Detroit, Michigan (CNN) -- Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the man accused of trying to blow up a plane last Christmas, said in court Monday that he no longer wants to be represented by federal defenders and would act as his own attorney.
Judge Nancy Edmunds granted his request and appointed standby counsel for him. She also asked him a series of questions about his knowledge of law, the case and the charges he faces.
AbdulMutallab, the British-educated son of a Nigerian bank executive, is accused of trying to set off a bomb hidden in his underwear aboard a plane from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, on December 25.
Monday, he spoke softly but clearly about what he wanted.
"I prefer to represent myself," AbdulMutallab told the court. "I don't feel any representation I get would suit -- would represent me in a way that is in my best interest".
At various points during the roughly 30-minute proceeding, Edmunds pressed AbdulMutallab to explain the reasons behind his decision. She asked whether he had studied law or represented someone in court before -- no and no, he responded. She asked whether his defenders had failed him in some significant way. No, they had not, he said.
CNN
