Plane shoebomber Reid starts life sentence in US

Published on Friday 31 January 2003 00:00

RICHARD REID was beginning a life sentence today for attempting to blow up a transatlantic flight.

The "Shoebomber" screamed: "You’ll be judged by Allah" at the judge as he was bundled away by security guards following his sentencing yesterday for trying to bring down the Paris to Miami jet carrying 197 passengers in December 2001.

Briton Reid, 29, also lashed out at American foreign policy and declared that he was a follower of Osama bin Laden during the hearing at the US District Court in Boston. "Your government has sponsored the torture of Muslims in Iraq and Turkey and Jordan and Syria with their money and weapons," he said, before telling Judge William Young: "It’s in your hands."

Reid was overpowered by passengers and crew when he attempted to light the fuse to trigger explosives packed into his shoes.

He was strapped down with seat belts and injected with sedatives by two doctors on the flight.

Prosecutors said that if the bomb had gone off it would have killed all the passengers and crew. Flight attendant Carole Nelson told the court she believed he was on a "a mission of evil, a mission of destruction and a mission of murder".

Defence lawyers had said he "took no pleasure" in trying to destroy the plane, but did it to defend Islam, which he believes has been under attack by the US."

Reid initially pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism, attempted murder and attempting to destroy an aircraft. But last October he admitted eight charges connected with the attempted attack.

He is the first person convicted in the US for an overt act of terrorism since the September 11 atrocity.