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FBI ploy: fake bombs for terror suspects
Source: Agencies |
September 22, 2010, Wednesday
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A MAN arrested for allegedly placing a backpack he thought contained a bomb near Chicago's Wrigley Field got the fake explosive from a Federal Bureau of Investigation undercover agent, authorities say - a tactic that has been used in other United States terrorism cases in recent years.
Sami Samir Hassoun, 22, a Lebanese citizen living in Chicago for about three years, was charged on Monday with one count each of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted use of an explosive device.
Hassoun was arrested early on Sunday after planting the fake explosive device in a trash receptacle near Sluggers World Class Sports Bar, a popular bar steps from Wrigley Field, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Grant said. The Cubs were not playing at their home field; the stadium hosted Dave Matthews Band concerts on Friday and Saturday nights.
It wouldn't be the first time FBI agents have posed as terror operatives and supplied suspects with bogus explosives.
Last year, authorities arrested a Jordanian national after he allegedly attempted to detonate what he thought was a bomb outside a Dallas skyscraper.
In an unrelated case, authorities in Springfield, Illinois, arrested another man after he allegedly tried to set off what he thought were explosives in a van outside a federal courthouse.
In a similar case in May 2009, four men were arrested after they allegedly tried to detonate fake explosives - also provided by the FBI - outside two synagogues in New York City.
In the Chicago case, the FBI said an informant tipped investigators about Hassoun nearly a year ago. Grant said Hassoun acted alone and that the undercover agents told him they were from California and unaffiliated with any group. He declined to offer specific details about Hassoun's motivations, but said he believed the agents were ready to give him money if he carried out the attack.
"He wanted to transform the city of Chicago, he wanted to make a statement and he wanted to replace the mayor of Chicago," Grant said. "He was unhappy with the way the city was running. He was also unhappy with things that were happening in other parts of world."
At a brief hearing on Monday, Hassoun quietly told US Judge Susan Cox that he understood the charges. Hassoun's federally appointed public defender Dan McLaughlin declined to comment on the case, as did several family members who attended the hearing.
Authorities say the informant befriended Hassoun over the course of a year, conducting conversations in Arabic, which were taped and shared with the FBI. Hassoun waffled greatly on his plans, authorities said.
Sami Samir Hassoun, 22, a Lebanese citizen living in Chicago for about three years, was charged on Monday with one count each of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted use of an explosive device.
Hassoun was arrested early on Sunday after planting the fake explosive device in a trash receptacle near Sluggers World Class Sports Bar, a popular bar steps from Wrigley Field, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Grant said. The Cubs were not playing at their home field; the stadium hosted Dave Matthews Band concerts on Friday and Saturday nights.
It wouldn't be the first time FBI agents have posed as terror operatives and supplied suspects with bogus explosives.
Last year, authorities arrested a Jordanian national after he allegedly attempted to detonate what he thought was a bomb outside a Dallas skyscraper.
In an unrelated case, authorities in Springfield, Illinois, arrested another man after he allegedly tried to set off what he thought were explosives in a van outside a federal courthouse.
In a similar case in May 2009, four men were arrested after they allegedly tried to detonate fake explosives - also provided by the FBI - outside two synagogues in New York City.
In the Chicago case, the FBI said an informant tipped investigators about Hassoun nearly a year ago. Grant said Hassoun acted alone and that the undercover agents told him they were from California and unaffiliated with any group. He declined to offer specific details about Hassoun's motivations, but said he believed the agents were ready to give him money if he carried out the attack.
"He wanted to transform the city of Chicago, he wanted to make a statement and he wanted to replace the mayor of Chicago," Grant said. "He was unhappy with the way the city was running. He was also unhappy with things that were happening in other parts of world."
At a brief hearing on Monday, Hassoun quietly told US Judge Susan Cox that he understood the charges. Hassoun's federally appointed public defender Dan McLaughlin declined to comment on the case, as did several family members who attended the hearing.
Authorities say the informant befriended Hassoun over the course of a year, conducting conversations in Arabic, which were taped and shared with the FBI. Hassoun waffled greatly on his plans, authorities said.
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