BOSTON?The airline passenger accused of trying to ignite explosives in his shoes was indicted Wednesday on charges of being an al Qaeda-trained terrorist whose goal was to blow up the plane and kill the nearly 200 people aboard.

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

“We must be prepared. We must be ready. We must be vigilant,” said Attorney General John Ashcroft.