US Arrests Saudi Bomb Plotter
Washington , DC : A Saudi man has been arrested for allegedly buying chemicals and equipment to make a bomb and researching US targets, including the Dallas home of former president George W. Bush, the Department of Justice announced last Thursday.
Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari a Saudi national who came to Texas on student visa in 2008, was arrested late Wednesday and faces charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.
According to the FBI, Aldawsari wrote himself an email entitled “NICE TARGETS,” and then listed two types of targets: hydroelectric dams and nuclear power plants. In another email titled “Tyrant’s House,” he listed the address of Bush’s home.
The authorities’ affidavit also alleges that Aldawsari researched using dolls to hide explosives and concealing them in a backpack to target a nightclub.
Prosecutors said Aldawsari, who was admitted into the United States in 2008 on a student visa, posted extremist messages on a blog, vowing jihad.
“You who created mankind… grant me martyrdom for Your sake and make jihad easy for me only in Your path,” he wrote.
Earlier this month, a chemical supplier reported his suspicions about Aldawsari to the FBI, after the man tried to buy large amounts of phenol, which can be used to make explosives. He had tried to have the chemical sent to a freight company, which refused it.
Searches of his apartment uncovered chemicals, beakers and flasks, wiring and a Hazmat suit, among other items, the FBI said.
Agents also allegedly discovered a journal which revealed that Aldawsari came to the United States specifically for terror attacks.
One entry describes how Aldawsari said his scholarship “will help tremendously in providing me with the support I need for Jihad.”
”And now, after mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for Jihad,” he wrote, according to the FBI affidavit.
He was allegedly planning on renting several cars using different identifications, putting bombs in them and fleeing.
Aldawsari faces life in prison and was expected to make his first court appearance in Texas on Friday.
