Washington, Jan 7 - A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on charges relating to his alleged attempt to blow up a US airliner on Dec 25 over Detroit.

The indictment in Detroit accuses 23-year-old Abdulmutallab of detonating PETN explosives on board a Delta-Northwest flight from Amsterdam as it was coming in for landing in Detroit. The explosive failed to detonate but caused a small fire that was extinguished by other passengers and crew.

Abdulmutallab faces six criminal charges, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, which could bring a sentence of life in prison if convicted. The first hearing at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is expected Friday.

Abdulmutallab has been held in a federal prison in Detroit since the failed attack. The White House, which has drawn criticism from some conservatives for trying Abdulmutallab in a civilian instead of military court, has said he provided useful intelligence to

interrogators.

This investigation is fast-paced, global and ongoing, and it has already yielded valuable intelligence that we will follow wherever it leads," US Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. "Anyone we find responsible for this alleged attack will be brought to justice using every tool - military or judicial - available to our

government."

The other charges Abdulmutallab faces are: attempted murder within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States; wilful attempt to destroy and wreck an aircraft; wilfully placing a destructive device on an aircraft; and two counts of possession of a

destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence. (dpa)