US officials yesterday charged a Nigerian man with attempted murder and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction after a botched attempt to bomb a passenger jet on Christmas Day.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was accused of boarding Northwest Flight 253 "carrying a concealed bomb" inside his clothing, according to court documents that detailed a total of six charges against him. "The bomb consisted of a device containing Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN), Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) and other ingredients," the charge sheet said.

"The bomb was designed to allow defendant Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to detonate it at a time of his choosing, and to thereby cause an explosion aboard Flight 253."

If convicted of the charges the young Nigerian faces life imprisonment, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

Abdulmutallab has been in custody in Detroit since Christmas Day, when the device stitched inside his underwear failed to detonate correctly and he was overpowered by passengers and crew after sparking an onboard fire.

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