The Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a United States airliner on Christmas Day has provided valuable information to the authorities after relatives - reportedly flown to the US by the FBI - urged him to cooperate.

Directly after his detention when the attempted attack failed, the would-be bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, admitted to have been trained by al-Qaeda-linked militants in Yemen. After receiving treatment for burns in hospital, agents read him full rights under the US constitution stating that he did not have to give incriminating evidence. The suspect then stopped talking to investigators.

Top US intelligence officials said the 23-year-old Nigerian started talking again last week and has given "useful, actionable and current intelligence". Testifying on Capitol Hill about the attempted bombing, intelligence agents said al-Qaeda and its allies were "certain" to try to attack US territory again within the next six months.

The 25 December flight took off from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and was about to land in Detroit when Mr Abdulmutallab allegedly tried to blow it up with explosives sewn into his underwear. He was overpowered by a Dutch passenger on board. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula claimed responsibility for the failed attack.

Nigerian would-be bomber detained after failed attack by CNN