2005 Los Angeles bomb plot
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Los Angeles bomb plot was a 2005 effort by a group of ex-convicts calling themselves Jamiyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheed to bomb several military bases, a number of synagogues, and an Israeli consulate in California.
On 31 August 2005Kevin James
and three other men were indicted on terrorism charges related to conspiracy to attack military facilities in the Los Angeles area and of attempting to fund their campaign by robbing gas stations in Southern California over the previous three months. Kevin James, a Muslim
convert, was accused of founding a radical Islamic group called J.I.S (Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh, Arabic for "Assembly of Authentic Islam
") from his cell in Folsom Prison in California, and of recruiting fellow inmates to join his mission to kill infidels.
The announcement of the arrests was made by the Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales
in the presence of the director of the FBI Robert Mueller
in Washington D.C.Robert Mueller
mentioned the incident in a "Major Executive Speech" in June 2006 on the day that the 2006 Sears Tower plot was announced. The Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI outlined the case in his congressional testimony in September 2006.
-related attacks and failed attacks by Muslims on military installations in the United states, including the 2009 New York terrorism plot, the 2007 Fort Dix attack plot
, the 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting
, and the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon.
Two of the culprits had converted to Islam in prison
, where they formed a terrorist organization, calling themselves Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh. About a month later, Washington was released from prison and recruited Patterson and Samana, neither of whom had a criminal record, at an Inglewood mosque.
Gregory Patterson is expected to accept a plea deal, and Hammad Samana is currently undergoing psychiatric treatment.
In an interview with the prosecutor, the reporter remarked that "the cell appears to have been remarkably indiscreet about committing plans to paper. They even left the text of a press release Mr. James had written for use once they committed a successful attack. And one of the ringleaders, James, was in prison the whole time." Documents such as these formed the basis of the evidence, since the group hadn't gotten to the point of gathering materials to make explosives.
A 2011 NPR
report claimed some of the people associated with this case were imprisoned in a highly restrictive Communication Management Unit
.
On 31 August 2005Kevin James
Kevin James
Kevin James is an American playwrite, actor, writer, and producer. He is widely known for playing Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens. He is also known for his lead roles in the comedy films I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, The Dilemma, and...
and three other men were indicted on terrorism charges related to conspiracy to attack military facilities in the Los Angeles area and of attempting to fund their campaign by robbing gas stations in Southern California over the previous three months. Kevin James, a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
convert, was accused of founding a radical Islamic group called J.I.S (Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh, Arabic for "Assembly of Authentic Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
") from his cell in Folsom Prison in California, and of recruiting fellow inmates to join his mission to kill infidels.
The announcement of the arrests was made by the Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales
Alberto Gonzales
Alberto R. Gonzales was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales was appointed to the post in February 2005 by President George W. Bush. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Attorney General in U.S. history and the highest-ranking Hispanic government official ever...
in the presence of the director of the FBI Robert Mueller
Robert Mueller
Robert Swan Mueller III is the 6th and current Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation .-Early life:...
in Washington D.C.Robert Mueller
Robert Mueller
Robert Swan Mueller III is the 6th and current Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation .-Early life:...
mentioned the incident in a "Major Executive Speech" in June 2006 on the day that the 2006 Sears Tower plot was announced. The Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI outlined the case in his congressional testimony in September 2006.
Background
The attack is one in a series of IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
-related attacks and failed attacks by Muslims on military installations in the United states, including the 2009 New York terrorism plot, the 2007 Fort Dix attack plot
2007 Fort Dix attack plot
The 2007 Fort Dix attack plot involved a group of six radical Islamist men who conspired to stage an attack against U.S. Military personnel stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey. The alleged aim of the group was to "kill as many soldiers as possible"....
, the 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting
2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting
The 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting took place on June 1, 2009, when Muslim convert Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, aka Carlos Leon Bledsoe, opened fire with a rifle in a drive-by shooting on soldiers in front of a United States military recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a...
, and the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon.
The culprits
- Kevin James, 29, Muslim convert, a U.S. national, allegedly founded J.I.S. (Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh) in 2004 while in prison, recruiting fellow inmates, and then others after his release in December 2004.
- Levar Washington, 25, Muslim convert, a U.S. national; arrested 5 July for armed robbery.
- Gregory Patterson, 21, Muslim convert, a U.S. national; purchased a .223-caliber rifle and arrested 5 July for armed robbery.
- Hammad Samana, 21, born Muslim, a lawful permanent U.S. resident originally from Pakistan; allegedly trained with firearms. Arrested on 2 August.
Two of the culprits had converted to Islam in prison
Conversion to Islam in prisons
-Concern in United States:Concern over jailhouse conversions to Islam first rose in 2001 when Imam Warith Deen Umara, Islamic chaplain for the New York State prison system, was reported to have praised the September 11 attacks...
, where they formed a terrorist organization, calling themselves Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh. About a month later, Washington was released from prison and recruited Patterson and Samana, neither of whom had a criminal record, at an Inglewood mosque.
Conviction
On 14 December 2007, Kevin James pled guilty to "conspiracy to levy war against the United States through terrorism" and faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Levar Washington also pled guilty to the same in addition to a weapons charge and could get 25.Gregory Patterson is expected to accept a plea deal, and Hammad Samana is currently undergoing psychiatric treatment.
In an interview with the prosecutor, the reporter remarked that "the cell appears to have been remarkably indiscreet about committing plans to paper. They even left the text of a press release Mr. James had written for use once they committed a successful attack. And one of the ringleaders, James, was in prison the whole time." Documents such as these formed the basis of the evidence, since the group hadn't gotten to the point of gathering materials to make explosives.
A 2011 NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
report claimed some of the people associated with this case were imprisoned in a highly restrictive Communication Management Unit
Communication Management Unit
Communication Management Unit is a recent designation for a self-contained group within a facility in the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons that severely restricts, manages and monitors all outside communication of inmates in the unit.-Origins:As part of the Bush Administration's War on...
.
See also
- Conversion to Islam in prisonsConversion to Islam in prisons-Concern in United States:Concern over jailhouse conversions to Islam first rose in 2001 when Imam Warith Deen Umara, Islamic chaplain for the New York State prison system, was reported to have praised the September 11 attacks...
- 2009 Little Rock military recruiting office shooting2009 Little Rock recruiting office shootingThe 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting took place on June 1, 2009, when Muslim convert Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, aka Carlos Leon Bledsoe, opened fire with a rifle in a drive-by shooting on soldiers in front of a United States military recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a...
- al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula-inspired attack by Yemen-trained jihadJihadJihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
i - 2009 Bronx terrorism plot2009 Bronx terrorism plotOn May 20, 2009, US law enforcement arrested four black Muslim men in connection with a plot to shoot down military airplanes flying out of an Air National Guard base in Newburgh, New York and blow up two synagogues in the Riverdale community of the Bronx....
- a plot by four blackBlack peopleThe term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
American Muslim men to shoot down military airplanes flying out of an Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
base and blow up two synagogues - 2011 Manhattan terrorism plot2011 Manhattan terrorism plotThe 2011 Manhattan terrorism plot was an alleged effort by two Muslim Arab-Americans to bomb various targets in Manhattan, New York. The suspects allegedly planned to attack an unspecified synagogue and one of them expressed interest in blowing up a church and the Empire State Building...
- an effort by two MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Arab-Americans to bomb a synagogue