( CNN ) -- The suspect in the failed Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner faces a six-count federal indictment issued Wednesday , including an attempt to murder the other 289 people aboard . The seven-page indictment charges Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction ; attempted murder within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States ; willful attempt to destroy and wreck an aircraft within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States ; willfully placing a destructive device in , upon and in proximity to an aircraft within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States ; and two counts of possession of a firearm/destructive in furtherance of a crime of violence . Read the indictment . If convicted , the 23-year-old Nigerian national faces a sentence of life in prison . The indictment said AbdulMutallab boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in Amsterdam , Netherlands , on December 25 , carrying a concealed bomb concealed in his clothing and designed to be detonated `` at a time of his choosing . '' Authorities say the bomb components included Pentaerythritol ( also known as PETN , a high explosive ) , as well as Triacetone Triperoxide ( also known as TATP , a high explosive ) and other ingredients . The indictment said that , just before the jet landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Michigan , `` AbdulMutallab detonated the bomb , causing a fire on board flight 253 . '' The device failed to fully detonate , instead setting off a fire at the man 's seat . He was subdued and restrained by the passengers and flight crew . The airplane landed shortly thereafter , and he was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers . AbdulMutallab required medical treatment and was transported to the University of Michigan Medical Center after the plane landed . Explosives expert Sydney Alford said AbdulMutallab probably used a liquid contained in a syringe to mix with a chemical he was carrying to create a fire , which was intended to ignite the TATP . That , in turn , was to detonate the PETN . But the TATP did not ignite as planned , he speculated . TATP has been cited in several terrorism cases . Najibullah Zazi , the 24-year-old Afghan citizen and U.S. resident who was arrested in September and accused of planning to carry out terrorist acts in the United States , was allegedly trying to make TATP in his motel room in Denver , Colorado . A new indictment against Richard Reid specifies that the convicted shoe bomber also used TATP . Judge Nancy Edmunds is assigned to the AbdulMutallab case and will preside over court proceedings , said Gina Balaya , spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney , Eastern District , Michigan . The case was presented Wednesday to the grand jury , which determined probable cause to indict . Though arraignments are typically held by a magistrate judge , Edmunds may decide , based on the special circumstances and high-profile security related to the AbdulMutallab case , to handle the matter herself , Balaya said . Edmunds is expected to decide Friday on details for the arraignment and AbdulMutallab 's detention , Balaya said . Attorney General Eric Holder said the investigation `` has already yielded valuable intelligence that we will follow wherever it leads . '' `` The attempted murder of 289 innocent people merits the most serious charges available , and that 's what we have charged in this indictment , '' said U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade , U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan , who is in her first week on the job .
Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab charged with attempted use of weapon of mass destruction . AbdulMutallab also accused of attempted murder of other 289 people aboard U.S.-bound flight . He faces life in prison if convicted .