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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 4, 2011
New Bethlehem, PA
Emerson Winfield Begolly
Support: Personnel
None Confirmed
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Pennsylvania man stokes violence on extremist websites
On January 4, 2011, U.S. citizen Emerson Winfield Begolly was arrested after he attacked two FBI agents who were trying to question him about his online activities, which included advocacy of violent attacks against the United States. He also posted bomb-making instructions online.
Begolly, who is Muslim, frequently posted comments and other media on several extremist-oriented websites, including praise for violent acts and his hopes to be a martyr. Many of his messages were also strongly anti-Semitic.
On August 9, 2011, Begolly pleaded guilty in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania to using the Internet to solicit a crime of violence.
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May 11, 2011
New York, NY
Ahmed Ferhani,
Mohamed Mamdouh
Plot: Firearm
None Confirmed
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Plot to attack a synagogue in New York City
Ahmed Ferhani a legal U.S. resident from Algeria, and Mohamed Mamdouh, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Morocco, plotted to attack an unspecified Manhattan synagogue.
Ferhani and Mamdouh were arrested following an eight-month undercover investigation by the NYPD and Manhattan District Attorney's Office. According to court records, between October 2010 and May 2011 the men conspired to bomb synagogues in Manhattan to send a message of violence to non-Muslims, including Americans, Christians, and Jews. Ferhani and Mamdouh met several times with an undercover detective to discuss their plans and intent to purchase weapons. On May 11, 2011, in Manhattan, Ferhani purchased from an undercover NYPD officer two operable Browning semi-automatic pistols, one operable Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistol, ammunition, and one inert grenade that had been previously disabled by the NYPD.
Ferhani and Mamdouh were arrested on May 11, 2011. On June 15, 2011, they were indicted in New York State Supreme Court. On December 4, 2012, Ferhani pleaded guilty to crimes of terrorism including attempted criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal sale of a weapon, and conspiracy, and conspiracy as a hate crime. On March 15, 2013, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 5 years post-release supervision. Mamdouh pleaded guilty to three charges on February 28, 2013. He was sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years of post-release supervision on April 26, 2013.
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May 13, 2011
New York, NY
Jesse Curtis Morton, aka Younus Abdullah Muhammed
Support: Personnel
Zachary Chesser,
Anwar al-Awlaki,
Samir Khan,
Abdel Hameed Shehadah,
Rezwan Ferdaus,
Colleen LaRose,
Antonio Martinez,
Jose Pimental,
Mohamed Hamoud Alessa,
Carlos Eduardo Almonte,
Al Qaeda,
Taliban
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New York City Resident Uses Extremist Website as Platform in Supporting Terror Threats
Jesse Curtis Morton, aka Younus Abdullah Muhammed, is an Islam convert who founded the organization, Revolution Muslim, and created a number of extremist websites that were used to disseminate anti-American and pro-jihad views. On May 13, 2011, a criminal complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia charging Morton for using the internet to solicit murder and encourage violent extremism.
Morton resided in New York City. The NYPD Intelligence Division monitored Morton's internet activities for some time and worked with the FBI during the investigation. According to court records, Morton founded Revolution Muslim in December of 2007. His website propaganda was primarily used to encourage Muslims to support Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, and Anwar al-Awlaki (who declared war on the U.S. in 2010), and to promote violence against those who they believed to be enemies of Islam. Messages were posted in support of the 9/11 attacks among other terrorism incidents. Morton also created several online forums that contained violent extremist postings and information. Court records state that Morton confirmed that the Revolution Muslim websites contained the writings of and/or contributed to the radicalization of individuals who were inclined to engage in violence, including: Samir Khan (the reported author of an article titled "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of your Mom"); Bilal Zaheer Ahmad (United Kingdom resident who was convicted for soliciting the murder of British members of parliament); Abdel Hameed Shehadah (who was arrested in 2010 and charged with making false statements related to his alleged attempt to travel to Pakistan to join a fighting group such as the Taliban); Rezwan Ferdaus (who was arrested in 2011 and charged with plotting to attack the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol); Colleen LaRose (aka "Jihad Jane," who was arrested in 2009 and charged with plotting to kill a Swedish cartoonist); Antonio Martinez (who was arrested in 2010 and charged with plotting to bomb a military recruiting station); Jose Pimental (who was arrested in 2011 and charged with plotting to assassinate members of the U.S. military); and Mohamed Hamoud Alessa and Carlos Eduardo Almonte (who were arrested in 2011 and charged with conspiring to kill people outside the U.S.). Morton also used the website to help Zachary Chesser (who was arrested in 2010 for supporting and trying to join Al Shabaab) in soliciting the murder of a cartoon artist whose material on the Comedy Central Network television series South Park he claimed to be offensive to Muslims. Morton and Chesser used the website to inform readers of the artist's residence and to urge readers to "pay him a visit." He also posted a message from Anwar Al-Awlaki which called for the assassination of the artist. Morton then posted a speech in which he justified his encouragement to assassinate the artist by claiming that "Islam's position is that those that insult the Prophet may be killed." Four days after Chesser was arrested, Morton fled to Morocco. He was arrested in Morocco in late May 2011, and then extradited to the U.S.
On February 9, 2012, Morton pleaded guilty to charges including conspiring to solicit murder, making threatening communications, and using the Internet to place others in fear. On June 22, 2012, Morton was sentenced to 11 years and 6 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised released.
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June 7, 2011
Columbus, OH
Ahmed Hussein Mahamud
Support: Material
Al Shabaab
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Somali-American provides support to Al Shabaab
Following an indictment, Ahmed Hussein Mahamud, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia living in Ohio, was arrested on June 9, 2011, for conspiring to provide money and people Al Shabaab.
On June 7, 2011, Mahamud was indicted in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on charges that he provided material support to Al Shabaab, despite knowing that the U.S. State Department has designated Al Shabaab as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The investigation into Mahamud's activities were part of an ongoing, three-year investigation into the recruitment of persons from the U.S. to train with or fight for Al Shabaab.
On February 6, 2012, Mahamud pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment.
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June 22, 2011
Washington
Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif,
Walli Mujahidh
Plot: Firearm
Nidal Hasan
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Two U.S. citizens attempt to kill soldiers at Seattle military facility
On June 22, 2011, U.S. citizens Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif and Walli Mujahidh were arrested for plotting a suicide attack on the Military Entrance Processing Station just south of Seattle, WA.
After learning about Abdul-Latif's interest in acquiring firearms, an acquaintance of his notified the FBI, which began an undercover investigation. An undercover informant learned that Abdul-Latif, a convicted felon who previously served in the Navy, was angered by accusations of war crimes against soldiers based in nearby Fort Lewis, and planned an attack modeled on Major Nidal Malik Hasan's shooting at Fort Hood in 2009. The plotters did not expect to survive the attack. Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh, both U.S. citizens who had converted to Islam, were arrested when they arrived at a warehouse to pick up machine guns intended for use in the attack. Born Joseph Anthony David, Abdul-Latif changed his name in 2007. Court documents describe him as a man who idolized Osama bin Laden. Mujahidh is also known as Frederick Domingue, Jr.
On December 8, 2011, Mujahidh pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder
officers and agents of the United States, conspiring to use weapons of
mass destruction and unlawful possession of a firearm in the U.S.
District Court for the Western District of Washington. Abdul-Latif
continues to await trial.
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July 27, 2011
Killeen, TX
Naser Jason Abdo
Plot: Bomb
None Confirmed
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U.S. Army Private plots to bomb soldiers from Fort Hood Army base
On July 27, 2011, U.S. Army Private Naser Jason Abdo, a U.S. citizen, was arrested by Killeen (TX) Police Department for plotting to bomb a restaurant frequented by soldiers from the Fort Hood Army base.
Abdo was an absent without leave (AWOL) soldier from Fort Campbell, KY, at the time of his arrest. Police were notified after Abdo purchased a large quantity of smokeless gunpowder and ammunition. He was arrested in a motel near Fort Hood, where investigators found a handgun, an article containing bomb-making instructions, and the components of an explosive device.
On May 24, 2012, a jury for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas convicted Abdo of one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction; one count of attempted murder of officers or employees of the United States, two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a federal crime of violence; and, two counts of possession of a destructive device in furtherance of a federal crime of violence. On August 10, 2012, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
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September 6, 2011
New York, NY
Agron Hasbajrami
Support: Material
None Confirmed
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Brooklyn man seeks to join radical Islamic group in Pakistan
Agron Hasbajrami, a legal U.S. resident and Albanian citizen living in New York City, attempted to travel to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (the FATA) to join a radical jihadist insurgent group and sent money abroad to support terrorist activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Hasbajrami communicated via email with a contact in Pakistan who told him that he was a member of a group involved in violent military activities and had killed American military personnel. Hasbajrami sent over $1,000 to support the group's efforts and discussed his interest in martyrdom. On September 5, 2011, Hasbajrami purchased a one-way ticket to Turkey for the following day.
On September 6, 2011, Agron Hasbajrami was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport as he attempted to leave the country to travel to Turkey then onto the FATA. On September 9, 2011, he was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York for providing material support to terrorists. On January 26, 2012, a superseding indictment was issued charging Hasbajrami with four-counts of provision and attempted provision of material support to terrorists. Hasbajrami pleaded guilty to two counts on April 12, 2012. On January 8, 2013, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison after which he will be removed from the U.S.
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September 28, 2011
Ashland, MA
Rezwan Ferdaus
Plot: Bomb
Support: Material
Al Qaeda
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Massachusetts man plots to bomb the U.S. Capitol and Pentagon using remote-controlled aircrafts
Rezwan Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen living in Ashland, MA, was arrested on September 28, 2011, for plotting to bomb the U.S. Capitol and Pentagon using remote-controlled aircrafts filled with explosives and for supporting a terrorist organization.
Ferdaus acquired plastic explosives, grenades, and automatic AK-47 assault rifles from undercover FBI agents who were posing as members of Al Qaeda. He also purchased a small drone aircraft, and anticipated buying others, planning to fill the aircrafts with explosives and fly them into the Pentagon and Capitol building via remote control. He also attempted to provide weapons and other resources to Al Qaeda for use in attacks on American military personnel.
On September 29, 2011, a grand jury for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts charged Ferdaus in a six-count indictment with attempting to damage and destroy a federal building by means of an explosive; attempting to damage and destroy national defense premises; receipt of explosive materials; receipt of possession of non-registered firearms (six fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles and three grenades); attempting to provide material support to terrorists; and attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (Al Qaeda). On July 20, 2012, Ferdaus pleaded guilty to two counts of the indictment (attempting to damage and destroy a federal building by means of an explosive; and attempting to provide material support to terrorists). On November 1, 2012, Ferdaus was sentenced to 17 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release.
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September 29, 2011
Washington, DC
Mansour J. Arbabsiar
Plot: Bomb
None Confirmed
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Texas man participated in Iranian assassination and bomb plot
Mansour J. Arbabsiar, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Iran, participated in an Iranian-backed plot that sought to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States and bomb the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, DC. He was arrested on September 29, 2011, at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City.
In May 2011, Arbabsiar contacted a man he believed was a member of a Mexican drug cartel hoping to hire the cartel to carry out the attacks inside the U.S., including murdering the Saudi ambassador. However, the man was actually a Drug Enforcement Administration informant. During a visit to Iran in August, Mr. Arbabsiar sent approximately $100,000 to the informant as a down payment. Then, in September he flew to Mexico City, where authorities denied him entry to the country and sent him to the U.S. Federal authorities say the plot was devised by members of the Iranian government.
Arbabsiar awaits trial.
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November 1, 2011
Tocoa, GA
Ray H. Adams
Samuel J. Crump
Dan Roberts
Frederick Thomas
Plot: Bomb, Biological Weapon, Assassination
Anti-Government
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Members of Militia Group Plotted Ricin Attack
Four members of a North Georgia militia group — Ray H. Adams; Samuel J. Crump; Dan Roberts; and Frederick Thomas —
were arrested on November 1, 2011 for plotting to use guns, bombs and the biological toxin ricin to attack American civilians and government officials.
The men, who were members of a militia organization, began meeting as a separate group in the spring of 2011 to discuss numerous criminal activities, including murder; theft; use of toxic agents; and assassinations of federal judges, I.R.S. employees and agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They also sought to acquire an explosive device to attack federal buildings. One member of the group hoped to disperse ten pounds of ricin in Atlanta and other cities. Their plans were recorded by an F.B.I. informant.
The four men are currently awaiting trial.
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November 19, 2011
New York, NY
Jose Pimentel
(Muhammad Yusuf)
Plot: Bomb
Anwar al-Awlaki
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New York man plotted a bombing campaign in and around New York City
Jose Pimentel, aka Muhammad Yusuf, a naturalized U.S. citizen from the Dominican Republic, was arrested on November 19, 2011, for plotting to build and detonate bombs in the New York City area. Court records charge Pimentel with planning a campaign of bombings, with targets including post offices and police cars in New York City, as well as a police station in Bayonne, NJ. He also reportedly sought to kill U.S. military personnel coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pimentel, a Muslim convert, maintained websites that promoted jihadist views and included links to bomb-making recipes. His arrest was the result of a year-long investigation by the NYPD's Intelligence Division. During the months leading to Pimentel's arrest, he met several times with an individual, who was a confidential police informant, to discuss his plans and to construct the bombs. At the time of his arrest, Pimentel was close to completing the construction of at least one bomb, having purchased components at a Home Depot, Target, and a 99-cent store in New York City. His efforts were reportedly partly motivated by a desire to avenge the recent death of militant Imam Anwar al-Awlaki.
In February 2012, a New York County Grand Jury indicted Pimentel on terrorism charges including conspiracy, criminal possession of a weapon, and attempted criminal possession of a weapon, which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Pimentel was arraigned in New York County Supreme Court on March 13, 2012, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges contained in the indictment. As part of a plea agreement, on February 19, 2014, Pimentel pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the first degree as a crime of terrorism. On March 25, 2014, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison and 5 years post-release supervision.
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