The Nigerian national, charged with attempting to destroy a United States' aircraft on its way to Detroit, is a 'sexually frustrated loner' who nurtured fantasies about holy war, a British newspaper has claimed.
British tabloid The Sun claims to have gathered evidence about the twisted mind of the bomber, named Abdulmutallab, by retrieving 300 of his chilling messages which he posted on an Islamic portal.
When Abdulmutallab was 19, he wrote, "I won't go into too much details about my fantasies, but basically they are Jihad fantasies. I imagine how the great Jihad will take place, how the Muslims will win Insha'Allah (God willing) and rule the whole world, and establish the greatest empire once again!"
In another, he said, "Killing is only permitted in Jihad."
And in a third, he complained of being depressed during his days at a boarding school in Togo. He said he never found a true Muslim friend.
And he added, "As I get lonely, the natural sexual drive awakens and I struggle to control it, sometimes leading to minor sinful activities. This problem makes me want to get married to avoid getting aroused."
A harsh puritan streak shone through in the views of Nigerian-born Abdulmutallab, who spent three years in Britain as a mechanical engineering student at University College, London. It is best illustrated by his attitude to football.
In early 2005, he wrote cheerfully about the game. He said, "Liverpool is my chosen club", though he rated Chelsea's 'classy' Frank Lampard as a better player than Kop idol Steven Gerrard. But later in the year, his stance changed.
During a web discussion about soccer, he commented, "I honestly don't think the prophet would sit back, relax and enjoy watching Beckham kick the ball around. I think football is a doubtful matter, let's save our honour and religion and try and stay away from football."
