VOA标准英语2010年-Not Guilty Plea Entered for US Plane B

vehicle enters the garage at Federal Courthouse in Detroit before a hearing for Nigerian bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 08 Jan 2010

Terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has pleaded not guilty in a Detroit Federal courtroom to charges he attempted to ignite an explosive device on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Detroit, Michigan on Christmas Day. If convicted, Abdulmutallab could face life in prison.

23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab with al-Qaida links appeared in court on charges he tried to blow up an U.S. bound airliner¹.  The short appearance Friday before U.S. Magistrate² Mark Randon was Abdulmutallab's first since being arrested on Christmas Day.

He is indicted³ on six counts that include attempted murder for trying to ignite an explosive device on Northwest Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit.  The device was concealed⁴ in his underwear, and failed to detonate.  Other passengers and crew restrained Abdulmutallab until the flight landed.

Former Federal Prosecutor⁵ Aiten Goelman believes that despite the not guilty plea, this is a case that will likely lead to a conviction against Abdulmutallab. "It is a slam dunk. I think if you have many people in a confined place like an airplane who saw what Mr. Abdulmutallab was apparently⁶ trying to do, you have the fact that he was actually apprehended⁷ on the plane, that they found explosives - two different kinds of explosives  in his underwear.  I think that if he was predisposed to fight the charges kind of on the grounds that 'you've gotthe wrong guy,' that would be a very tough sell before a jury," he said.

During the hearing, Abdulmutallab's public defense⁸ attorney, Miriam Siefer, agreed to his continued detention⁹ at a federal facility in nearby Ann Arbor¹⁰. 

Security was tight in Detroit, as protestors gathered outside the courthouse during the hearing.

Members of the local Nigerian and Muslim communities in Michigan turned out to show their opposition¹¹ to acts of terrorism.

It is not the first time Detroit has been at the center of a terrorism case.  In 2003, four North Africans suspected of belonging to a terrorist sleeper¹² cell were on trial at the same Detroit courthouse.  It was the first trial stemming from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Two of the suspects were convicted, but the case was later thrown out of court.

If convicted in the current case, the charges against Abdulmutallab do not carry the death penalty, but he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

1 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

2 magistrate   

n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官

参考例句：

• The magistrate committed him to prison for a month.法官判处他一个月监禁。
• John was fined 1000 dollars by the magistrate.约翰被地方法官罚款1000美元。

3 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

4 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

5 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

6 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

7 apprehended   

逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解

参考例句：

• She apprehended the complicated law very quickly. 她很快理解了复杂的法律。
• The police apprehended the criminal. 警察逮捕了罪犯。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

10 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 sleeper   

n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺

参考例句：

• I usually go up to London on the sleeper. 我一般都乘卧车去伦敦。
• But first he explained that he was a very heavy sleeper. 但首先他解释说自己睡觉很沉。