'Underwear bomber' Abdulmutallab in Detroit trial

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 24, originally planned to defend himself, but his court-appointed lawyer will instead deliver an opening statement.Abdulmutallab faces a series of charges, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. If convicted, he could face a lifelong prison sentence. The US government says Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate a bomb aboard a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit as it landed Christmas 2009.The bomb, however, did not work and he was badly burned instead.

As the trial got under way, Abdulmutallab's standby lawyer Anthony Chambers requested a ban on the word "bomb" until the final arguments.Federal Judge Nancy Edmunds denied the request, saying "it makes no sense whatsoever". During last week's jury selection  Abdulmutallab alternately questioned potential jurors himself or sat silent as defence lawyer Anthony Chambers interviewed others. "The goal of the court is to get the best representation so no-one down the road can claim [Abdulmutallab] was railroaded"