United States of America’s District Judge, Nancy Edmunds yesterday granted the defence’ request to allow accused “underwear bomber” Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab more challenges in jury selection.
This request became imperative after concerns were raised that more potential jurors than anticipated believed that ?he was guilty.
Edmunds gave Abdulmutallab three more challenges for a total of 15 and gave prosecutors one more for a total of 10.
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The charges against the Nigerian terrorism suspect as well as media attention have made it difficult to seat an impartial jury, Detroit lawyer, Anthony Chambers wrote in a filing Wednesday in US District Court.
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According to him, that was ?the argument Chambers and the self-proclaimed al-Qaida operative used to ask for more opportunities to eliminate potential jurors for any reason when the selection process resumed yesterday.
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Chambers observed that the 10th anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks and the perceived similarity to this case has “unsurprisingly aroused feelings of anger, pain and vengeance amongst the majority of potential jurors that have been brought before this court,” Chambers wrote.
He added that the challenges would be used ?to shrink a jury pool that includes 47 people — 32 women and 15 men.
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The goal, Chambers said, was to remove jurors until there were 12 left and four alternates.
The most recent blow to Abdulmutallab’s chances of having a fair jury happened late last month, Chambers wrote. That’s when media reports linked Abdulmutallab, 24, to radical U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed by a drone strike in Yemen.
In a court filing, Chambers called it “murder.”
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An FBI special agent testified last month that al-Awlaki’s Internet videos helped radicalise Abdulmutallab. On Tuesday, Abdulmutallab shouted in court that al-Awlaki was “alive!”
“It has been a continuous string of events that has damaged the defendant’s image and instilled pre-conceived notions of guilt within the minds of prospective jurors,” Chambers wrote.
In a separate filing Wednesday, Chambers asked to have Juror 144 dismissed for cause because she had a pre-conceived notion that Abdulmutallab was a terrorist and guilty.She is an office manager for an area construction company
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Chambers challenged her inclusion in the jury pool Tuesday, but the judge disallowed it. He also said that US District Judge Nancy Edmunds’ failure to remove Juror 144 violated Abdulmutallab’s right to a fair trial.
“Abdulmutallab should not be forced to use a pre-emptory challenge on a juror who is clearly biased,” Chambers wrote Wednesday.
Abdulmutallab is accused of trying to blow up a plane with about 300 people ?on board on Christmas Day 2009. Prosecutors say he hid powerful explosives inside his underwear.?
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