2010 Portland car bomb plot
Encyclopedia
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
. He was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. An attorney for Mohamud argued his client might have been entrapped
.
and grew up in Beaverton, Oregon
, a suburb of the Portland metropolitan area
. He is a naturalized
U.S. citizen. Mohamud graduated from Westview High School
in Beaverton. He attended Oregon State University
, but dropped out on October 6, 2010, without ever having declared a major. At the time of the incident, he was a resident of Corvallis, Oregon
.
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
.
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
.
A year prior to his arrest, he was accused but not charged with date raping
an intoxicated woman on the Oregon State University campus.
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. 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.
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. 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.
Because the FBI ensured that the device had no explosive components—even the detonating caps were inert—the public was never in any danger. According to an affidavit
, Mohamud told the agents, "I want whoever is attending that event to leave, to leave either dead or injured."
by FBI operatives was involved, an Oregonian
columnist asking "how far would Mohamud have traveled down that road without the help of those very operatives?" 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." 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. 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." 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. 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. 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."
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.
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.
, 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. The Council on American-Islamic Relations
called on the authorities to step up protection of the Muslim community in Oregon.
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
on November 26, 2010, after attempting to set off what he thought was a car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
at a Christmas tree lighting in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. He was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. An attorney for Mohamud argued his client might have been entrapped
Entrapment
In criminal law, entrapment is conduct by a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an offense that the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit. In many jurisdictions, entrapment is a possible defense against criminal liability...
.
Background and incident
Mohamud was born in SomaliaSomalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and grew up in Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
, a suburb of the Portland metropolitan area
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
. He is a naturalized
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
U.S. citizen. Mohamud graduated from Westview High School
Westview High School (Beaverton, Oregon)
Westview High School is a public high school in Portland, Oregon, United States in the Beaverton School District. It opened in 1994 and its first graduating class was in June 1996.-Students:...
in Beaverton. He attended Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
, but dropped out on October 6, 2010, without ever having declared a major. At the time of the incident, he was a resident of Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
.
Under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Ibnul Mubarak, Mohamud had written articles on physical fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
for the English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
publication Jihad Recollections as part of his earlier attempts to be associated with violent jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
ideology. He maintained contact with a former American student living in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
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
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and whom law enforcement officials described as a “recruiter for terrorism.” The man had previously lived in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where Mohamud reportedly met him, before moving first to Yemen and then to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
A year prior to his arrest, he was accused but not charged with date raping
Date rape
"Date rape", often referred to as acquaintance rape, is an assault or attempted assault usually committed by a new acquaintance involving sexual intercourse without mutual consent....
an intoxicated woman on the Oregon State University campus.
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
Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...
from Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...
on June 10, 2010. 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.
In preparation for the planned bombing of a public gathering, Mohamud and undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
FBI operatives drove to a remote area of Lincoln County, Oregon
Lincoln County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge*Siuslaw National Forest -Demographics:...
, 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
Pioneer Courthouse Square, affectionately known as Portland's living room, is a public space occupying a full 40,000 ft² city block in the center of downtown Portland, Oregon, United States...
at the corner of Southwest Yamhill Street and Sixth Avenue, as tens of thousands of people gathered for the city's annual Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
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. 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.
Because the FBI ensured that the device had no explosive components—even the detonating caps were inert—the public was never in any danger. According to an affidavit
Affidavit
An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public...
, Mohamud told the agents, "I want whoever is attending that event to leave, to leave either dead or injured."
Analysis
Early analysis questioned whether entrapmentEntrapment
In criminal law, entrapment is conduct by a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an offense that the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit. In many jurisdictions, entrapment is a possible defense against criminal liability...
by FBI operatives was involved, an Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
columnist asking "how far would Mohamud have traveled down that road without the help of those very operatives?" Noting "astonishing similarities" to a simultaneous case near Baltimore, Maryland, The Oregonian quoted a New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
expert that such cases were "a strategy the FBI set upon years ago." 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. 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." Christopher Dickey
Christopher Dickey
Christopher Dickey, born August 31, 1951, is the Paris Bureau Chief and Middle East Regional Editor for Newsweek magazine. The author of six books, his most recent is Securing the City: Inside America's Best Counterterror Force – the NYPD, published in February 2009...
of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
said the FBI "took no chances with the court of public opinion
Public opinion
Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
" to make sure that Mohamud did not appear to be a victim of entrapment. 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. 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."
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.
Somali Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omar
Mohamed Abdullahi Omar
Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar is a Somali politician and diplomat. He is the Foreign Minister of Somalia.-Biography:Omaar is the elder son of businessman Abdullahi Omaar. He also has three younger siblings: one of his sisters, Raqiya Omaar, is a human rights advocate, and his brother Rageh Omaar is a...
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.
Aftermath
The Salman Al-Farisi Islamic Center in Corvallis, OregonCorvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, where Mohamud occasionally attended services, was set on fire on November 28. Police linked the arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
to Mohamud's occasional attendance there. The FBI is investigating the incident. The Council on American-Islamic Relations
Council on American-Islamic Relations
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America's largest Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization that deals with civil advocacy and promotes human rights...
called on the authorities to step up protection of the Muslim community in Oregon.
See also
- Faisal ShahzadFaisal ShahzadFaisal Shahzad is a Pakistani American who attempted the May 1, 2010, Times Square car bombing. On , 2010, in Federal District Court in Manhattan he confessed to 10 counts arising from the bombing attempt...
- Farooque AhmedFarooque AhmedFarooque Ahmed is a Pakistani American from Ashburn, Virginia who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly plotting to bomb Washington Metro stations at Arlington cemetery, Pentagon City, Crystal City and Court House...
- Hemant LakhaniHemant LakhaniHemant Lakhani is a British rice trader and sari salesman of Indian origin. He was convicted in 2005 of illegal arms dealing after purchasing a fake surface-to-air missile from a Russian intelligence agent posing as a disgruntled military officer then attempting to sell that missle to a FBI agent...
- Hosam Maher Husein SmadiHosam Maher Husein SmadiHosam Maher Husein Smadi is a citizen of Jordan who was arrested on suspicion of planning a terrorist bombing of Fountain Place, a downtown skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, on September 24, 2009....
- Liberty City SevenLiberty City SevenThe Liberty City Seven were seven members of a small Miami, Florida-based religious group who called themselves the Seas of David or Seeds of David. Described as a "bizarre cult," the seven were arrested and charged with terrorism-related offenses in 2006 after a Federal Bureau of Investigation...
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 JusticeUnited States Department of JusticeThe United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...