Nigerian terrorist sues US government for free speech, religious rights violation

Convicted Nigerian bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has filed a lawsuit against the United States Justice Department for violating his rights to free speech and religion.

Abdulmutallab was convicted of attempting to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear on a Northwest Airlines flight in 2009 and was sentenced to four life terms plus 50 years without parole in 2012.

In his lawsuit application filed in a Colorado federal court, Abdulmutallab accused authorities at the United States Penitentiary-Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, where he is being held of denying him his constitutional rights to practice his religion and communicate with his family.

According to the court document, the 30-year-old is being held in long-term solitary confinement where he is disallowed from seeing any visitors including his nieces and nephews.

He also accused staff at the supermax prison of force feeding him excessively and unnecessarily painful methods during his hunger strike.

While his solitary confinement was based on a special administrative measure imposed on national security grounds, Abdulmutallab also noted that prison officials allowed white supremacist inmates to harass him during prayers.

In a report by Reuters, his attorney, Gail Johnson, told the New York Times, "Prisoners retain fundamental constitutional rights to communicate with others and have family relationships free from undue interference by the government.

"The restrictions imposed on our client are excessive and unnecessary, and therefore we seek the intervention of the federal court."

After Abdulmutallab's detonation failed and caused a fire on the plane, he was overpowered by passengers before he was taken into custody.

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After admitting his links to Al-Qaeda, he pleaded guilty to the eight charges against him, including the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and the attempted murder of the 289 people on the plane.