Jury picked in 'underwear bomber' trial

DETROIT, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A final jury was selected Thursday for the trial of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a plane over Michigan.

Jurors were sworn in and told to return Tuesday for opening statements, the Detroit Free Press reported. The final jury includes three men and six women, two of them black and one an immigrant from India.

Abdulmutallab is representing himself with the assistance of a lawyer.

Abdulmutallab, who became known as the "underwear bomber" because he had explosives concealed in his undergarments, faces life in federal prison if he is convicted. He allegedly set off the explosives as Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from London approached Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009.

The bomb misfired, leaving Abdulmutallab badly burned. He was subdued by other passengers.

The last juror eliminated from the panel was a Nigerian immigrant who said she still had relatives there, the Free Press said. On the final day, the only black man in the jury pool, a farmer who had trouble getting to court on time and described himself as a "mercy person" unwilling to "condemn" anyone, was also removed.