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Shoe Bomber: God Wanted Me to Fail in 2001 Bombing

Shoe Bomber: God Wanted Me to Fail in 2001 Bombing

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Richard Reid Shoe Bomber — Richard Reid, the British citizen accused of trying to blow up an aircraft with explosives in his shoes, is shown in this December, 2001 police photograph.Plymouth County Jail/Reuters

February 3, 2015 7:31 AM EST

Terrorist Richard Reid, who tried to blow up a jetliner with a shoe-bomb after 9/11, says he failed because that’s what God wanted.

In a letter from the supermax prison in Colorado where he is serving a life sentence, Reid told a researcher he believes the bungled 2001 attempt to kill 197 passengers on American Airlines Flight 63 was permitted by Islamic law.

“I admit many people would dispute that and disagree with me on that point,” the British-born Reid, 41, wrote. “However, at the same time I also believe that it wasn’t supposed to happen…”

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