2010 Portland car bomb plot

Last updated
Mohamed Osman Mohamud
Born1991
Somalia
NationalitySomali-American
CitizenshipUSA
Known forArrested as prime suspect in 2010 Portland car bomb plot
Criminal chargeAttempted use of a weapon of mass destruction
Criminal penalty30 years federal imprisonment and lifetime supervision
Criminal statusIncarcerated

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 that his client was entrapped. [5] [6] On January 31, 2013, a jury found Mohamud guilty of the single charge against him. He was scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, 2013, however the sentencing was cancelled in anticipation of the filing of new motions by the defense. [7] In September 2014, Mohamud was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison with credit for time served, as well as lifetime supervision upon release in 2040.

Contents

Background and incident

Mohamud was born in Somalia, came to America as a refugee, [8] and grew up in Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of the Portland metropolitan area. [9] He is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Mohamud graduated from Westview High School in Beaverton. [10] He attended Oregon State University, but dropped out on October 6, 2010, without having declared a major. [11] At the time of the incident, he was a resident of Corvallis, Oregon. [12]

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. [13]

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. [14]

A year prior to his arrest, he was accused but not charged with date raping an intoxicated woman on the Oregon State University campus. [15]

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. [16] [17] 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. [17] [18]

Pioneer Courthouse Square, the site of the attempted bombing, with Christmas tree in 2011 Pioneer Courthouse Square with Christmas tree 2011.jpg
Pioneer Courthouse Square, the site of the attempted bombing, with Christmas tree in 2011

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.

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. [19] 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 he was arrested. Because the FBI ensured that the device had no explosive components—even the detonating caps were inert—the public was never in any danger. [20] According to an affidavit, Mohamud told the agents, "I want whoever is attending that event to leave, to leave either dead or injured." [21]

Analysis

Early analysis questioned whether entrapment by FBI operatives was involved, [22] [23] an Oregonian columnist asking "how far would Mohamud have traveled down that road without the help of those very operatives?" [22] 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." [24] Presumably aware of legal defenses based on issues of entrapment, FBI agents reportedly offered Mohamud multiple alternatives to a bombing with mass casualties, including prayer. Mohamud reportedly insisted he wanted to play an "operational" role, and even wanted to pick the target for the bombing. [14] 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." [19] 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. [25] 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." [26]

A The 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. [27]

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. [28]

Trial

Mohamud was charged with a single count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. His trial began on January 10, 2013 and concluded on January 31 with the jury finding him guilty. He faced up to life in prison and was initially scheduled to be sentenced on June 27, 2013. [29] However, in a motion filed on June 17, federal prosecutors requested that sentencing be delayed two to three months because the government needs more time to prepare its sentencing recommendations. [30] Mohamud's sentencing was subsequently rescheduled for December 18, 2013, then cancelled in anticipation of defense motions. [7] In October 2014, Mohamud was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison along with credit for time served since his arrest, as well as lifetime supervision upon his scheduled release in 2036. He is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution, Sandstone, a low-security federal prison in Minnesota. [31]

Mosque arson

The Salman Al-Farisi Islamic Center in Corvallis, Oregon, where Mohamud occasionally attended services, was set on fire on November 28, 2010. Police determined that arson was the cause and investigated it as a possible hate crime. [32] In response, the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on authorities to increase their presence in Muslim communities in Oregon. [33]

On August 24, 2011, federal agents arrested Cody Seth Crawford, 24, on a federal hate crimes indictment in what they stated was a racially motivated arson at the mosque. A federal judge ordered that Crawford be detained as a danger to the community due to his prior arrest history. [34] Crawford's court-appointed attorneys stated that he suffers from alcohol and mental illness issues. [35] Crawford was convicted of a federal charge of damaging religious property and sentenced to 5 years probation. [36]

See also

Related Research Articles

Tre Arrow is a green anarchist who gained prominence in the U.S. state of Oregon in the late 1990s and early 2000s for his environmental activism, bid for Congress as a Pacific Green Party candidate, and then for his arrest and later conviction for committing acts of arson on cement and logging trucks. He unsuccessfully sought political asylum in Canada, and was extradited to Portland, Oregon, on February 29, 2008, to face 14 counts of arson and conspiracy. These actions were claimed as acts of protest by the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). On June 3, 2008, Arrow pleaded guilty to 2 counts of arson and was sentenced with 78 months in prison. He was released to a halfway house in 2009.

Operation Backfire is a multi-agency criminal investigation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), into destructive acts in the name of animal rights and environmental causes in the United States described as eco-terrorism by the FBI. The operation resulted in convictions and imprisonment of a number of people, many of whom were members of the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front.

The 2006 Ontario terrorism case is the plotting of a series of attacks against targets in Southern Ontario, Canada, and the June 2, 2006 counter-terrorism raids in and around the Greater Toronto Area that resulted in the arrest of 14 adults and 4 youths . These individuals have been characterized as having been inspired by al-Qaeda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habis Abdulla al Saoub</span>

Habis Abdulla al Saoub, a.k.a. Abu Tarek, was a Jordanian national and member of the Portland Seven, and later a member of an al Qaeda cell. In February 2003, he was added to the FBI Seeking Information - War on Terrorism list, wanted in connection with a federal grand jury indictment returned on October 3, 2002, in United States District Court for the District of Oregon at Portland, Oregon, in which he was charged with conspiracy to levy war against the United States, conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al-Qaeda, conspiracy to contribute services to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and possessing firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence. The FBI offered a five million dollar reward for his capture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garr King</span> American judge and lawyer (1936–2019)

Garr Michael King was a lawyer and United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Ann Power</span> American ex-convict and fugitive (born 1949)

Katherine Ann Power, also known under the aliases Mae Kelly and Alice Louise Metzinger, is an American ex-convict and long-time fugitive, who, along with her fellow student and accomplice Susan Edith Saxe, was placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives list in 1970. The two participated in robberies at a Massachusetts National Guard armory and a bank in Brighton, Massachusetts, where Boston police officer Walter Schroeder was shot and killed. Power remained at large for twenty-three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Rajneeshee assassination plot</span> Assassination plot in Portland, Oregon

In 1985, a group of high-ranking Rajneeshees, followers of the Indian mystic Shree Rajneesh, conspired to assassinate Charles Turner, the then-United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. Rajneesh's personal secretary and second-in-command, Ma Anand Sheela, assembled the group after Turner was appointed to investigate illegal activity at the followers' community, Rajneeshpuram. Turner investigated charges of immigration fraud and sham marriages, and later headed the federal prosecution of the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack in The Dalles, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in the United States</span> Systematic or threatened use of violence to create a general climate of fear

In the United States, a common definition of terrorism is the systematic or threatened use of violence in order to create a general climate of fear to intimidate a population or government and thereby effect political, religious, or ideological change. This article serves as a list and a compilation of acts of terrorism, attempts to commit acts of terrorism, and other such items which pertain to terrorist activities which are engaged in by non-state actors or spies who are acting in the interests of state actors or persons who are acting without the approval of foreign governments within the domestic borders of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Robert Hogan</span> American judge (born 1946)

Michael Robert Hogan is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. He served as chief judge from 1995 to 2002. He was based at the Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon. While he was Chief Judge, he was an influential force on the design of the new courthouse. He took senior status with the court on September 24, 2011 and retired on November 1, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Bronx terrorism plot</span> Foiled terrorism plot

On May 20, 2009, US law enforcement arrested four men in connection with a fake plot concocted by a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant to shoot down military airplanes flying out of an Air National Guard base in Newburgh, New York, and blow up two synagogues in the Riverdale community of the Bronx using weapons supplied by the FBI. The group was led by Shahed Hussain, a Pakistani criminal who was working for the FBI to avoid deportation for having defrauded the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Hussain has never been charged in the United States with any terrorism related offenses and was paid nearly US$100,000 by the FBI for his work on this plot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneer Courthouse Square</span> Public space in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Pioneer Courthouse Square, also known as Portland's living room, is a public space occupying a full 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) city block in the center of downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1984, the square is bounded by Southwest Morrison Street on the north, Southwest 6th Avenue on the east, Southwest Yamhill Street on the south, and Southwest Broadway on the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building</span> Building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building is a high rise structure in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1975, the 18 story-tower is owned by the Federal Government. The international style office building has more than 370,000 square feet (34,000 m2) of space. Designed by the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill architecture firm, the building is named after Wendell Wyatt and Edith Green who both served in the United States House of Representatives.

On June 5, 2010, in a covert American anti-terrorism operation named "Operation Arabian Knight", two American citizens Mohamed Mahmood Alessa and Carlos "Omar" Eduardo Almonte, New Jersey residents, were arrested at Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The men were in the process of boarding booked, separate flights to Egypt. According to the affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, they planned to travel to Somalia to join Al-Shabab, an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group recruiting foreigners for its civil war. They intended to join them in killing American troops in Somalia, although few Americans are stationed there. The two men were charged with conspiring to kill, maim, and kidnap people outside the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Sandstone</span> Federal prison in Sandstone, Minnesota

The Federal Correctional Institution, Sandstone is a low-security United States federal prison for male offenders in Sandstone, Minnesota. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BoP), a division of the United States Department of Justice.

Sami Osmakac is an American convicted by a jury on June 10, 2014, following a criminal trial in U.S. District Court, of plotting terrorist attacks in and near Tampa, Florida.

Amine El Khalifi is a Moroccan man who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for plotting to carry out a suicide bombing on the United States Capitol. He was charged with "attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against federal property" and now convicted, faces 30 years in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge</span> Armed occupation of a US federal protected area in Oregon in 2016

On January 2, 2016, an armed group of far-right extremists seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon, and continued to occupy it until law enforcement made a final arrest on February 11, 2016. Their leader was Ammon Bundy, who participated in the 2014 Bundy standoff at his father's Nevada ranch. Other members of the group were loosely affiliated with non-governmental militias and the sovereign citizen movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Portland train attack</span> Racially-motivated harassment and stabbing on a train in Portland, Oregon

On May 26, 2017, Jeremy Joseph Christian fatally stabbed two men and injured a third after he was confronted for shouting racist and anti-Muslim slurs at two black teenagers, Destinee Mangum and Walia Mohamed, on a MAX Light Rail train in Portland, Oregon. Two of the victims, Ricky John Best of Happy Valley and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche of Portland, were killed; the third victim, Micah David-Cole Fletcher, survived with serious wounds.

Bryan Denson is an American author and investigative journalist who often writes about spies, terrorists, and other national security issues. His work won the 2006 George Polk Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize during his 20-year career at The Oregonian newspaper and oregonlive.com.

References

  1. ↑ Associated Press (November 27, 2010). Somali-born teen nabbed in Oregon bomb plot. USA Today
  2. ↑ Staff report (November 27, 2010). US 'foils Oregon bomb plot.' Al-Jazeera
  3. ↑ BBC staff report (November 27, 2010). US teenager held in Oregon over Christmas 'bomb plot.' BBC
  4. ↑ "Somali-American accused of plotting to bomb Oregon tree-lighting event". CNN. November 27, 2010. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  5. ↑ "National Public Radio, November 30, 2010". Npr.org. 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  6. 1 2 Duara, Nigel (November 30, 2010). "Portland bomb suspect pleads not guilty as attorney, public question FBI tactics". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Portland bomb plot: Mohamed Mohamud sentencing canceled pending FISA motions". The Oregonian. November 26, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Sentencing In May For Mohamud, Convicted In Bomb Plot Case . News | OPB". www.opb.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-11.
  9. ↑ Redden, Jim (November 27, 2010). Police, FBI say bomb plot over. Archived 2016-10-24 at the Wayback Machine Portland Tribune . Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  10. ↑ Robbins, Liz (November 28, 2010). "F.B.I. Says Oregon Suspect Planned Attack of 'Grand Scale'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  11. ↑ Bomb suspect to classmate: 'I hate Americans', NBC News, November 28, 2010
  12. ↑ Markon, Jerry (November 27, 2010). Man charged with plotting to bomb Portland, Ore., tree lighting ceremony. The Washington Post
  13. ↑ Drogin, Bob (November 27, 2010). Teen held in alleged Portland bomb plot. Los Angeles Times
  14. 1 2 Washington Monthly (Nov. 28, 2010). "DETAILS EMERGE ON THWARTED OREGON BOMB PLOT"
  15. ↑ "Oregon Bomber Suspect Had Date Rape Accusation". CBS News. November 29, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  16. ↑ Brooks, Caryn (January 25, 2010). "Mohamed Mohamud, Portland Bomber Suspect: Young Radical?". TIME. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  17. 1 2 "Duluth, Minnesota". Duluth News Tribune. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  18. ↑ Drogin, Bob; Choi, April (November 28, 2010). "Teen held in alleged Portland bomb plot – Page 2 – Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  19. 1 2 Robbins, Liz and Wyatt, Edward (November 27, 2010). Somali-Born Teenager Held in Oregon Bomb Sting. The New York Times
  20. ↑ Denson, Bryan (November 26, 2010). FBI thwarts terrorist bombing attempt at Portland holiday tree lighting, authorities say. The Oregonian
  21. ↑ Cherry, Matt (November 27, 2010). Somali-American accused of plotting to bomb Oregon tree-lighting event. CNN
  22. 1 2 Duin, Steve (November 27, 2010). Jihad at Pioneer Courthouse Square. The Oregonian
  23. ↑ Greenwald, Glenn (November 28, 2010). The FBI successfully thwarts its own Terrorist plot. Salon.com
  24. ↑ Denson, Bryan (December 13, 2010). "Portland, Maryland plots eerily similar: FBI stings that snagged accused would-be bombers appear to be from the same playbook". The Oregonian. p. A1.
  25. ↑ Dickey, Christopher (November 27, 2010). Spooking the Terrorists – and Ourselves. Newsweek
  26. ↑ Pitkin, James (December 8, 2010). "Missing Links: Experts Say Key Facts Could Be Missing in Portland's Terrorism Case". Willamette Week . p. 7. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  27. ↑ Raghavan, Sudarsan (November 27, 2010). A Somali teen's path to jihad. The Washington Post
  28. ↑ McCall, William and Pickler, Nedra (November 27, 2010). Feds: Somali-born teen plotted car-bombing in Ore. Miami Herald
  29. ↑ Denson, Bryan (March 15, 2013). "Mohamed Mohamud sentencing re-set for June". Oregon Live. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  30. ↑ Denson, Bryan (June 17, 2013). "Portland bomb plot: Government prosecutors seek delay in Mohamed Mohamud sentencing". The Oregonian .
  31. ↑ "Inmate Locator: Inmate # 73079-065". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  32. ↑ "Fire set at mosque where terror suspect worshipped". Associated Press. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  33. ↑ "CAIR: Oregon Mosque Arson Prompts Call to Protect Muslims". PR Newswire . Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  34. ↑ "Man accused of hate crime in Corvallis mosque arson | OregonLive.com". The Oregonian. August 25, 2011. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  35. ↑ "Suspect in Corvallis mosque arson has history of mental illness and alcohol problems, lawyers say". The Oregonian. August 25, 2011.
  36. ↑ "Man convicted of firebombing Corvallis mosque gets probation". The Gazette Times. March 2, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.