A 'defining day' in fight against terror

RICHARD REID: Laughs as he pleads guilty to hiding explosives in his shoes.

©Associated Press
October 5, 2002

BOSTON -- Richard Reid pleaded guilty with a laugh Friday to trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight with explosives hidden in his shoes, and he declared his hatred for America and his loyalty to Osama bin Laden.

"Basically I got on the plane with a bomb," Reid said, alternately defiant and flippant. "Basically I tried to ignite it. Basically, yeah, I intended to damage the plane."

Prosecutors said they would ask for a sentence of 60 years to life in prison, in accordance with federal guidelines.

Reid, 29, a British citizen who converted to Islam, was accused of trying to murder the 197 people aboard a Paris-to-Miami American Airlines flight Dec. 22. He was overpowered and tied to his seat by passengers after a flight attendant saw him trying to light a fuse sticking out of his hiking shoes. The flight was diverted to Boston.

When U.S. District Judge William Young asked him why he pleaded guilty, Reid said: "Because at the end of the day I know that I done the actions."

Reid's smirks and laughter added a chilling note to his surprise decision this week to plead guilty to all charges.

Told by the judge that prosecutors would detail his links to al-Qaida at his sentencing Jan. 8, Reid said: "I don't care. I'm a follower of Osama bin Laden. I'm an enemy of your country and I don't care." He also said he does not recognize the American justice system.

U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan repeated that the government made no concessions to Reid.

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