View source for 2010 Portland car bomb plot

{{Short description|Failed bombing plot}}
{{Infobox person
|name             = Mohamed Osman Mohamud
|birth_date       = 1991
|birth_place      = [[Somalia]]
|nationality      = Somali-American
|citizenship      = USA
|known_for        = Arrested as prime suspect in 2010 Portland car bomb plot
|criminal_charge  = Attempted use of a [[weapon of mass destruction]]
|criminal_penalty = 30 years federal imprisonment and lifetime supervision
|criminal_status  = Incarcerated
}}

The '''2010 Portland car bomb plot''' involved an incident in which '''Mohamed Osman Mohamud''' (born 1991), a [[Somali-American]] student, was arrested in an [[FBI]] [[sting operation]] on November 26, 2010, after attempting to set off what he thought was a [[car bomb]] at a Christmas tree lighting in [[Portland, Oregon]].<ref name="ap2010">Associated Press (November 27, 2010). [https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-11-27-bomb-plot_N.htm Somali-born teen nabbed in Oregon bomb plot.] ''[[USA Today]]''</ref><ref name="aljazzera2010">Staff report (November 27, 2010). [http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/11/2010112764714953451.html US 'foils Oregon bomb plot.'] ''[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al-Jazeera]]''</ref> He was charged with attempting to use a [[weapon of mass destruction]].<ref name="bbc2010">BBC staff report (November 27, 2010). [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11852953 US teenager held in Oregon over Christmas 'bomb plot.'] [[BBC]]</ref><ref name="cnn20101127">{{cite news|title=Somali-American accused of plotting to bomb Oregon tree-lighting event|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/11/27/oregon.bomb.plot/index.html?hpt=T2|date=November 27, 2010|publisher=CNN|access-date=November 27, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121109000657/http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/11/27/oregon.bomb.plot/index.html?hpt=T2| archive-date=November 9, 2012| url-status= live}}</ref> An attorney for Mohamud argued that his client was [[entrapment|entrapped]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2010/11/30/131704930/alleged-portland-bomber-to-claim-entrapment |title=National Public Radio, November 30, 2010 |publisher=Npr.org |date=2010-11-30 |access-date=2013-01-07}}</ref><ref name="duara2010">{{cite news| last = Duara| first = Nigel| title = Portland bomb suspect pleads not guilty as attorney, public question FBI tactics| agency = Associated Press| date = November 30, 2010| url = http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/111047654.html| access-date = December 5, 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110718232122/http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/111047654.html| archive-date = July 18, 2011| url-status = dead}}</ref> On January 31, 2013, a jury found Mohamud guilty of the single charge against him. He was scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, 2013, however the sentencing was cancelled in anticipation of the filing of new motions by the defense.<ref name="The Oregonian">{{cite news| url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/11/portland_bomb_plot_mohamed_moh_2.html | work=The Oregonian | title=Portland bomb plot: Mohamed Mohamud sentencing canceled pending FISA motions | date=November 26, 2013}}</ref> In September 2014, Mohamud was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison with credit for time served, as well as lifetime supervision upon release in 2040.

==Background and incident==
Mohamud was born in [[Somalia]], came to America as a [[refugee]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opb.org/news/article/sentencing-in-may-for-mohamud-convicted-in-bomb-plot-case/ |title=Sentencing In May For Mohamud, Convicted In Bomb Plot Case . News {{!}} OPB |website=www.opb.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911053611/http://www.opb.org/news/article/sentencing-in-may-for-mohamud-convicted-in-bomb-plot-case/ |archive-date=2015-09-11}} </ref> and grew up in [[Beaverton, Oregon]], a suburb of the [[Portland metropolitan area]].<ref name="redden2010">Redden, Jim (November 27, 2010). [http://thetribonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=129089314174585500 Police, FBI say bomb plot over.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024134939/http://thetribonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=129089314174585500 |date=2016-10-24 }} ''[[Portland Tribune]]''. Retrieved April 20, 2013.</ref> He is a [[Naturalization|naturalized]] U.S. citizen. Mohamud graduated from [[Westview High School (Beaverton, Oregon)|Westview High School]] in Beaverton.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/us/28portland.html|title=F.B.I. Says Oregon Suspect Planned Attack of 'Grand Scale'|last=Robbins|first=Liz|date=November 28, 2010|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 28, 2010}}</ref> He attended [[Oregon State University]], but dropped out on October 6, 2010, without having declared a major.<ref name = "msnbc Nov 28, 2010">[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40402994 Bomb suspect to classmate: 'I hate Americans'], NBC News, November 28, 2010</ref> At the time of the incident, he was a resident of [[Corvallis, Oregon]].<ref name="markon2010">Markon, Jerry (November 27, 2010). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/27/AR2010112700546.html Man charged with plotting to bomb Portland, Ore., tree lighting ceremony.] ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref>

Under the [[pen name]] Ibnul Mubarak, Mohamud had written articles on [[physical fitness]] for the [[English language|English-language]] publication ''Jihad Recollections'' as part of his earlier attempts to be associated with violent ''[[jihad]]'' ideology. He maintained contact with a former American student living in [[Pakistan]].<ref name="drogin2010">Drogin, Bob (November 27, 2010). [https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-portland-bomb-plot-20101128,0,7641294.story Teen held in alleged Portland bomb plot.] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref>

Mohamud had been monitored by the [[FBI]] for months. He reportedly attracted the interest of the FBI after agents intercepted e-mails he was exchanging with a man who had returned to the [[Middle East]], and whom law enforcement officials described as a “recruiter for terrorism.” The man had previously lived in [[Oregon]], where Mohamud reportedly met him, before moving first to Yemen and then to [[Pakistan]].<ref name="WAmonth28"/>

A year prior to his arrest, he was accused but not charged with [[date rape|date raping]] an intoxicated woman on the Oregon State University campus.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oregon-bomber-suspect-had-date-rape-accusation/ |title=Oregon Bomber Suspect Had Date Rape Accusation |work=CBS News |date= November 29, 2010|access-date=November 29, 2010}}</ref>

Prior to Mohamud's arrest, an undercover FBI agent, posing as a terrorist, had been in contact with him since June 2010. The FBI put him on a [[no-fly list]], preventing him from traveling to [[Kodiak, Alaska]] from [[Portland International Airport]] on June 10, 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brooks |first=Caryn |url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2033372,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130130202/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2033372,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 30, 2010 |title=Mohamed Mohamud, Portland Bomber Suspect: Young Radical? |publisher=TIME |date=January 25, 2010 |access-date=November 29, 2010}}</ref><ref name="duluthnewstribune1">{{cite web |url=http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/apArticle/id/D9JP8S581/ |title=Duluth, Minnesota |publisher=Duluth News Tribune |access-date=November 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130122010929/http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/apArticle/id/D9JP8S581/ |archive-date=January 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Prosecutors said he was instead interviewed by the FBI, whom he told he wanted to earn money fishing and then travel to join "the brothers," and that he had earlier hoped to travel to Yemen but had not obtained a ticket or visa.<ref name="duluthnewstribune1"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/28/nation/la-na-portland-bomb-plot-20101128/2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202015113/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/28/nation/la-na-portland-bomb-plot-20101128/2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 2, 2010 |title=Teen held in alleged Portland bomb plot – Page 2 – Los Angeles Times |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date= November 28, 2010|access-date=November 29, 2010 |first1=Bob |last1=Drogin |first2=April |last2=Choi}}</ref>

[[File:Pioneer Courthouse Square with Christmas tree 2011.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pioneer Courthouse Square]], the site of the attempted bombing, with Christmas tree in 2011]]

In preparation for the planned bombing of a public gathering, Mohamud and [[undercover]] FBI operatives drove to a remote area of [[Lincoln County, Oregon]], where they conducted a test run on November 4 by detonating a real bomb Mohamud believed to have been hidden inside a backpack.

The attempted main bombing took place at Portland's [[Pioneer Courthouse Square]] at the corner of Southwest Yamhill Street and Sixth Avenue, as tens of thousands of people gathered for the city's annual [[Christmas tree]] lighting.  The fake bomb was in a white van that carried six 55-gallon drums with what appeared to be real [[detonation cord]]s and plastic caps.<ref name="robbins2010">Robbins, Liz and Wyatt, Edward (November 27, 2010). [https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/11/27/us/AP-US-Portland-Car-Bomb-Plot.html?hp Somali-Born Teenager Held in Oregon Bomb Sting.] ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> Mohamud tried to detonate the bomb by dialing a cell phone that was attached to it. When the device failed to explode, the undercover agent suggested he get out of the car to obtain better reception. When he did so he was arrested.
Because the FBI ensured that the device had no explosive components—even the detonating caps were inert—the public was never in any danger.<ref name="denson2010">[[Bryan Denson|Denson, Bryan]] (November 26, 2010). [http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/11/fbi_thwarts_terrorist_bombing.html FBI thwarts terrorist bombing attempt at Portland holiday tree lighting, authorities say.] ''[[The Oregonian]]''</ref> According to an [[affidavit]], Mohamud told the agents, "I want whoever is attending that event to leave, to leave either dead or injured."<ref name="cherry2010">Cherry, Matt (November 27, 2010). [http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/11/27/oregon.bomb.plot/?hpt=T1 Somali-American accused of plotting to bomb Oregon tree-lighting event.] [[CNN]]</ref>

==Analysis==
Early analysis questioned whether [[entrapment]] by FBI operatives was involved,<ref name="duin2010">Duin, Steve (November 27, 2010). [http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/steve_duin/index.ssf/2010/11/jihad_at_pioneer_courthouse_sq.html Jihad at Pioneer Courthouse Square.] ''[[The Oregonian]]''</ref><ref name="greenwald2010">Greenwald, Glenn (November 28, 2010). [http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/11/28/fbi/index.html The FBI successfully thwarts its own Terrorist plot.] ''[[Salon.com]]''</ref> an ''[[The Oregonian|Oregonian]]'' columnist asking "how far would Mohamud have traveled down that road without the help of those very operatives?"<ref name="duin2010" /> Noting "astonishing similarities" to a simultaneous case near [[Baltimore, Maryland]], ''The Oregonian'' quoted a [[New York University]] expert that such cases were "a strategy the FBI set upon years ago."<ref name="Denson2010">{{cite news |last=Denson |first=Bryan |date=December 13, 2010 |url= http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/12/fbi_arrest_in_maryland_paralle.html |title=Portland, Maryland plots eerily similar: FBI stings that snagged accused would-be bombers appear to be from the same playbook |publisher= The Oregonian |page =A1}}</ref> Presumably aware of legal defenses based on issues of entrapment, FBI agents reportedly offered Mohamud multiple alternatives to a bombing with mass casualties, including prayer. Mohamud reportedly insisted he wanted to play an "operational" role, and even wanted to pick the target for the bombing.<ref name="WAmonth28">Washington Monthly (Nov. 28, 2010). [http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_11/026817.php "DETAILS EMERGE ON THWARTED OREGON BOMB PLOT"]</ref> He had also been told several times that his planned bomb could kill women and children, and was given multiple opportunities to back out, but he told agents: "Since I was 15 I thought about all this... It's gonna be a fireworks show... a spectacular show."<ref name="robbins2010"/> [[Christopher Dickey]] of ''[[Newsweek]]'' said the FBI "took no chances with the court of [[public opinion]]" to make sure that Mohamud did not appear to be a victim of entrapment.<ref name="dickey2010">Dickey, Christopher (November 27, 2010). [http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/27/somali-bomber-oregon-alleged-terrorist.html Spooking the Terrorists – and Ourselves.] ''[[Newsweek]]''</ref> Noting that key evidence from an alleged July 30 meeting may already be missing, a court ordered the FBI to preserve remaining media and recording equipment.<ref name="duara2010" /> Noting past behavior by the FBI in similar cases, New York lawyer [[Martin Stolar]] asserted the absence of such recordings was intentional. "Once somebody's been induced, and they agree to do the crime, that's when the recording starts.... He's already been induced to commit the crime, so everything on the tape is shit."<ref name="Pitkin2010">{{cite news|last=Pitkin|first=James|date=December 8, 2010|title=Missing Links: Experts Say Key Facts Could Be Missing in Portland's Terrorism Case|newspaper=[[Willamette Week]]|url=http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-16521-missing_links.html|page=7|access-date=April 20, 2013}}</ref>

A ''[[The Washington Post]]'' feature traced the radical roots of the ideology held by young Somalis such as Mohamud to the [[Islamicization]] of Somalia following the collapse of the [[socialist]] government of [[Mohamed Siad Barre]].<ref name="raghavan2010">Raghavan, Sudarsan (November 27, 2010). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/26/AR2010112605165.html A Somali teen's path to jihad.] ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref>

Somali Foreign Minister [[Mohamed Abdullahi Omar]] said "Mohamud's attempt is neither representative nor an example of Somalis. Somalis are peace-loving people," adding that the Somali government was "ready and willing" to assist in preventing future attempts.<ref name="mccall2010">McCall, William and Pickler, Nedra (November 27, 2010). [http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/27/1945178_p2/feds-somali-born-teen-plotted.html Feds: Somali-born teen plotted car-bombing in Ore.] ''[[Miami Herald]]''</ref>

==Trial==
Mohamud was charged with a single count of attempting to use a [[weapon of mass destruction]]. His trial began on January 10, 2013 and concluded on January 31 with the jury finding him guilty. He faced up to life in prison and was initially scheduled to be sentenced on June 27, 2013.<ref>{{cite news|last=Denson|first=Bryan|title=Mohamed Mohamud sentencing re-set for June|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/03/mohamed_mohamud_sentencing_re-.html|publisher=Oregon Live|access-date=21 April 2013|date=March 15, 2013}}</ref> However, in a motion filed on June 17, federal prosecutors requested that sentencing be delayed two to three months because the government needs more time to prepare its sentencing recommendations.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/06/portland_bomb_plot_government.html |title=Portland bomb plot: Government prosecutors seek delay in Mohamed Mohamud sentencing|date=June 17, 2013|last=Denson|first=Bryan|newspaper=[[The Oregonian]]}}</ref> Mohamud's sentencing was subsequently rescheduled for December 18, 2013, then cancelled in anticipation of defense motions.<ref name="The Oregonian"/>  In October 2014, Mohamud was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison along with credit for time served since his arrest, as well as lifetime supervision upon his scheduled release in 2036. He is being held at the [[Federal Correctional Institution, Sandstone]], a low-security federal prison in Minnesota.<ref>{{cite web|title=Inmate Locator: Inmate # 73079-065|url=http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=73079-065&x=82&y=24|publisher=Federal Bureau of Prisons|access-date=1 January 2015}}</ref>

==Mosque arson==
The Salman Al-Farisi Islamic Center in [[Corvallis, Oregon]], where Mohamud occasionally attended services, was set on fire on November 28, 2010. Police determined that [[arson]] was the cause and investigated it as a possible [[hate crime]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Fire set at mosque where terror suspect worshipped|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/40407714|agency=Associated Press| access-date= 28 November 2010 }}{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In response, the [[Council on American-Islamic Relations]] called on authorities to increase their presence in Muslim communities in Oregon.<ref>{{cite news|title=CAIR: Oregon Mosque Arson Prompts Call to Protect Muslims|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cair-oregon-mosque-arson-prompts-call-to-protect-muslims-110942284.html|publisher=[[PR Newswire]]| access-date= 28 November 2010 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

On August 24, 2011, federal agents arrested Cody Seth Crawford, 24, on a federal hate crimes indictment in what they stated was a racially motivated arson at the mosque. A federal judge ordered that Crawford be detained as a danger to the community due to his prior arrest history.<ref>{{cite news|title=Man accused of hate crime in Corvallis mosque arson &#124; OregonLive.com |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/08/man_accused_of_hate_crime_in_corvallis_mosque_arson.html |work=The Oregonian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705190607/http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/08/man_accused_of_hate_crime_in_corvallis_mosque_arson.html |archive-date=July 5, 2013 |url-status=live |access-date=2013-06-18 |date=August 25, 2011 }}</ref> Crawford's court-appointed attorneys stated that he suffers from alcohol and mental illness issues.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/08/suspect_in_corvallis_mosque_arson_has_history_of_mental_illness_and_alcohol_problems_lawyers_say.html | work=The Oregonian | title=Suspect in Corvallis mosque arson has history of mental illness and alcohol problems, lawyers say | date=August 25, 2011}}</ref>  Crawford was convicted of a federal charge of damaging religious property and sentenced to 5 years probation.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/man-convicted-of-firebombing-corvallis-mosque-gets-probation/article_0732c879-ed02-5d3a-bc66-1bce67f0f917.html | work=The Gazette Times | title=Man convicted of firebombing Corvallis mosque gets probation | date=March 2, 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Div col}} 
*[[Amine El Khalifi]]
*[[Faisal Shahzad]]
*[[Farooque Ahmed]]
*[[Hemant Lakhani]]
*[[Hosam Maher Husein Smadi]]
*[[Liberty City Seven]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikinews|Teen charged over 'bomb attempt' at US Christmas celebration}}
*[https://www.scribd.com/doc/44127369/FBI-Affidavit-in-Portland-tree-lighting-bomb-plot FBI arrest warrant and affidavit]
*[http://media.oregonlive.com/portland_impact/other/USAFFIDAVIT.pdf FBI Arrest Warrant, Criminal Complaint and Affidavit]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101128011758/http://portland.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/pd112610.htm Oregon Resident Arrested in Plot to Bomb Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Portland] via [[United States Department of Justice]]

{{AmericanTerrorism|state=}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portland Car Bomb Plot}}
[[Category:2010 in Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Car and truck bombings in 2010]]
[[Category:Failed terrorist attempts in the United States]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorism in the United States]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2010]]
[[Category:Somali-American history]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Oregon]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in the United States in 2010]]
[[Category:Islamist attack plots and attacks on Christmas markets]]