AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — The attorney defending a Saudi man accused of gathering bomb components in his West Texas apartment calls his client “a failure” who never came close to carrying out any plot.

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Investigators say the 22-year-old man researched targets including the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush.

Aldawsari’s attorney, Dan Cogdell, said in his opening argument Friday that his client never took the “substantial step” toward detonating a bomb. Cogdell says he thanks authorities for stopping Aldawsari.

Prosecutor Jeffrey Haag says the evidence against Aldawsari demands a conviction. Authorities say they found almost everything needed to build a bomb when they secretly searched his Lubbock apartment.