Sharif Mobley
Encyclopedia
Sharif Mobley (born in Buena, New Jersey
, in 1984) is a suspected al-Qaeda
and al-Shabab member who was arrested in Yemen
in March 2010 by counter-terrorism officers following a shooting in which he was allegedly the perpetrator. Mobley had moved to Yemen two years prior. He was initially arrested along with other suspected militants, before killing a guard during an escape attempt on March 7, 2010.
Mobley is an American
citizen who was raised as a Muslim
. He claimed to have traveled to Yemen for the purpose of studying Arabic
and Islam
, although U.S. officials state his purpose was to join a militant group. Mobley had been arrested some time prior to the shooting (for a month according to some reports and several months according to others) in a sweep of suspected al-Qaeda militants. He allegedly shot two guards, one fatally, during an escape attempt from a hospital in which he was undergoing physical evaluation. Mobley was wounded during the ensuing three-hour-long siege before being arrested by Yemeni security forces.
descent, however law enforcement officials and family friends indicated that this information was incorrect. Mobley was raised in New Jersey
. He was member of his high school wrestling team and practiced karate, earning a black belt
, and graduated from high school in 2002. He moved to Philadelphia and then to Newark, Delaware
. He is married, and has a young daughter, In 2005, he earned $75 as an election day worker for the campaign of Governor Jon Corzine
.
Mobley received an Islamic upbringing, and, as a child, studied in Islam
ic and Arabic language
classes at Masjid Quba in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to the imam
, Anas Muhaimin. Mobley was described by former high school classmates as having had "strong religious views" at the time, and having become more radical following graduation. A former colleague who went on to do a military tour in Iraq
, Roman Castro, said the last time he saw Mobley, in 2006, Mobley yelled at him: "Get the hell away from me, you Muslim killer!"
In Newark, Delaware, an imam, Abdel-Hadi Shehata, said Mobley had lived in the same apartment complex in the area and occasionally attended the Islamic Society of Delaware (ISD). Shehata said Mobley never discussed his political or religious perspectives with him, and would sometimes ask advice about Islamic religious rituals.
Before 2008, he organized religious pilgrimages to the Middle East
. Umar Hassan-El, assistant imam at, ISD's mosque in Wilmington, Delaware
who shared a room with Mobley during the Hajj
in 2004, said, "He gave no indication that he would join a group that he's alleged to be a part of right now. I never heard that boy ever talk about shooting anybody, killing anybody." The FBI and another law-enforcement stated that they did not know of any criminal charges against Mobley in the U.S.
-2.jpg)
A spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
acknowledged that Mobley had been employed at five different nuclear power facilities, including Three Mile Island
, having passed the required background and psychological tests. Mobley was employed as a laborer from 2002 until 2008 for several contractors at three PSEG nuclear power plants on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek, New Jersey
. Of the five plants he was employed at, three were in Pennsylvania
: the Peach Bottom
, Limerick
, and Three Mile Island plants; one was Calvert Cliffs
in Maryland
, and another, Salem-Hope Creek
in New Jersey.
He performed maintenance work and carried supplies, and qualified for work there through federal background checks as recently as 2008. Those checks consisted of criminal background checks, drug testing, psychological assessments, and identity verification. A spokesman for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that Mobley had always been supervised while employed at the plants, did not cause any problems, and was not known to have breached security at any point during his employment there. As a laborer, he would not have had access to any sensitive or security related information. According to both an unnamed U.S. law enforcement official and Mohammed Albasha, a spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy, there was no known connection between Mobley's employment at the power plants and the time he spent in Yemen.
While the majority of Mobley's responsibilities at the nuclear power plants were routine, he "did have unescorted access to the interior of the plants but did not have access to computers or high-security information." Mobley voiced his militant views during his work at the nuclear power plants according to a report written by the inspector general
of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
which supports stricter security rules. Mobley referred to non-Muslim coworkers as "infidels" and remarked to some in his labor union, “We are brothers in the union, but if a holy war comes, look out.”
or Morocco
, but Mobley refused his advice and has not returned to the mosque for three years.
According to one report, Mobley had been in Yemen "for at least a year" prior to the shooting. At first he studied Arabic at a language institute in Sana'a and then Al-Eman University
, which is run by Sheikh Abdul Majeed al-Zindani. A later report stated that he had traveled to Yemen two years ago. Two years before the shooting, he moved to Yemen supposedly to study Arabic and Islam, but a law enforcement official said he had traveled overseas for the purpose of joining a terrorist organization. The last time his mother, Cynthia, spoke to him was in January. A U.S. law enforcement official said the government had been aware of Mobley's possible extremist ties "long before" he was arrested.
Mobley was in contact with Anwar al-Awlaki
, the al-Qaeda former imam
now based in Yemen who was also in contact with three of the September 11 attacks hijackers, the Christmas Day Bomber
, and Nidal Malik Hasan
, the Fort Hood shooter, according to officials from the U.S. and Yemen. He left his home in New Jersey to seek out al-Awlaki, hoping that al-Awlaki would become his al Qaeda mentor, according to senior U.S. security officials.
On April 6, 2010, The New York Times
reported that President Obama had authorized the targeted killing
of al-Awlaki.
, the capital of Yemen, one of 11 suspected al-Qaeda
and al-Shabab affiliated militants; one suspected militant was killed during the raid resulting in the arrests. On Tuesday, March 3 (three days prior to the shooting), Yemeni security forces arrested 11 members of al-Qaeda cell during a "successful" raid on a location frequented by that cell in the Sawad Hansh area of Sana'a. A Yemeni source reported that following a thorough investigation and surveillance, Yemeni security forces raided a residence belonging to the father of one of the wanted militants. During the raid, the suspect's father opened fire on the security forces hitting one of the officers. The suspect's father was killed in the ensuing firefight.
Mobley was initially identified in the Yemeni press as being a German
citizen of African
origin. On the day of the shooting, Mobley was identified by News Yemen, a Yemeni English language newspaper, as "Shareef Mubaili,[...] a German of Somali origin." CNN Arabic reported that the "German Mubaili" was severely injured during a shootout at the Republican Hospital after stealing a guard's gun. According to a "senior official," he was detained at a high security intelligence prison several months ago while the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, DC, said he had been detained earlier this month. He is suspected of being a member of the same al-Qaeda branch as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
, who failed in his attempt to bomb a passenger plane on Christmas Day, 2009.
together, and asking them to teach him Arabic.
On March 7, 2010, he persuaded a guard to unshackle him at prayer time, which the guard did. The guard went into the washroom to perform the ablution
required for prayers, and left his gun unattended on a chair. At this time, a second guard who had been present left the room and Mobley picked up the gun, and as the guard exited the washroom Mobley shot him once in the head and then in the chest. Another guard heard the gunshots and entered the room and was shot by Mobley in the kidney and abdomen but had called for reinforcements prior to entering the room.
The entire sixth floor of the hospital was sealed until the arrival of additional security forces accompanied by members of the anti-terrorism unit. He was then chased through the hospital, and engaged in a shootout that ended with his capture after he had barricaded himself in one of the rooms in the hospital by anti-terrorism police whose smoke grenade
s ignited a small fire. The siege lasted for three hours before Mobley was captured after being severely wounded and "a number of other individuals" were shot by him. According to Albasha, the embassy spokesman, the guard who had been wounded in the shootout was in serious condition.
According the Arabic
version of CNN
, Mobley allegedly killed two Yemeni guards during the shootout and critically wounded a third CNN Arabic wrote that this "was contributed by a Yemeni official in statement to CNN." This, however, contradicts numerous English
sources, including The New York Times
, The Wall Street Journal
, Newsweek
, Associated Press
, ABC News
, as well as the English version of CNN, and News Yemen, which all state that one guard was killed and another critically wounded. The same article in the Arabic CNN, in a detailed description of the shooting, mentioned only one guard being killed.
, the attack indicates that he had a "level of training and cunning characteristic of the terror network." The official also criticized the guards for their negligence in handling Mobley. He is likely to be tried in Yemen as opposed to being returned to the U.S., a U.S. official stated. According to Yemeni law, killing a guard could be punishable by execution by firing squad
.
The Baltimore
office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
is working the case. An unnamed U.S. law-enforcement official described the investigation:
Mobley's parents were interviewed by the FBI. Mobley's mother denied the accusations against her son, describing him as "an excellent person who's never been in trouble" and "a good Muslim." His father, Charles Mobley, said he knew nothing of his son's current situation, adding, "I can tell you this: He’s no terrorist.” Mobley has not issued any public statement since the incident. Asked about Mobley's apparent links to al-Awlaki, a Yemeni embassy spokesman in Washington, D.C., said he was not surprised, because al-Awlaki: "is a fixture in jihad 101."
Mobley remained in the custody of the Yemeni government on charges of capital murder until October 2010, and was charged with killing one guard and wounding another by a criminal court on October 27.
Buena, New Jersey
Buena is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,603.Landisville and Minotola are unincorporated areas located within Buena Borough, both of which had postal facilities established with those names in 1871 and 1897,...
, in 1984) is a suspected al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and al-Shabab member who was arrested in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
in March 2010 by counter-terrorism officers following a shooting in which he was allegedly the perpetrator. Mobley had moved to Yemen two years prior. He was initially arrested along with other suspected militants, before killing a guard during an escape attempt on March 7, 2010.
Mobley is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen who was raised as 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...
. He claimed to have traveled to Yemen for the purpose of studying Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, although U.S. officials state his purpose was to join a militant group. Mobley had been arrested some time prior to the shooting (for a month according to some reports and several months according to others) in a sweep of suspected al-Qaeda militants. He allegedly shot two guards, one fatally, during an escape attempt from a hospital in which he was undergoing physical evaluation. Mobley was wounded during the ensuing three-hour-long siege before being arrested by Yemeni security forces.
Biography
Mobley's parents were both born in the U.S. where they also trace their ancestry. Following his arrest he was reported to have been of SomaliSomali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
descent, however law enforcement officials and family friends indicated that this information was incorrect. Mobley was raised in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He was member of his high school wrestling team and practiced karate, earning a black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
, and graduated from high school in 2002. He moved to Philadelphia and then to Newark, Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...
. He is married, and has a young daughter, In 2005, he earned $75 as an election day worker for the campaign of Governor Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
.
Mobley received an Islamic upbringing, and, as a child, studied in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic and Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
classes at Masjid Quba in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to the imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
, Anas Muhaimin. Mobley was described by former high school classmates as having had "strong religious views" at the time, and having become more radical following graduation. A former colleague who went on to do a military tour in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Roman Castro, said the last time he saw Mobley, in 2006, Mobley yelled at him: "Get the hell away from me, you Muslim killer!"
In Newark, Delaware, an imam, Abdel-Hadi Shehata, said Mobley had lived in the same apartment complex in the area and occasionally attended the Islamic Society of Delaware (ISD). Shehata said Mobley never discussed his political or religious perspectives with him, and would sometimes ask advice about Islamic religious rituals.
Before 2008, he organized religious pilgrimages to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Umar Hassan-El, assistant imam at, ISD's mosque in Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
who shared a room with Mobley during the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
in 2004, said, "He gave no indication that he would join a group that he's alleged to be a part of right now. I never heard that boy ever talk about shooting anybody, killing anybody." The FBI and another law-enforcement stated that they did not know of any criminal charges against Mobley in the U.S.
Employment at nuclear power plants
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
acknowledged that Mobley had been employed at five different nuclear power facilities, including Three Mile Island
Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station
Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station is a civilian nuclear power plant located on Three Mile Island in the Susquehanna River, south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It has two separate units, known as TMI-1 and TMI-2...
, having passed the required background and psychological tests. Mobley was employed as a laborer from 2002 until 2008 for several contractors at three PSEG nuclear power plants on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek, New Jersey
Lower Alloways Creek Township, New Jersey
Lower Alloways Creek Township is a Township in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 1,851....
. Of the five plants he was employed at, three were in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
: the Peach Bottom
Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station
Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, a nuclear power plant, is located southeast of Harrisburg in Peach Bottom Township, York County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River on the Maryland border....
, Limerick
Limerick Nuclear Power Plant
The Limerick Generating Station in Pennsylvania is located next to the Schuylkill River in Limerick Township, Montgomery County, northwest of Philadelphia. The facility has two General Electric boiling water reactor units, cooled by natural draft cooling towers...
, and Three Mile Island plants; one was Calvert Cliffs
Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
The Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay near Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland.-Overview:...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and another, Salem-Hope Creek
Salem Nuclear Power Plant
The Salem Nuclear Power Plant is a two unit pressurized water reactor nuclear power station located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, New Jersey, in the United States. It is owned by PSEG Nuclear LLC and Exelon Generation LLC....
in New Jersey.
He performed maintenance work and carried supplies, and qualified for work there through federal background checks as recently as 2008. Those checks consisted of criminal background checks, drug testing, psychological assessments, and identity verification. A spokesman for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that Mobley had always been supervised while employed at the plants, did not cause any problems, and was not known to have breached security at any point during his employment there. As a laborer, he would not have had access to any sensitive or security related information. According to both an unnamed U.S. law enforcement official and Mohammed Albasha, a spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy, there was no known connection between Mobley's employment at the power plants and the time he spent in Yemen.
While the majority of Mobley's responsibilities at the nuclear power plants were routine, he "did have unescorted access to the interior of the plants but did not have access to computers or high-security information." Mobley voiced his militant views during his work at the nuclear power plants according to a report written by the inspector general
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
which supports stricter security rules. Mobley referred to non-Muslim coworkers as "infidels" and remarked to some in his labor union, “We are brothers in the union, but if a holy war comes, look out.”
Yemen
In 2007, Mobley returned to Masjid Quba, attending on occasion and consulting the imam there about his plans to study in Yemen. The imam says he tried to discourage him from going to Yemen, suggesting that he instead go to EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
or Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, but Mobley refused his advice and has not returned to the mosque for three years.
According to one report, Mobley had been in Yemen "for at least a year" prior to the shooting. At first he studied Arabic at a language institute in Sana'a and then Al-Eman University
Iman University
Iman University is a Sunni religious school founded in 1993 in San‘a’, Yemen...
, which is run by Sheikh Abdul Majeed al-Zindani. A later report stated that he had traveled to Yemen two years ago. Two years before the shooting, he moved to Yemen supposedly to study Arabic and Islam, but a law enforcement official said he had traveled overseas for the purpose of joining a terrorist organization. The last time his mother, Cynthia, spoke to him was in January. A U.S. law enforcement official said the government had been aware of Mobley's possible extremist ties "long before" he was arrested.
Mobley was in contact with Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
, the al-Qaeda former imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
now based in Yemen who was also in contact with three of the September 11 attacks hijackers, the Christmas Day Bomber
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber", is a suspected terrorist who attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on December 25,...
, and Nidal Malik Hasan
Nidal Malik Hasan
Nidal Malik Hasan, USA is a United States Army officer and sole suspect in the November 5, 2009, Fort Hood shooting, which occurred less than a month before he would have deployed to Afghanistan....
, the Fort Hood shooter, according to officials from the U.S. and Yemen. He left his home in New Jersey to seek out al-Awlaki, hoping that al-Awlaki would become his al Qaeda mentor, according to senior U.S. security officials.
On April 6, 2010, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that President Obama had authorized the targeted killing
Targeted killing
Targeted killing is the deliberate, specific targeting and killing, by a government or its agents, of a supposed terrorist or of a supposed "unlawful combatant" who is not in that government's custody...
of al-Awlaki.
Initial detention
Mobley was detained in early March 2010 in Sana'aSana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
, the capital of Yemen, one of 11 suspected al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and al-Shabab affiliated militants; one suspected militant was killed during the raid resulting in the arrests. On Tuesday, March 3 (three days prior to the shooting), Yemeni security forces arrested 11 members of al-Qaeda cell during a "successful" raid on a location frequented by that cell in the Sawad Hansh area of Sana'a. A Yemeni source reported that following a thorough investigation and surveillance, Yemeni security forces raided a residence belonging to the father of one of the wanted militants. During the raid, the suspect's father opened fire on the security forces hitting one of the officers. The suspect's father was killed in the ensuing firefight.
Mobley was initially identified in the Yemeni press as being a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
citizen of African
African people
African people refers to natives, inhabitants, or citizen of Africa and to people of African descent.-Etymology:Many etymological hypotheses that have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa":...
origin. On the day of the shooting, Mobley was identified by News Yemen, a Yemeni English language newspaper, as "Shareef Mubaili,[...] a German of Somali origin." CNN Arabic reported that the "German Mubaili" was severely injured during a shootout at the Republican Hospital after stealing a guard's gun. According to a "senior official," he was detained at a high security intelligence prison several months ago while the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, DC, said he had been detained earlier this month. He is suspected of being a member of the same al-Qaeda branch as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber", is a suspected terrorist who attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on December 25,...
, who failed in his attempt to bomb a passenger plane on Christmas Day, 2009.
Shooting
Following his arrest, he claimed he was feeling sick and was transferred to the Republican Hospital, also in Sana'a. He was treated for complications involving a metal rod which had previously been implanted in his leg. He spent a week at the hospital, where he befriended the guards assigned to him, praying with them, reading Qur'anQur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
together, and asking them to teach him Arabic.
Washing
Washing is one way of cleaning, namely with water and often some kind of soap or detergent. Washing is an essential part of good hygiene and health....
required for prayers, and left his gun unattended on a chair. At this time, a second guard who had been present left the room and Mobley picked up the gun, and as the guard exited the washroom Mobley shot him once in the head and then in the chest. Another guard heard the gunshots and entered the room and was shot by Mobley in the kidney and abdomen but had called for reinforcements prior to entering the room.
The entire sixth floor of the hospital was sealed until the arrival of additional security forces accompanied by members of the anti-terrorism unit. He was then chased through the hospital, and engaged in a shootout that ended with his capture after he had barricaded himself in one of the rooms in the hospital by anti-terrorism police whose smoke grenade
Smoke grenade
Smoke grenades are canister-type grenades used as ground-to-ground or ground-to-air signaling devices, target or landing zone marking devices, or as screening devices for unit movements. Smoke grenades are normally considered non-lethal, although incorrect use may cause death...
s ignited a small fire. The siege lasted for three hours before Mobley was captured after being severely wounded and "a number of other individuals" were shot by him. According to Albasha, the embassy spokesman, the guard who had been wounded in the shootout was in serious condition.
According the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
version of CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Mobley allegedly killed two Yemeni guards during the shootout and critically wounded a third CNN Arabic wrote that this "was contributed by a Yemeni official in statement to CNN." This, however, contradicts numerous English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
sources, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, as well as the English version of CNN, and News Yemen, which all state that one guard was killed and another critically wounded. The same article in the Arabic CNN, in a detailed description of the shooting, mentioned only one guard being killed.
Investigation
The U.S. government was previously aware of Mobley's extremist ties, but Yemeni officials stated that he had not been on their list of wanted militants. According to a senior official involved in the case, the attack demonstrates that Mobley "is highly trained in the use of firearms", and according to The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, the attack indicates that he had a "level of training and cunning characteristic of the terror network." The official also criticized the guards for their negligence in handling Mobley. He is likely to be tried in Yemen as opposed to being returned to the U.S., a U.S. official stated. According to Yemeni law, killing a guard could be punishable by execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
.
The Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
is working the case. An unnamed U.S. law-enforcement official described the investigation:
The U.S. government is in the process of reviewing his past activities in the United States, including his employment as a contract laborer at several U.S. nuclear power plants between 2002 and 2008. At this time, we are not aware of any security-related concerns or incidents related to Mr. Mobley's employment at these locations; however we continue to review his past activities.
Mobley's parents were interviewed by the FBI. Mobley's mother denied the accusations against her son, describing him as "an excellent person who's never been in trouble" and "a good Muslim." His father, Charles Mobley, said he knew nothing of his son's current situation, adding, "I can tell you this: He’s no terrorist.” Mobley has not issued any public statement since the incident. Asked about Mobley's apparent links to al-Awlaki, a Yemeni embassy spokesman in Washington, D.C., said he was not surprised, because al-Awlaki: "is a fixture in jihad 101."
Mobley remained in the custody of the Yemeni government on charges of capital murder until October 2010, and was charged with killing one guard and wounding another by a criminal court on October 27.
See also
- Umar Farouk AbdulmutallabUmar Farouk AbdulmutallabUmar Farouk Abdulmutallab , popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber", is a suspected terrorist who attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on December 25,...
, the al-Qaeda Christmas Day bomber, recruited by Al-Awlaki and trained in Yemen - Michael FintonMichael FintonMichael C. Finton, also known as Talib Islam , a convert to Islam and a part-time cook at a fish and chicken restaurant, attempted to bomb the Paul Findley Federal Building and the adjacent offices of Congressman Aaron Schock in downtown Springfield, Illinois, on September 24, 2009...
, American, attempted September 2009 bombing of U.S. target with FBI agent he thought was al-Qaeda member - Nidal Malik HasanNidal Malik HasanNidal Malik Hasan, USA is a United States Army officer and sole suspect in the November 5, 2009, Fort Hood shooting, which occurred less than a month before he would have deployed to Afghanistan....
, American Fort Hood shooter; November 2009; communicated with Al-Awlaki - Aafia SiddiquiAafia SiddiquiAafia Siddiqui is an American-educated Pakistani cognitive neuroscientist who was convicted of assault with intent to murder her U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan. The charges carried a maximum sentence of life in prison; in September 2010, she was sentenced by a United States district court to 86...
, alleged al-Qaeda member, former U.S. resident, convicted in 2010 of attempting to kill U.S. personnel - Bryant Neal VinasBryant Neal VinasBryant Neal Vinas is a Hispanic Muslim American convicted of participating in and supporting Al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and the U.S....
, American, convicted in 2009 of participating in/supporting Al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and the U.S. - Najibullah ZaziNajibullah ZaziNajibullah Zazi is an Afghan-American who was arrested in September 2009 as part of the 2009 U.S. Al Qaeda group accused of planning suicide bombings on the New York City subway system, and has pled guilty as have two other defendants. U.S...
, al-Qaeda member, U.S. resident, pleaded guilty in 2010 of planning suicide bombings on New York City subway system - 2009 detention of Americans by Pakistan2009 detention of Americans by PakistanFive Muslim Americans with suspected ties to terrorism were detained on December 9, 2009, in Pakistan. The five men, part of an increasing trend in homegrown terrorism, in their late teens to early twenties and from the Washington, D.C., suburbs, were detained during a police raid on a house with...
, five Muslim Americans charged by Pakistan in 2010 with terrorism-related offenses - Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad2009 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...
, traveled from U.S. to Yemen, arrested with al-Awlaki literature, pleaded guilty to 2009 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 Little Rock military recruiting office shooting. - Homegrown terrorismHomegrown terrorismHomegrown terrorism is commonly associated with an international organization rather than being a ‘lone wolf’ act committed by isolated and disturbed individuals. It constitutes terrorist attacks from within the target nation, often Western...
- Naser Jason AbdoNaser Jason AbdoNaser Jason Abdo is a Muslim US Army Private First Class who is currently being held without bond for possession of an unregistered firearm and allegedly planning to attack a restaurant frequented by soldiers from Fort Hood.-Early life:Abdo grew up in Garland, Texas and attended Richardson Terrace...