The ESL Free Press

Dallas Bomber Pleads Guilty

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi pleaded guilty on Wednesday to trying to bomb an office building in Dallas, Texas.

In September 2009, Smadi drove a truck to the building. The truck contained a homemade bomb. He left it in the parking garage and turned on its timer.

Smadi then met with another person who drove him away. From a distance, he tried to set off the bomb with his cell phone.

There were two things he didn't know. First, though the bomb was real, it was inert (not working). Second, the person "helping" him was really a government agent.

The court says Smadi acted alone, not as a member of a terrorist group.

Smadi, who is 19, could be sent to prison for life. Since he agreed to plead guilty, he may get 30 years instead.

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printable:Download Dallas Bomber Pleads Guilty.pdf (19.9K)

Pirate Pleads Guilty, Times Square Suspect Goes to Court Today

A Somali pirate has pleaded guilty in a New York court, and the Times Square bombing suspect is expected to appear in court today also.

Abduwali Abdukhadir Musé was the leader of the pirates who hijacked the Maersk Alabama in 2009. They had already hijacked another ship and threatened the crew. The pirates boarded the Maersk Alabama and took the captain hostage. They held him till they were captured by the U.S. Navy.

Another well-known prisoner, Faisal Shahzad, is expected in court in New York today. He will be charged with five crimes in connection with the car bomb that was found in Times Square on May 1st. Shahzad was arrested on May 3rd and has been in jail since then.

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Times Square Bombing Suspect Arrested

Faisal Shahzad, a U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was arrested Monday night. He is suspected of planting the car bomb in Times Square, New York City, on Saturday.

Shahzad was caught at John F. Kennedy Airport as he tried to leave the U.S. It was just 53 hours after the bombing attempt.

With help from the New York police, the FBI found that Shahzad was the person who had bought the car -- a sport-utility vehicle (SUV). They also found that he had often traveled to Pakistan.

Though Shahzad has been caught, the investigation is still going on.

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printable:Download Times Square Bombing Suspect Arrested.pdf (21.2K)

Obama Thanks Street Vendor

 

When the car bomb was left in Times Square last Saturday, several people reported it to the police.  One was Duane M. Jackson, a street vendor and Vietnam veteran.

On Monday, Jackson met with the FBI. During the meeting, President Obama phoned to thank him.

Jackson says, "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

He is President of a chapter (local group) of the Vietnam Veterans of America. 

 

Photo: FBI

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Printable: Download Obama Thanks Street Vendor.pdf (19.7K)
 

Possible Bombing Attempt in New York

A possible car bombing was stopped in New York City on Saturday.

The FBI says a "suspicious vehicle and device" was found in Times Square. This is a very busy part of the city.

Police and the FBI sent teams there. Among them were bomb technicians.

The FBI says there have been several reports about who planted the bomb, or claimed to. But many of these will turn out to be untrue. It reminds everyone that knowingly giving false information can be a crime.

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Printable: Download Possible Bombing Attempt in New York.pdf (19.4K)

Passenger Arrested for Bomb Threats Says He Has Secret Documents

A passenger on a flight from Paris to Atlanta, USA, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with making bomb threats. He has told a strange story to explain what he did.

The charge says Derek Stansberry gave a flight attendant a note. It said he was not a U.S. citizen (not true) and not using his real name or ID. It also said, "Please let my family know the truth."

The charge also says: The flight attendant gave the note to the plane's air marshals. They questioned Stansberry, who said he had explosives in his boots and laptop. The marshals took away these things. The plane was diverted (taken off course) to Bangor, Maine. It was cleared and searched.

Stansberry was searched and questioned. The charge says he then said he had never really had bombs -- he had secret government documents. He claimed he had made the threats to distract people from the documents, it says. Although no one on the plane had spoken to him, he believed they were making fun of him and trying to get information from him, it says.

Stansberry also said he had taken prescription drugs recently.

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printable: Download Passenger Arrested for Bomb Threats Says He Has Secret Documents.pdf (22.7K)

Defendant Pleads Guilty to Supporting Terrorists

Syed Hashmi, the first person to be sent from Britain to the U.S. to face terrorism charges, pleaded guilty on Tuesday. He admits that he sent equipment to Al Qaida members in Pakistan. He also gave money to someone else to do this. Hashmi knew the equipment would be used against U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Hashmi is an American citizen. He is also known as "Fahad". He was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London in 2006, on his way to Pakistan.

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printable:Download Defendant Pleads Guilty to Supporting Terrorists.pdf (20.4K)

"White Wolves" Charged with Planning to Steal and Sell Guns

Five men connected with a white supremacist (racist) group have been charged with a plot to steal and sell guns.

The five are from Connecticut, USA. Three were members of a group called the Connecticut White Wolves, later Battalion 14. One had taken part in the group's activities, and one was a friend of a member. The group says it is white supremacist -- it believes white people should rule society.

A man called Witness A went to some group meetings. He told members he belonged to a similar group in another State. He said his group wanted guns.

The charge says two members, Alexander DeFelice and William R. Bolton, planned to steal guns to sell to Witness A. DeFelice knew of a man who built and stored many guns at his home. He and Bolton are charged with planning to rob this man's home.

Three others are charged with planning to get guns for Witness A, and to build grenades (small explosives) for him.

Police and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force tracked down the men, including Bolton, who was serving in the Army.

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Chicago Man Pleads Guilty to Part in Mumbai Attacks

David Coleman Headley -- born Daood Gilani -- pleaded guilty in Chicago on Thursday to helping plan the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, in 2008. The attacks killed about 164 people. Six were American.

Headley is a U.S. citizen of partly Pakistani descent. He joined the terrorist group Lashkar e Tayyiba and went to its training camps between 2002 and 2005.

He changed his name so people would not know he was Muslim or part Pakistani. They only knew he was American.

Headley traveled to Mumbai five times. He made videos of possible targets for attacks. These included the places the attacks later happened. He also talked with other Lashkar members about ways to carry out the attacks.

Later, he went to Denmark to plan for an attack on a Danish newspaper. The paper had published cartoons making fun of Mohammed.

Since being arrested, Headley has given the U.S. government much information about terrorism. Because of his cooperation, the government is not asking for him to be put to death. He could spend life in prison. He will be sentenced when he finishes giving information.

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Printable: Download Chicago Man Pleads Guilty to Part in Mumbai Attacks.pdf (22.2K)

American Woman Charged with Recruiting for Jihad

"A woman from suburban America" has been charged with recruiting people for jihad (Muslim holy war).

Colleen LaRose was indicted (charged by a grand jury) on Tuesday. She is accused of using the Internet to try to find men to fight jihad and women to help them. She is also charged with stealing a passport.

The indictment says she plotted with five others in several countries. At one time, it says, she was ordered to kill someone in Sweden.

David Kris, Assistant Attorney General, says Ms. LaRose is "a woman from suburban America" and "an American citizen whose appearance was considered to be an asset because it allowed her to blend in".

If found guilty, she could go to prison for life.

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