As the son of one of Nigeria's most prominent businessmen he had access to international travel and a world-class education. He has been described by one former British teacher as a dream student.
But people close to him have said he was increasingly showing signs of extremist views before his attempted act of terrorism.
After his arrest, his family told the BBC they had not heard from him since October 2009.
US and Yemeni officials have linked him to radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, whom he is said to have met while in Yemen before the attack, and that he was trained for the attack in Yemen, by the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
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