MESSAGE FROM MUTTALAB

By: ELATUYI EMMANUEL OLANREWAJU

Copyright @ April 8, 2010 by WSIC EBooks

All rights reserved

ISBN 978-0-9813054-9-3

First Edition April 10, 2010

Printed in Canada
 DEDICATION:

To all the victims of terrorists attacks, religious crises,

suicide bombings, and political oppressions everywhere in
the world.
Chapter 1

January 10, 2010

Standing on the dock inside the court in the city of Michigan is the 23 year old Nigerian
Umar Faroouk Abdul Muttalab - the accused suicide bomber apprehended while trying to
detonate explosives on a Detroit bound plane on the 25th of December 2009.

He is looking calm and collected and there is nothing physically obvious of him that
suggests he was trying to kill himself along with other passengers some weeks back. He
has a very innocent look; young, handsome and nobody would ever take him for a
‘terrorist’. There is air of opulence around him; he looks well-fed and well groomed - the
characteristics that totally negate the widely held belief that “suicide bombers” are poor
people.

He has an enviable background; born of Nigerian parents, he spent most of his formative
years abroad. A lucky dude, you would say! While most of his peers in his fatherland are
involved in economic activities that will ensure their three square meals, he had the rare
opportunity early in life to have everything he desired at his beckon. He attended a
British school in Lome Togo and he later obtained his degree from the University College
in London. While in University, he lived in a 4 million pounds house in a posh location
in the city of London where he had all the comfort and opportunities anybody could
dream of - the privileges that many British citizens could not afford.

His father is an accomplished banker and was once the chairman of one of the largest and
oldest banks in Africa. A man of reputation, integrity, uncommon brilliance and devotion
to God. He meant well for young Muttalab by obtaining education for him from the
western universities, since universities back home were unreliable. So, in an attempt to
make sure young Muttalab graduates on time from the university and at the same time
have the best education money can afford, the father coughs out a large part of his hard
earned savings for the sake of his beloved son.

Shortly after Muttalab finished his degree in London, he was given the privilege of going
for his master’s degree in business management in Dubai. He later abandoned his study
in Dubai without informing his father. He later informed his mother that he had opted for
a seven-year course in Yemen. His mother sought the rationale of going for a seven-year
course after his first degree in engineering. His response was that he had found something
of more interest to him than the degree in business management.

There came a time where he went incommunicado. None of his family members
including his father knew where he was and what he was doing. This became a worry to
his father who later found out that his son was in Yemen. Reports have it that Muttalab’s
father was later informed that his son has joined some Islamic fundamentalists in far
away Yemen where he was being trained to attack American interests.
Despite the strong biological bound between father and son, and not mentioning the
possible implication his action might portend, Muttalab’s father did the unbelievable by
reporting his son to the American embassy in Nigeria and at the same time warning the
security agencies in Nigeria of the possible threat that Muttalab portends.

What the American agency in charge of anti-terrorism did with the information they had
about Muttalab, nobody knows. The general expectation is that they should have done
everything possible based on the information they had about Muttalab to prevent what
happened on the Christmas day when the whole world was celebrating the birthday of our
Lord Jesus Christ.

The shock took place in Detroit, the waves spread to New York, London, Paris, Milan,
Jo’burg, but the impact was more pronounced in the city of Lagos, Nigeria. The news
was that there was an attempted terrorist attack aboard a Detroit bound plane and a young
man believed to be a Nigerian was arrested while trying to detonate a bomb.

According to reports, most Nigerians demanded an investigation into the true identity of
Muttalab. ‘He couldn’t have been a Nigerian’ - posts a headline of a local newspaper!

Nigerians have been noted to be the happiest people on earth given their ability to find
fun even in their pains and tribulations. Most Nigerians are afraid of death and they don’t
believe that there is any frustration on earth that is bad enough to make them commit
suicide - the ‘naija spirit’ they call it.

While Americans and Europeans were committing suicide when the economic meltdown
occurred, many Nigerians lost millions also but they hung on determinedly and are
recovering today. They have a firm belief in what they call a ‘naija spirit’. It is the same
spirit believed to have been keeping the country together despite its ethnic diversity and
the control of the few political elites on the vast resources of the nation at the expense of
all. So, to hear that a Nigerian was on a suicide mission was shocking and unbelievable

A young man in his twenties yelled “how on earth will any Nigerian student be issued a
visa to study in the US’ again?

People gathered on the streets of Lagos discussing what implications this incident will
have on Nigerians. According to one man in his Seventies ‘we are labeled the most
corrupt nation in the world, we are considered as a failed state that is tilting towards the
path of disintegration, today - we become the number one enemy of the United states’.
The general reaction of Nigerians was that of a total condemnation for the alleged act of
terrorism by Muttalab.
Chapter 2

Since the infamous September11 attack, America has been spending millions of dollars to
wipe out terrorists organizations and their structures wherever they are. Technology has
been upgraded and intelligence has been broadened to mitigate any risk portends by these
terrorists. The belief was that, never will there be a time when America will be caught
unaware again. And if there was any anticipated attack by these terrorists, it wasn’t
expected to take place on American soil. So, when the report filtered that a Muttalab
almost succeeded in blowing up a Detroit bound plane - America knew then that the war
against terrorism was far from being over.

So standing in the court dock - is the accused terrorist named Muttalab looking so cool
and innocent like someone who doesn’t know the meaning of terrorism let alone being a
perpetrator of the act.

The chief prosecutor is Justice M, Kruger. He once served in the US ministry of Justice
during President Bush era. His is known for his depth and knowledge about international
law.

The court room is packed with eminent jurists, FBI officials, and top officials from
intelligent agencies, homeland security, immigration, and journalists. Members of the
public are barred from entering the court based on security reasons. After the reading of
the six charges against the accused, the prosecuting lawyer begins his questioning.

Justice Kruger: Could you please identify yourself.

Muttalab: I am Muttalab.

Justice Kruger: What national are you?

Muttalab: I carry a Nigerian passport - he stutters.

Justice Kruger: Where were you when you were arrested?

Muttalab: I was on my way to Destroy…..sorry…Detroit!

Justice Kruger: Muttalab, are you guilty of the offence of trying to use a weapon of
mass destruction on the Detroit bound plane and an attempted murder of all the 290
passengers on the 25th of December 2009, contrary to the laws of the United State of
America .

Muttalab: Not Guilty

Justice Kruger: Are you saying you are not guilty of a crime to humanity?
Muttalab: A crime? Hmmn….. Sometimes a response to an injustice is perceived as a
crime.

Justice Kruger: what informed your action?

Muttalab: Whatever happened was my personal response to what I felt was an injustice
to my brothers and sisters whom I share the same faith with. I cherish the blood of
innocent women and children in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in the Middle East that have been
shed. They died in thousands for allegations that were unfounded. They died unfulfilled;
they died with their dreams and aspirations in life buried with them. They died a painful
death and were not given a descent burial according to Islamic rite. Are America and her
allies not guilty of their offence in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Justice Kruger: If you are aggrieved, is there no legal way of showing your grievance?

Muttalab: I once read of the Mosaic Law; enemies should be paid back in their own
coins - It is found in the American holy book too. And I don’t believe in a court where
the accuser is the same person as the judge. The belief is that we should operate in our
areas of strength. I stand here today all alone and almost everybody in this room is
perhaps against me. I have no judicial strength nor do I believe in any law that is not
Sharia. And, we have no faith in the International court of law.

Justice Kruger: How do you mean by ‘we’?

Muttalab: [No response]

Justice Kruger: Does that suggest that you are an Al Qaeda recruit?

Muttalab: Recruit? No, I am an avenger. I am just what you called human right activist.
I fight for the helpless. The difference is in the religion of people we fight for.

Justice Kruger: It seems you care for the innocent, why then did you intend to take the
lives of the innocent people in that airplane.

Muttalab: Their innocence does not matter. It is only fair to avenge the lives of the
innocent by wiping out the innocent. Besides, it has never been a matter of innocence but
of religion. Those little children and helpless women that were killed in Iraq and in the
Middle East never committed a crime of any kind. America should have thought about
their innocence!

Justice Kruger: What did you seek to achieve?

Muttalab: Maybe I got intoxicated with heroism! But really, I wanted to prove a point.