U.S. prosecutors say Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab will hear the charges against him during the arraignment in (the U.S. city of) Detroit.
A federal grand jury earlier this week indicted the 23-year-old Nigerian on six criminal counts, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder. He could face life in prison.
Prosecutors say Abdulmutallab tried to detonate explosives concealed in his underwear during a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
Security will be at its highest level at the courthouse. Protesters are expected outside, including one Muslim group that plans to denounce the suspect's alleged actions.
U.S. President Barack Obama Thursday said U.S. agencies failed to "connect and understand" intelligence that could have stopped the attempted terror attack.
President Obama said he takes responsibility for the systems shortcomings and ordered almost a dozen changes in the way potential threats are handled.
He said the U.S. will train hundreds of additional air marshals (undercover law enforcement officials on flights) to help provide security.
He spoke as the White House released a summary of its preliminary review of the attack. Authorities are looking into how Abdulmutallab allegedly brought explosives on board and was able to travel to the United States, even after U.S. intelligence agencies were warned about his possible ties to extremists.
Abdulmutallab's name was included in a broad database of individuals who are suspected of having some link to terrorism. But he was not on higher-profile watch lists that might have caught the attention of security screeners. This has raised questions about communication among government agencies and among countries.