Portland bomb scare: Mohamed Osman Mohamud, Somali-born US teen with Al Qaeda links, arrested
BY Larry Mcshane Read more:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/11/27/2010-11-27_portland_bomb_scare_mohamed_osman_mohamud_somaliborn_us_teen_arrested_for_allege.html#ixzz16WiowaEZA Somali-born teen with Al Qaeda links shouted defiantly in Arabic after his arrest for plotting to detonate an explosives-laden van at a Christmas tree lighting in Oregon.
Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, was nailed in an FBI sting immediately after dialing a cell phone number that he believed would ignite a half-dozen 55-gallon drums inside the van.
But the massive "bomb" left parked in downtown Portland before the jam-packed annual holiday celebration was a bogus device provided by the feds, officials said.
Mohamud was in regular e-mail contact with an Al Qaeda associate in Pakistan when he was identified in June by an FBI undercover agent, according to court papers.
The teen suspect, a naturalized American citizen, kicked angrily at agents and cops after his sudden arrest. "Allahu akbar!" he shouted - Arabic for "God is great!" - as he was taken into custody.
The sting operation was so involved that Mohamud and undercover agents detonated a trial run bomb in a secluded area of Oregon earlier in November.
During one conversation with undercovers, the teen said the deadly plot was his personal jihad.
"Since I was 15 I thought all about this," he said at one point. "It's going to be a fireworks show ... a spectacular show."
An FBI affidavit said Mohamud also mailed bomb components to federal undercovers. The teen was convinced the agents were actually assembling the bomb for him, the affidavit said.
"This threat was very real," said Arthur Balizan, special agent in charge of the FBI's Portland office. "Our investigation shows that Mohamud was absolutely committed to carrying out an attack on a very grand scale."
The teen suspect faces life behind bars on a charge of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. He was due Monday for his first court appearance.
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