The Nigerian man reportedly trained by recently killed al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and accused of trying to blow up an airplane on Christmas day 2009 using an underwear bomb made an outspoken appearance in a Detroit courtroom on Tuesday as jury selection began in his federal trial.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 24-year-old Nigerian man who faces charges of attempting to detonate an explosive device on an airplane, was present as potential jurors were questioned for a trial that is expected to last a month, according to Reuters.

During the selection process, Abdulmutallab yelled "Anwar is alive!" according to the Los Angeles Times.

American-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was killed in a drone strike on September 30.

Abdulmutallab also called the United States a "cancer" in court, according to the Detroit Free Press, and initially showed up to court in a t-shirt before being asked by the judge to change into a shirt and tie.

Some Congressional Republicans are opposed to Abdulmutallab recieving a civilian trial instead of facing a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"Abdulmutallab is a war criminal, not a civilian," Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. "It is wrong to provide him with the rights and privileges afforded in a civilian trial."

Abdulmutallab was eventually overpowered by fellow passengers on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit in 2009.

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