Jihad at Pioneer Courthouse Square

Published: Saturday, November 27, 2010, 6:16 AM     Updated: Saturday, November 27, 2010, 6:59 AM

 Steve Duin, The Oregonian 
ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE

It's early.

Very early in the wake of the chilling news that the FBI thwarted a terrorist bombing at Friday night's "holiday" tree-lighting ceremony at Pioneer Square.

Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, a Somali-born U.S. citizen, was arrested at 5:42 p.m., 18 minutes before the tree lighting was to occur, on an accusation of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Yes, it takes one's breath away.

Mohamud, according to the FBI affadavit, tried to contact someone involved with terrorist activities overseas.  Mohamud had written essays for "Jihad Recollections," a delightful online forum advocating holy war.  Mohamud had been dreaming of jihad since the age of 15, and told FBI operatives posing as terrorists that the tree-lighting ceremony was the ideal, unguarded spot to make those dreams a reality.

Yet as I read on in Denson's piece, an uncomfortable question quickly rises:  How far would Mohamud have traveled down that road without the help of those very operatives?

As I said, it's early.  The sun's not even up.  All anyone has to go by at the moment is the FBI affadavit that was used to support the criminal complaint signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta.

But that affadavit notes the following:

-- When Mohamud could not get in touch with terrorists oversees, the FBI contacted him.

-- While Mohamud "spent months working on logistics," Denson's story notes, and "allegedly identified a location to place the bomb," he "mailed bomb components to the FBI operatives, who he believed were assembling the device."  Does that mean Mohamud did not build the bomb?

-- The FBI "operative" was right there with Mohamud on Nov. 4 at "a remote spot in Lincoln County, where they detonated a bomb concealed in a backpack as a trial run for the upcoming attack."

-- And the FBI transported Mohamud to Portland so that he could carry out the deadly bombing.

It's early.  Very early.  I'm as spooked as anyone by what might have happened last night at Pioneer Courthouse Square.  And I am incredibly thankful the FBI and our national security forces are on guard.

But it's still unclear how close Mohamed Osman Mohamud would have gotten to Portland's "living room" if no one had ever shown any interest in his plans. 


  
 


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