Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Statements [FBI]

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:

All statements made by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab since his capture on December 25, 2009.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Rich Jones

FOIPA Request No.1 1191768— 000
Subject: ABDULMUTALLAB, UMAR
FAROUK (STATEMENTS)

In response to the previous acknowledgement of FOIPA Request No. 1191768— 000 of all statements made by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab since his capture on December 25, 2009, I hereby implore that due the notoriety of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and the importance of these statements to the public, the public need for these records trump his personal privacy rights and that these statements qualify for exemption.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (also known as Umar Abdul Mutallab, Omar Farooq al-Nigeri and عمر فاروق عبد المطلب), a Nigerian citizen, is a convicted terrorist currently held in US federal custody at the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, Florence, Colorado. He is an alleged member of the Al-Qaeda terror network and was convicted of 8 charges, including the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and the attempted murder of 289 people, charges which carry mandatory life sentences. Known in the media as the "underwear bomber," Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab confessed to and was convicted of attempting to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on December 25, 2009. This event was covered by every major media outlet in the US and abroad. As an incarcerated terrorist, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's privacy interest is minimal.

More information about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umar_Farouk_Abdulmutallab and more than 100 references to his case in major news outlets can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umar_Farouk_Abdulmutallab#References - clearly, there is a keen public interest in these documents.

The statements made by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab are extremely historically important, provide a great value to the public interest and provide benefit to the public as a whole. As Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's statements were the cause for various government actions and changes in policy, they play an important and specific part of the modern political narrative and public knowledge of the evidence of these events is vital to our democracy.

In addition, I request all public records about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab not subject to privacy restrictions.

In the event that the contents of the requested statements is classified under Executive Order 13526, I also make the following additional requests:

Pursuant to section 1.2 of Executive Order 13526, I am requesting the level of classification of this information and its existence/nonexistence.

Pursuant to section 1.3 of Executive Order 13526, I am requesting the specific authority which classified this information.

Pursuant to section 1.4 of Executive Order 13526, I am requesting the specific classification categories of this information, as well as an identification or description of the damage to national security which the disclosure of this information would produce.

Pursuant to section 1.5 of Executive Order 13526, I am requesting the specific duration of time for which this classification will stand.

Pursuant to section 1.6 of Executive Order 13526, I am requesting all classification markings about this information, including (1) one of the three classification levels defined in section 1.2 of Executive Order 13526, (2) the identity, by name and position, or by personal identifier, of the original classification authority, (3) the agency and office of origin, if not otherwise evident, (4) declassification instructions, and (5) a concise reason for classification that, at a minimum, cites the applicable classification categories in section 1.4 of Executive Order 13526.

Thank you very much! I really appreciate the efficiency and professionalism of your office, especially compared to other branches of the government!
Keep up the great work!

Rich Jones