- 2010 Portland car bomb plot
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Mohamed Osman Mohamud Born 1991
SomaliaResidence Corvallis, Oregon, United States Nationality Somali-American Citizenship USA Known for Arrested as prime suspect in 2010 Portland car bomb plot Religion Islam Criminal charge Attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction Criminal status Indicted (November 29, 2010) The 2010 Portland car bomb plot involved an incident in which Mohamed Osman Mohamud (born 1991), a Somali-American student, was arrested in an FBI sting operation on November 26, 2010, after attempting to set off what he thought was a car bomb at a Christmas tree lighting in Portland, Oregon.[1][2] He was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.[3][4] An attorney for Mohamud argued his client might have been entrapped.[5][6]
Contents
Background and incident
Mohamud was born in Somalia and grew up in Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of the Portland metropolitan area.[7] He is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Mohamud graduated from Westview High School in Beaverton.[8] He attended Oregon State University, but dropped out on October 6, 2010, without ever having declared a major.[9] At the time of the incident, he was a resident of Corvallis, Oregon.[10]
Under the pen name Ibnul Mubarak, Mohamud had written articles on physical fitness for the English-language publication Jihad Recollections as part of his earlier attempts to be associated with violent jihad ideology. He maintained contact with a former American student living in Pakistan.[11]
Mohamud had been monitored by the FBI for months. He reportedly attracted the interest of the FBI after agents intercepted e-mails he was exchanging with a man who had returned to the Middle East, and whom law enforcement officials described as a “recruiter for terrorism.” The man had previously lived in Oregon, where Mohamud reportedly met him, before moving first to Yemen and then to Pakistan.[12]
A year prior to his arrest, he was accused but not charged with date raping an intoxicated woman on the Oregon State University campus.[13]
Prior to Mohamud's arrest, an undercover FBI agent, posing as a terrorist, had been in contact with him since June 2010. The FBI put him on a no-fly list, preventing him from traveling to Kodiak, Alaska from Portland International Airport on June 10, 2010.[14][15] Prosecutors said he was instead interviewed by the FBI, whom he told he wanted to earn money fishing and then travel to join "the brothers," and that he had earlier hoped to travel to Yemen but had not obtained a ticket or visa.[15][16]
In preparation for the planned bombing of a public gathering, Mohamud and undercover FBI operatives drove to a remote area of Lincoln County, Oregon, where they conducted a test run on November 4 by detonating a real bomb Mohamud believed to have been hidden inside a backpack.
Pioneer Courthouse Square, the site of the attempted bombing, in 2007
The attempted main bombing took place at Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square at the corner of Southwest Yamhill Street and Sixth Avenue, as tens of thousands of people gathered for the city's annual Christmas tree lighting. The fake bomb was in a white van that carried six 55-gallon drums with what appeared to be real detonation cords and plastic caps.[17] Mohamud tried to detonate the bomb by dialing a cell phone that was attached to it. When the device failed to explode, the undercover agent suggested he get out of the car to obtain better reception. When he did so, arresting agents moved in. Mohamud tried to kick the arresting agents and police, as he shouted "Allahu Akbar!" after he was taken into custody.[17][18]
Because the FBI ensured that the device had no explosive components—even the detonating caps were inert—the public was never in any danger.[19] According to an affidavit, Mohamud told the agents, "I want whoever is attending that event to leave, to leave either dead or injured."[20]
Analysis
The Christmas tree in the squareEarly analysis questioned whether entrapment by FBI operatives was involved,[21][22] an Oregonian columnist asking "how far would Mohamud have traveled down that road without the help of those very operatives?"[21] Noting "astonishing similarities" to a simultaneous case near Baltimore, Maryland, The Oregonian quoted a New York University expert that such cases were "a strategy the FBI set upon years ago."[23] Presumably aware of legal defenses based on issues of entrapment, FBI agents reportedly offered Mohamud multiple alternatives to a bombing with mass casualties, including mere prayer. Mohamud reportedly insisted he wanted to play an "operational" role, and even wanted to pick the target for the bombing.[12] He had also been told several times that his planned bomb could kill women and children, and was given multiple opportunities to back out, but he told agents: "Since I was 15 I thought about all this... It's gonna be a fireworks show... a spectacular show."[17] Christopher Dickey of Newsweek said the FBI "took no chances with the court of public opinion" to make sure that Mohamud did not appear to be a victim of entrapment.[24] Noting that key evidence from an alleged July 30 meeting may already be missing, a court ordered the FBI to preserve remaining media and recording equipment.[6] Noting past behavior by the FBI in similar cases, New York lawyer Martin Stolar asserted the absence of such recordings was intentional. "Once somebody's been induced, and they agree to do the crime, that's when the recording starts.... He's already been induced to commit the crime, so everything on the tape is shit."[25]
A Washington Post feature traced the radical roots of the ideology held by young Somalis such as Mohamud to the Islamicization of Somalia following the collapse of the socialist government of Mohamed Siad Barre.[26]
Somali Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omar said "Mohamud's attempt is neither representative nor an example of Somalis. Somalis are peace-loving people," adding that the Somali government was "ready and willing" to assist in preventing future attempts.[27]
Aftermath
The Salman Al-Farisi Islamic Center in Corvallis, Oregon, where Mohamud occasionally attended services, was set on fire on November 28. Police linked the arson to Mohamud's occasional attendance there. The FBI is investigating the incident.[28] The Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the authorities to step up protection of the Muslim community in Oregon.[29]
See also
- Faisal Shahzad
- Farooque Ahmed
- Hemant Lakhani
- Hosam Maher Husein Smadi
- Liberty City Seven
References
- ^ Associated Press (November 27, 2010). Somali-born teen nabbed in Oregon bomb plot. USA Today
- ^ Staff report (November 27, 2010). US 'foils Oregon bomb plot.' Al-Jazeera
- ^ BBC staff report (November 27, 2010). US teenager held in Oregon over Christmas 'bomb plot.' BBC
- ^ CNN Wire Staff (November 27, 2010). "Somali-American accused of plotting to bomb Oregon tree-lighting event". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/11/27/oregon.bomb.plot/index.html?hpt=T2. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
- ^ National Public Radio, November 30, 2010
- ^ a b Duara, Nigel (November 30, 2010). "Portland bomb suspect pleads not guilty as attorney, public question FBI tactics". Associated Press. http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/111047654.html. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
- ^ Redden, Jim (November 27, 2010). Police, FBI say bomb plot over. Portland Tribune
- ^ Robbins, Liz (November 28, 2010). "F.B.I. Says Oregon Suspect Planned Attack of ‘Grand Scale’". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/us/28portland.html. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
- ^ Bomb suspect to classmate: 'I hate Americans', MSNBC, November 28, 2010
- ^ Markon, Jerry (November 27, 2010). Man charged with plotting to bomb Portland, Ore., tree lighting ceremony. Washington Post
- ^ Drogin, Bob (November 27, 2010). Teen held in alleged Portland bomb plot. Los Angeles Times
- ^ a b Washington Monthly (Nov. 28, 2010). "DETAILS EMERGE ON THWARTED OREGON BOMB PLOT"
- ^ Font size Print E-mail Share 2 Comments (November 29, 2010). "Oregon Bomber Suspect Had Date Rape Accusation". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/29/national/main7100484.shtml. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
- ^ Brooks, Caryn (January 25, 2010). "Mohamed Mohamud, Portland Bomber Suspect: Young Radical?". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2033372,00.html. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
- ^ a b "Duluth, Minnesota". Duluth News Tribune. http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/apArticle/id/D9JP8S581/. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
- ^ Drogin, Bob; Choi, April (November 28, 2010). "Teen held in alleged Portland bomb plot – Page 2 – Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/28/nation/la-na-portland-bomb-plot-20101128/2. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
- ^ a b c Robbins, Liz and Wyatt, Edward (November 27, 2010). Somali-Born Teenager Held in Oregon Bomb Sting. New York Times
- ^ Associated Press (Nov. 27, 2010 11:14 a.m. ET). “Feds: Somali-born teen plotted car-bombing in Ore.”
- ^ Denson, Bryan (November 26, 2010). FBI thwarts terrorist bombing attempt at Portland holiday tree lighting, authorities say. The Oregonian
- ^ Cherry, Matt (November 27, 2010). Somali-American accused of plotting to bomb Oregon tree-lighting event. CNN
- ^ a b Duin, Steve (November 27, 2010). Jihad at Pioneer Courthouse Square. The Oregonian
- ^ Greenwald, Glenn (November 28, 2010). The FBI successfully thwarts its own Terrorist plot. Salon.com
- ^ Denson, Bryan. (December 13, 2010) [1] "Portland, Maryland plots eerily similar: FBI stings that snagged accused would-be bombers appear to be from the same playbook." The Oregonian, page A1.>
- ^ Dickey, Christopher (November 27, 2010). Spooking the Terrorists – and Ourselves. Newsweek
- ^ Pitkin, James (December 8, 2010) "Missing Links: Experts Say Key Facts Could Be Missing in Portland's Terrorism Case." Willamette Week, page 7.>
- ^ Raghavan, Sudarsan (November 27, 2010). A Somali teen's path to jihad. Washington Post
- ^ McCall, William and Pickler, Nedra (November 27, 2010). Feds: Somali-born teen plotted car-bombing in Ore. Miami Herald
- ^ "Fire set at mosque where terror suspect worshipped". Associated Press. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40407714/ns/us_news-security/.
- ^ "CAIR: Oregon Mosque Arson Prompts Call to Protect Muslims". PR Newswire. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cair-oregon-mosque-arson-prompts-call-to-protect-muslims-110942284.html.
External links
- FBI arrest warrant and affidavit
- FBI Arrest Warrant, Criminal Complaint and Affidavit
- Oregon Resident Arrested in Plot to Bomb Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Portland via United States Department of Justice
Alleged militants in the War on Terror who have lived in the United StatesSeptember 11 attacks Khalid Sheikh Mohammed · Mohamed Atta · Satam al-Suqami · Waleed al-Shehri · Wail al-Shehri · Abdulaziz al-Omari · Marwan al-Shehhi · Fayez Banihammad · Mohand al-Shehri · Hamza al-Ghamdi · Ahmed al-Ghamdi · Hani Hanjour · Khalid al-Mihdhar · Majed Moqed · Nawaf al-Hazmi · Salem al-Hazmi · Ziad Jarrah · Ahmed al-Nami · Saeed al-Ghamdi · Ahmed al-Haznawi
Buffalo Six Sahim Alwan · Mukhtar al-Bakri · Faysal Galab · Yahya Goba · Shafal Mosed · Yaseinn Taher
al-Qaeda / Islamic Jihad /
al-JihadSami Al-Arian · Anwar al-Awlaki · Khaled Abu el-Dahab · Adam Yahiye Gadahn · Wadih el-Hage · Ziyad Khaleel · Sharif Mobley · Ali Mohamed · Zacarias Moussaoui · Aafia Siddiqui · Bryant Neal Vinas · Najibullah Zazi
Boston cab drivers Mohamad Elzahabi · Raed Hijazi · Bassam Kanj
Portland Seven Arrested in 2005
and convictedAbdulrahman Farhane · Mahmud al-Mutazzim · Rafiq Abdus Sabir · Tarik Shah
Liberty City Seven convictedPatrick Abraham · Burson Augustin · Rotschild Augustine · Narseal Batiste · Stanley PhanoracquittedNaudimar Herrera · Lyglenson Lemorin2007 Fort Dix plot Agron Abdullahu · Dritan Duka · Eljvir Duka · Shain Duka · Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer · Serdar Tatar
2009 Bronx plot James Cromitie · David Williams · Onta Williams
2010 Vilks assassination plot Colleen LaRose · Jamie Paulin-Ramirez
D.C. Five Umer Farooq · Waqar Khan · Ahmed Abdullah Minni · Aman Hassan Yasir · Ramy Zamzam
Others Nuradin Abdi · Ahmed Omar Abu Ali · Farooque Ahmed · Shirwa Ahmed · Mohamed Mahmood Alessa · Carlos Eduardo Almonte · Daniel Patrick Boyd / Raleigh jihad group · Iyman Faris · Rezwan Ferdaus · Michael Finton · Nidal Malik Hasan · David Headley · Majid Khan · John Walker Lindh · Daniel Maldonado · Sayed Malike · Mohamed Osman Mohamud · Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad · José Padilla · Michael Curtis Reynolds · Faisal Shahzad · Adnan Gulshair el Shukrijumah · Hosam Maher Husein Smadi · Ali al-Tamimi · Detroit Sleeper Cell · Virginia Jihad Network · 2011 Manhattan terrorism plot · 2005 Los Angeles bomb plot
Held in Guantanamo Bay Majid KhanCategories:- Failed terrorist attempts
- Islamist terrorism in the United States
- Terrorist incidents in the United States in 2010
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