Columbus Shopping Mall Bombing Plot
Encyclopedia
The Columbus Shopping Mall Bombing Plot was a plan to blow up an unnamed shopping mall
in the city of Columbus
in the American
state of Ohio
. The plot was disclosed by federal authorities on June 14, 2004 when an indictment against Nuradin Abdi was unsealed by the local United States district court
. Abdi was part of a clandestine cell of al-Qaida which sought to bring "death and destruction to Columbus".
Nuradin Abdi entered the United States Illegally in 1999 from Somalia
. He lived in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood on the north side of Columbus
. According to one report, Abdi flew to Ethiopia
to train in a military-style training camp in January 2000. There he allegedly was trained in the use of guns, guerrilla warfare, and bombs. He returned two months later. Abdi met with Christopher Paul
and Iyman Faris
at a coffee shop in Upper Arlington
on August 6, 2002. According to Paul (who is awaiting trial for a separate plot to bomb European tourist resorts), Abdi first suggested shooting up a mall. Paul responded saying "that's a stupid idea". Abdi subsequently suggested bombing the mall, but few other details have been released.
Abdi was arrested on November 28, 2003 and charged with Conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, Conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaeda, and two counts of fraud and misuse of documents. His attorneys became concerned with his mental state, and he was sent to a federal medical center in Minnesota
in June 2004 to undergo tests. He was returned to Columbus in August 2004 and held in the Franklin County Correctional Facility II
. On 31 July 2007, Abdi plead guilty to one count of conspiring to support terrorists. The other charges against him were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Abdi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and will be deported to Somalia upon completion of the sentence.
New details released at the time of the plea agreement show that there were likely more than the aforementioned three people who were involved in the plot. Documents that were filed along with Abdi's agreement note a fourth person whom the trio met with both in Columbus and in Pittsburgh
.
A 2011 NPR
report claimed some of the people associated with this plot were imprisoned in a highly restrictive Communication Management Unit
.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in the city of Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The plot was disclosed by federal authorities on June 14, 2004 when an indictment against Nuradin Abdi was unsealed by the local United States district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
. Abdi was part of a clandestine cell of al-Qaida which sought to bring "death and destruction to Columbus".
Background
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. He lived in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood on the north side of Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. According to one report, Abdi flew to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
to train in a military-style training camp in January 2000. There he allegedly was trained in the use of guns, guerrilla warfare, and bombs. He returned two months later. Abdi met with Christopher Paul
Christopher Paul
Christopher Paul is an American convert to Islam and member of al Qaeda, who has pled guilty to acts of terrorism. He is currently serving a 15 year prison term arising from those charges....
and Iyman Faris
Iyman Faris
Iyman Faris is a Pakistani American former truck driver from Columbus, Ohio who was convicted of providing material support to Al Qaeda, for his role in a plot to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge...
at a coffee shop in Upper Arlington
Upper Arlington, Ohio
Upper Arlington is a suburban city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The population was 33,686 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
on August 6, 2002. According to Paul (who is awaiting trial for a separate plot to bomb European tourist resorts), Abdi first suggested shooting up a mall. Paul responded saying "that's a stupid idea". Abdi subsequently suggested bombing the mall, but few other details have been released.
Abdi was arrested on November 28, 2003 and charged with Conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, Conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaeda, and two counts of fraud and misuse of documents. His attorneys became concerned with his mental state, and he was sent to a federal medical center in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in June 2004 to undergo tests. He was returned to Columbus in August 2004 and held in the Franklin County Correctional Facility II
Franklin County Correctional Facility II
Franklin County Correctional Center II is a 1,209-bed medium security correctional facility located in Columbus, Ohio...
. On 31 July 2007, Abdi plead guilty to one count of conspiring to support terrorists. The other charges against him were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Abdi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and will be deported to Somalia upon completion of the sentence.
New details released at the time of the plea agreement show that there were likely more than the aforementioned three people who were involved in the plot. Documents that were filed along with Abdi's agreement note a fourth person whom the trio met with both in Columbus and in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
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 plot 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...
.