Boston — The airline passenger accused of trying to ignite explosives in his shoes was indicted Wednesday on charges of being an al-Qaida-trained terrorist whose goal was to blow up the plane and kill the nearly 200 people aboard.
Richard Reid, a 28-year-old British citizen and convert to Islam, could get five life sentences if convicted.
The indictment, issued by a federal grand jury in Boston, alleges Reid attempted to kill the 197 passengers and crew aboard a Paris-to-Miami American Airlines flight Dec. 22 before he was tackled and the jetliner was diverted to Boston.
Reid did "attempt to use a weapon of mass destruction ... consisting of an explosive bomb placed in each of his shoes," the indictment said.
The indictment said Reid "received training from al-Qaida in Afghanistan."
A U.S. official said Reid may be an al-Qaida target scout; an Israeli official said it was possible Reid was gathering intelligence for large-scale terrorist attacks in Tel Aviv and other cities. Both spoke on condition of anonymity.
Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft said in Washington that the charges "alert us to a clear, unmistakable threat that al-Qaida could attack the United States again."
"We must be prepared. We must be ready. We must be vigilant," he said.
The charges against Reid include attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder and attempted destruction of an aircraft.
He also was charged with attempted wrecking of a mass transportation vehicle, a new charge created by Congress in an anti-terrorism bill enacted in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.
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