Mass. Man Charged With Alleged Terror Plot to Attack U.S. Shopping Malls

[KRonn]

[size]
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568823,00.html

Mass. Man Charged With Alleged Terror Plot to Attack U.S. Shopping Malls

A 27-year-old Massachusetts man has been charged with conspiring with others to support and plan violent jihad in and outside the United States, including terror plots to attack U.S. shopping malls and U.S. military in Iraq.

Authorities in Boston say Tarek Mehanna of Sudbury worked with others from 2001 to May of 2008 to provide support and resources in a conspiracy to "kill, kidnap, main or injure" people in foreign countries and to kill prominent U.S. politicians.

Mehanna was charged in a complaint with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, according to the Department of Justice.

The complaint further alleges that the coconspirators attempted to radicalize others and inspire each other by, among other things, watching and distributing jihadi videos.

Federal prosecutors say Mehanna and his conspirators planned the logistics of a mall attack — including the possibility of attacking emergency responders. However, authorities say the plot was not carried out because they could not get automatic weapons.

Mehanna's attorney J.W. Carney Jr. did not immediately return calls for comment.

If convicted on the material support charge, Mehanna faces up to 15 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, the Justice Department said.

Mehanna was arrested in November 2008 for allegedly lying to authorities about the whereabouts of a man who trained with Al Qaeda members with the goal of overthrowing the Somali government.

In December 2006, Mehanna got a phone call from American Daniel Maldonado, who urged Mehanna to join him in Somalia, where he was training for jihad.

But when interviewed by FBI a few days later, he told FBI that Maldonado was in Egypt working for a Web site.

The FBI also interviewed Mehanna about a trip he and two othes made to Yemen in 2004.

The Associated Press and Fox News' Mike Levine contributed to this report.

[DGuller]

What a bastard.  Attacking the malls is attacking the very core of US.

[Caliga]

The people of Massachusetts hate America. 

[Martinus]

What a bastard.  Attacking the malls is attacking the very core of US.

Indeed. Malls are American Unique Buildings. It's like attacking Roman fora or English stock exchanges.

[Martinus]

The people of Massachusetts hate America. 

They are the dogs that bite the hand that feeds them. Like with the King.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Wasn't that the plot of the Tom Clancy novel where he not only jumps the shark, but goes back and metaphorically feeds whatever professional pride he once had to the fish? 

Teeth of the Tiger.

[ulmont]

Wasn't that the plot of the Tom Clancy novel where he not only jumps the shark, but goes back and metaphorically feeds whatever professional pride he once had to the fish?

No, Executive Orders was different.

[The Brain]

-What do we want?

-Brains!

-When do we want it?

-Brains!

[Darth Wagtaros]

Wasn't that the plot of the Tom Clancy novel where he not only jumps the shark, but goes back and metaphorically feeds whatever professional pride he once had to the fish?

No, Executive Orders was different.

Teeth of the Tiger was beyond that.  In fact, I think he had it ghost written by English majors at an unaccredited state college.

[dps]

Mehanna was arrested in November 2008 for allegedly lying to authorities about the whereabouts of a man who trained with Al Qaeda members with the goal of overthrowing the Somali government.

At this point, isn't that sort of like Al-Qaeda training someone for a heavyweight title match with Joe Louis?

[Admiral Yi]

  Maybe they're talking about the government of Puntistan, or whatever that area is called.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Very difficult to overthrow the Somali government, first you would have to find it 

[Duque de Bragança]

What a bastard.  Attacking the malls is attacking the very core of US.

Indeed. Malls are American Unique Buildings. It's like attacking Roman fora or English stock exchanges.

cf. Invasion USA, that prophetic movie, where Chuck Norris has to defend them from terrorists.

[Maximus]

Indeed. Malls are American Unique Buildings. It's like attacking Roman fora or English stock exchanges.

Odd that there are so few around then.

Anyway, regarding the OP, this is my most frequent nightmare scenario.

[Martinus]

Very difficult to overthrow the Somali government, first you would have to find it 

See? Clever!