The British man accused of trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight with explosives in his shoes plans to plead guilty to attempted murder and all other charges against him, his lawyer said.
His lawyer, Mr Owen Walker, last night said Mr Richard Reid wanted to avoid the publicity of a trial and the negative impact it would have on his family.
Mr Reid faces up to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. His lawyer said Mr Reid "has no disagreement with the facts" asserted in the charges.
In his court filing, Mr Reid said he would admit to all eight counts against him but asked the court to remove language from two of the charges alleging he received training from al-Qaeda. Mr Reid earlier lost a bid to remove the same language from the indictment against him.
In Washington, US Attorney General Mr John Ashcroft said Mr Reid acted on his own and has no plea agreement with the government. Federal prosecutors also filed a pleading that opposed removal of any language from the indictment.
AP