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HILLSBOROUGH -- The man accused of injuring nine people when he drove a rental car through the UNC-Chapel Hill campus last week politely told a judge today that he planned to represent himself with the help of Allah.

About 10:30 a.m., Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, 22, was brought into Orange County District Court, chained and in an orange jumpsuit, flanked by sheriff's deputies. Calm and with a constant closed-lip smile, he answered Judge Pat DeVine's questions of whether he understood the day's proceedings with the response, "Yes, ma'am."

"I'm thankful you're here to give me this trial and to learn more about the will of Allah," he told the judge in court.

District Attorney Jim Woodall slowly read off all of the 18 charges against Taheri-azar, naming each of the nine people who the recent graduate allegedly hit with a rented Jeep Grand Cherokee on Friday.

Taheri-azar faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury each of the nine victims. DeVine kept Taheri-azar's bail at $5.5 million and asked the public defender's office to work with him until the court felt comfortable that he was competent enough to represent himself.