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INITIATIVE
Domestic Terrorism Post-9/11 (2001-2011)
During the ten years following September 11th, 2001 there were over 100 incidents of "home-grown" or domestic terrorism in the United States. To provide a valuable resource on this topic, the Crime Commission has compiled an extensive database of incidents including attacks, plots, support for, membership in, or connections with a terrorist organization. While information about terrorist incidents are available elsewhere, both on and off the Internet, the Crime Commission's database is unique in providing a centralized, concise, user-friendly, and visually engaging informational resource on domestic terrorism. read more »
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January 5, 2002
Tampa, FL
Charles Bishop
Attack: Skyjacking
None Confirmed
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Radical teenager crashes airplane into Bank of America building
U.S. citizen Charles Bishop, 15, stole a Cessna airplane and crashed it into the Bank of America building in Tampa, FL. In his suicide note, Bishop praised Osama bin Laden and the events of 9/11 but gave no indication he intended to harm anyone but himself. No one was injured in the office building, which was largely unoccupied as it was a Sunday morning.
After examining his computer following the incident, authorities believe Bishop acted alone and had no contact with bin Laden or his affiliates.
Bishop died upon impact.
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May 7, 2002
Midwest U.S.
Luke Helder
Attack: Bomb
None Confirmed
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Mailbox pipe bombs across the Midwest
In May 2002 U.S. citizen Lucas Helder, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, allegedly planted 18 mailbox pipe bombs in five states throughout the Midwest: Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas. Six people were injured by the bombs, which were accompanied by typewritten letters criticizing the government. Authorities arrested Helder on May 7, 2002, in connection with the bombs.
The FBI was tipped off by Helder's father and roommate, who both received messages from Helder that hinted at his involvement in the bombings. Upon his arrest, authorities found six additional bombs in his car.
After his arrest, Helder told authorities he was trying to make a "smiley-face" pattern on a map with the bomb locations. Experts suggested he was psychologically troubled and seeking attention as his notes did not express a clear ideological message. On April 1, 2004, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa declared Helder incompetent to stand trial. Helder was sent to the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, MN, for treatment, and he remains committed there.
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May 8, 2002
Chicago, IL
Jose Padilla,
Kassem Daher,
Adham Amin Hassoun,
Kifah Wael Jayyousi,
Mohammed Hesham Youssef
Plot: Weapon of Mass Destruction
Al Qaeda
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"Dirty Bomb" Plot: U.S. citizen plots radiological weapons attack
U.S. citizen Jose Padilla, a Muslim convert who changed his name to Abdullah al-Muhajir, was arrested on May 8, 2002, and charged with plotting to detonate a radiological or "dirty" bomb in the U.S. Authorities held Padilla in military custody for three years as an "enemy combatant" before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida indicted him on November 22, 2005, along with co-defendants Mohammed Hesham Youssef, Kifah Wael Jayyousi, Adham Amin Hassoun and Kassem Daher. The indictment alleged that the group was a terrorist cell and accused them of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder, maim and kidnap people overseas. No mention of the radiological bomb plot was made in the indictment because the evidence was gained by questioning terrorism suspects abroad, which is not admissible in federal courts.
Padilla had previously traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan to receive military training from Al Qaeda, and to discuss the possibility of a radiological attack in the U.S. Padilla was allegedly joined in his terrorist training by Youssef. The two were supported by Jayyousi, Hassoun and Daher, who recruited and raised money to send to Padilla and Youssef. Upon Padilla's return to the U.S., federal agents infiltrated Padilla's flight from Zurich, Switzerland, to Chicago, IL, and arrested him upon arrival in the U.S.
The only suspects to actually stand trial with Padilla were Jayyousi, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Jordan, and Hassoun, a Lebanese-born Palestinian illegal immigrant. Authorities believe Daher, a Lebanese-Canadian, fled to Lebanon and Youssef, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Egypt, is detained in Egypt on unrelated charges. On August 16, 2007, Padilla, Jayyousi, and Hassoun were found guilty. Padilla was sentenced to 17 years and 4 months in prison, while Jayyousi received 12 years and Hassoun received 15 years in prison on January 22, 2008. In September 2011, the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruled that Padilla's sentence was too lenient and return him to a lower court to be re-sentenced.
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May 16, 2002
Florida
Shueyb Mossa Jokhan,
Imran Mandhai
Plot: Bomb
None Confirmed
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Bomb plot of major U.S. landmarks and government buildings
Imran Mandhai, a legal U.S. resident from Pakistan, and Shueyb Mossa Jokhan, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Trinidad, were indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on May 16, 2002, for plotting to bomb targets including Mount Rushmore, the Israeli Consulate, electrical power stations, Jewish-owned businesses and a National Guard armory in Florida. They believed these bombings would cause race riots, allowing them to demand that the government release all Muslims from prison and sever all ties with Israel.
A private citizen with an interest in law enforcement activities befriended Mandhai and Jokhan after meeting them at the South Florida mosque they attended. He reported their interest in violent activities to the FBI, which then set up a sting operation to formally develop evidence against them for prosecution.
Mandhai and Jokhan both pleaded guilty to the bomb plot charges in July and August 2002. In October of that year, Mandhai was sentenced to 11 years and 6 months in prison, while Jokhan, who had agreed to testify against Mandhai, received a sentence of five years in prison. Mandhai appealed his sentence, claiming the court erred by treating the sentencing guidelines as mandatory. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit agreed and returned him to the original court, where he was given a longer sentence of 14 years in prison. Mandhai again appealed, but the 14 year sentence was upheld.
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July 4, 2002
Los Angeles, CA
Hesham Mohamed Hadayet
Attack: Firearm
al-Gamaa al-Islamiya
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Political refugee opens fire at El Al ticket counter at LAX airport
On July 4, 2002, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, a legal U.S. resident from Egypt, opened fire at a ticket counter for El Al Israel Airlines at Los Angeles International Airport.
While the FBI believed Hadayet went to the airport with the intent to commit murder, his victims were believed to be random and no connections with terrorist groups were found. Tensions arose when Israel immediately declared the shooting a terrorist attack and the FBI refused to do so. Further controversy arose when Hadayet's immigration papers from 1992 showed he had sought political asylum after Egyptian authorities accused him of being affiliated with a terrorist group. While Hadayet admitted he signed a false confession for Egyptian police about his involvement in the terrorist group al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, he told immigration officials he had no affiliation with the group and signed the confession under duress.
Two people were killed, and three others wounded during the shooting. Hadayet was killed by a security guard at the airport.
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July 22, 2002
Oregon
James Ujaama
Support: Training
Al Qaeda,
Abu Hamza al-Masri
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U.S. citizen attempts to set up a terrorist training camp in rural Oregon
U.S. citizen James Ujaama, a Muslim convert who had lived in London for five years, was arrested on July 22, 2002, for attempting to set up a terrorist training camp near Bly, OR. Federal officials also found that he possessed documents detailing how to poison public water supplies. Ujaama was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington on August 28, 2002, for conspiracy to provide material support to Al Qaeda.
Prosecutors also found that prior to the 9/11 attacks, Ujaama had worked as a courier to deliver laptop computers to the Taliban.
Ujaama pleaded guilty to lesser charges on April 13, 2003, in exchange for aiding in the investigation of Abu Hamza al-Masri, the London Islamic leader who was suspected of recruiting fighters for Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Al-Masri was later convicted in the U.K. for offenses including soliciting for murder and inciting racial hatred. As part of his plea agreement, Ujaama agreed to give up his passport and seek written permission before leaving the country. Ujaama violated this agreement in 2006 when he fled to Belize with a fake Mexican passport. Belizean police captured Ujaama and returned him to U.S. custody. For violating parole, Ujaama served two additional years in prison and the Western District of Washington revoked his plea agreement. On August 13, 2007, Ujaama pleaded guilty to the original charges against him, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, and providing material support or resources to terrorists, in addition to one count of unlawful flight to avoid giving testimony, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Ujaama, who is continuing to assist with federal terrorism investigations, has not yet been sentenced.
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October 2002
Washington, D.C.-area
Lee Boyd Malvo,
John Allen Muhammad
Attack: Firearm
None Confirmed
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"DC Sniper": Three Week Shooting Spree Kills 10
John Allen Muhammad, a U.S. Citizen and Gulf War veteran, left Washington State with Lee Boyd Malvo, a 17-year-old illegal immigrant from Jamaica, and fatally shot ten people and injured three others in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia over the course of three weeks in 2002. The pair was arrested October 24, 2002, while sleeping in their car at a highway rest stop.
Officials remain unsure how many of the victims each person shot but believe Muhammad to be the ringleader, manipulating the younger Malvo. While authorities never found any direct links between Muslim convert Muhammad and terrorist organizations, Al Qaeda praised his actions as an example of effective, low-budget terrorism.
Muhammad was convicted in the Circuit Court of Prince William County, VA of masterminding the attacks and two counts of capital murder on November 17, 2003. Sentenced to death, he was the first person convicted under the Virginia anti-terrorism law enacted after the 9/11 attacks, which made it a capital offense to commit murder with the intent to intimidate the public or affect the operations of government. Malvo was later convicted in the same court on murder charges and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Muhammad was executed by lethal injection on November 10, 2009.
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October 2002
Portland, OR
Habis Abdulla al Saoub,
Jeffrey Leon Battle,
Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal,
Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal,
Patrice Lumumba Ford,
Maher Mofeid Hawas,
October Martinique Lewis
Support: Personnel
Taliban
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"Portland Seven": Oregon terrorist cell
A terrorist cell calling itself "Katibat al-Mawt" or "Squad of Death," labeled by news media as the "Portland Seven," were accused of attempting to join the Taliban and conspiring to wage war against U.S. troops. Officials originally arrested six members in October 2002, including five U.S. citizens--Patrice Lumumba Ford, Jeffrey Leon Battle, Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, and October Martinique Lewis--and a naturalized U.S. citizen from the West Bank, Habis Abdulla al Saoub. Another member, Maher Mofeid Hawash, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Jordan, was arrested on April 28, 2003.
Members of the group traveled to China in hopes of reaching Afghanistan or Pakistan to fight with the Taliban. The group also trained with weapons in Oregon to prepare for future battles and considered attacking local targets such as Jewish schools or synagogues.
The group's financier, October Martinique Lewis, pleaded guilty to money laundering to fund their travels; the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon sentenced her to three years in prison on December 2, 2003. The supposed ringleader, Habis Abdulla al Saoub, died in Pakistan in October 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The remaining members pleaded guilty, and on November 24, 2003, the court sentenced Ford and Battle to 18 years in prison. The last three members, Hawash and the Bilal brothers, received prison sentences ranging from seven to ten years on February 9, 2004.
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October 21, 2002
Buffalo, NY
Sahim Alwan,
Mukhtar al-Bakri,
Faysal Galab,
Yahya Goba,
Shafal Mosed,
Yasein Taher
Support: Material
None Confirmed
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"Lackawanna Six": New York terrorist cell
On October 21, 2002, the media-labeled "Lackawanna Six"—Shafal Mosed, Yahya Goba, Sahim Alwan, Yesein Taher, Faysal Galab and Mukhtar al-Bakri—all U.S. citizens from upstate New York, were indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York for providing material support to a terrorist organization. The FBI claimed that the group was an Al Qaeda cell, waiting for orders from abroad to attack.
After hearing a lecture on suicidal jihad the members of the group decided to travel to Afghanistan to meet Osama bin Laden a few months before 9/11. While overseas, the six men attended a terrorist training camp. Several of the men did not finish the seven-week training camp, which defense lawyers cited as lack of serious intent.
All six pleaded guilty to the charges, and in December 2003 they were sentenced to prison terms ranging from eight to ten years.
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