passengers tackled him. Investigators have alleged that Abdulmutallab was an al-Qaida operative trained in Yemen.

His court appearance was accompanied by heavy security at the courthouse that included bomb-sniffing dogs and federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security, The Detroit News reported.