Tamerlan Tsarnaev was an ethnic Chechen, Russian citizen, and Massachusetts resident who carried out the Boston Marathon bombings alongside his younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on April 15, 2013. The explosions killed three people and injured more than 250, 17 of whom became amputees.Steve Annear, “MIT dedicates monument to Sean Collier,” Boston Globe, April 29, 2015, https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/29/mit-dedicate-monument-sean-collier-wednesday/E8aVcQXkrht6KO8D85VPFL/story.html;
Katharine Q. Seelye and Jess Bidgood, “Breaking Silence, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Apologizes for Boston Marathon Bombing,” New York Times, June 24, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/us/boston-marathon-bombing-dzhokhar-tsarnaev.html?_r=0;
Peter Finn, Carol D. Leonnig, and Will Englund, “Tsarnaev brothers’ homeland was war-torn Chechnya,” Washington Post, April 19, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/details-emerge-on-suspected-boston-bombers/2013/04/19/ef2c2566-a8e4-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html. Tamerlan died several days later following a shootout with police.Majority Staff on the Committee on Homeland Security, “The Road to Boston: Counterterrorism Challenges and Lessons from the Marathon Bombings: House Homeland Security Committee Report,” March 2014, 19. His brother Dzhokhar was apprehended and sentenced to death in May 2015.Milton J. Valencia and Patricia Wen, “Tsarnaev guilty on all counts in Marathon bombings,” Boston Globe, April 8, 2015,https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/08/tsarnaev-jury-begins-second-day-deliberations/t7KplwR18hH1RSuX1BQohM/story.html.
On the day of the attack, the Tsarnaev brothers placed two pressure-cooker bombs near the marathon’s finish line. Each device “killed at least one person, maimed, burned and wounded scores of others, and damaged public and private property,” according to the criminal complaint filed against Dzhokhar.“United States of America v. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,” United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, April 21, 2013, http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/363201342213441988148.pdf. Three days after the bombings, on April 18, the brothers killed police officer Sean Collier, used his gun to carjack a vehicle, and fled to Watertown, Massachusetts, west of Boston.“United States of America v. Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev a/k/a/ ‘Jahar Tsarni,’” United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, June 27, 2013, http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-ma/legacy/2013/06/27/Indictment1.pdf. There, police officers exchanged fire with the brothers and shot Tamerlan in the process. Tamerlan was taken to a local hospital and died that night from injuries sustained in the shootout.Majority Staff on the Committee on Homeland Security, “The Road to Boston: Counterterrorism Challenges and Lessons from the Marathon Bombings: House Homeland Security Committee Report,” March 2014, 19.
Tsarnaev was born in Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan, but moved to the United States in 2003, gaining lawful permanent residence.Majority Staff on the Committee on Homeland Security, “The Road to Boston: Counterterrorism Challenges and Lessons from the Marathon Bombings: House Homeland Security Committee Report,” March 2014, 9-10. He attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, taking up boxing and dating girls. After his graduation, Tsarnaev enrolled in community college, though his focus soon pivoted to Islam. In 2009, Tsarnaev began arguing with his uncle, saying that work and school were of no importance compared to religion.CNN Staff, “Timeline: A look at Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s past,” CNN, April 22, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/21/us/tamerlan-tsarnaev-timeline/;
“Dzhokhar and Tamerlan: A Profile of the Tsarnaev Brothers,” CBS News, April 23, 2013, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dzhokhar-and-tamerlan-a-profile-of-the-tsarnaev-brothers/. Tsarnaev married his high school girlfriend, Katherine Russell, in June 2010.CNN Staff, “Timeline: A look at Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s past,” CNN, April 22, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/21/us/tamerlan-tsarnaev-timeline/;
Majority Staff on the Committee on Homeland Security, “The Road to Boston: Counterterrorism Challenges and Lessons from the Marathon Bombings: House Homeland Security Committee Report,” March 2014, 10. Russell gave birth to their daughter that October.Majority Staff on the Committee on Homeland Security, “The Road to Boston: Counterterrorism Challenges and Lessons from the Marathon Bombings: House Homeland Security Committee Report,” March 2014, 10.
In March of 2011, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) asked the FBI to monitor Tsarnaev, worried that he was an extremist and would attempt to travel to Russia to carry out an attack. The FBI opened an investigation and interviewed Tsarnaev, but did not find any links to terrorism.Majority Staff on the Committee on Homeland Security, “The Road to Boston: Counterterrorism Challenges and Lessons from the Marathon Bombings: House Homeland Security Committee Report,” March 2014, 11-2. Nevertheless, the FBI ordered Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to alert the Bureau if Tsarnaev passed through U.S. customs. Tsarnaev triggered the CBP alert in January of 2012 when he flew to Moscow, though the FBI was not contacted due to the high volume of individuals the CBP was monitoring that day. A secondary CBP alert was not triggered upon Tsarnaev’s return to the United States in July because his last name had been incorrectly spelled in the CBP system.Tom Winter, “Russia Warned U.S. About Tsarnaev, But Spelling Issue Let Him Escape,” NBC News, March 25, 2014, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/boston-bombing-anniversary/russia-warned-u-s-about-tsarnaev-spelling-issue-let-him-n60836.
According to the congressional report to the Committee on Homeland Security, Tamerlan spent time in Makhachkala, Dagestan, during those six months in 2012 and may have come into contact with extremists.Majority Staff on the Committee on Homeland Security, “The Road to Boston: Counterterrorism Challenges and Lessons from the Marathon Bombings: House Homeland Security Committee Report,” March 2014, 13-4. Authorities say it is possible that Tamerlan communicated with Russian extremist Nadirshakh Khachilaev, the founder of a Makhachkala mosque who had reportedly previously facilitated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri’s travel to Dagestan in 1997.Majority Staff on the Committee on Homeland Security, “The Road to Boston: Counterterrorism Challenges and Lessons from the Marathon Bombings: House Homeland Security Committee Report,” March 2014, 14.
Upon his return to the United States in July 2012, Tsarnaev began following extremists on social media and watching videos of Chechen jihadists on YouTube. He appeared “intrigued by the jihadist rebels in the Caucasus” and might have been “inspired by their general ideology,” according to a congressional report.Majority Staff on the Committee on Homeland Security, “The Road to Boston: Counterterrorism Challenges and Lessons from the Marathon Bombings: House Homeland Security Committee Report,” March 2014, 16. He reportedly began yelling out during sermons at the mosque he attended—angry when the imam celebrated American holidays or praised Martin Luther King, Jr.CNN Staff, “Timeline: A look at Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s past,” CNN, April 22, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/21/us/tamerlan-tsarnaev-timeline/.
The Tsarnaev brothers may have been inspired to murder in part by the teachings of al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Law enforcement agents found evidence that Dzhokhar listened to Awlaki’s lectures online. Dzhokhar allegedly told officials that he and his brother learned how to make their IEDs from directions found in Inspire, the English-language magazine of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula founded by Awlaki.Daniel Klaidman, “Exclusive: The Awlaki/Tsarnaev Connection,” The Daily Beast, April 26, 2013, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/26/the-awlaki-connection.html;
Ian Black, “Inspire magazine: the self-help manual for al-Qaida terrorists,”Guardian (London), May 24, 2013,https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/may/24/inspire-magazine-self-help-manual-al-qaida-terrorists.
In April 2023, streaming service Netflix releases a docuseries on the Tsarnaev brothers called American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing. The 10-part series interviews survivors, family of the bombing’s victims, as well as people who personally knew the Tsarnaev brothers. The series traces the events that led to Tamerlan’s death and Dzhokhar’s capture.Amanda Richards and Ingrid Ostby, “‘American Manhunt’ Revisits the Boston Marathon Bombing, 10 Years Later,” Netflix, April 12, 2023, https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/american-manhunt-the-boston-marathon-bombing-release-date-news. Boston Globe reporter David Filipov also gives his perspective. Filipov wrote a December 2013 article on the Tsarnaevs that revealed Tamerlan claimed from an early age he heard a voice in his head that told him to commit various acts. According to the 2013 article, one doctor was concerned Tamerlan schizophrenic. Media observers noted this piece of information on Tamerlan’s possible psychosis did not appear in the Netflix series.Laura Jane Turner, “Netflix’s Boston Marathon Bombing documentary doesn’t quite address its own controversy,” Digital Spy, April 13, 2023, https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a43575200/tsarnaev-brothers-boston-marathon-bombing-documentary/.
As of April 2023, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remained on death row at a federal supermax prison in Colorado. In January 2023, Tsarnaev’s attorneys filed an appeal with the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston to have Tsarnaev’s death sentence thrown out because of juror misconduct.Alanna Durkin Richer, “Court weighs tossing Boston marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, January 10, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/massachusetts-state-government-legal-proceedings-crime-boston-f32276fbfccb77fca2a08ae831d7f4df; Shelley Murphy, “Where the legal battle over Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence stands a decade after the Marathon bombings,” Boston Globe, April 16, 2023, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/04/16/sports/boston-marathon-bombing-dzhokhar-tsarnaev/.
Carried out the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings alongside his brother, Dzokhar Tsarnaev, that killed three people and injured more than 250. Died several days later in a shootout with police.
His brother, Dzokhar, told investigators that he and Tamerlan learned to make the bombs used in the Boston Marathon from instructions in AQAP’s Inspire magazine. Some of now-deceased AQAP recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki’s YouTube videos were also found on his electronic devices.
Abdul Razak Ali Artan was an 18-year-old Somali refugee, suspected domestic terrorist, and alleged ISIS sympathizer. On the morning of November 28, 2016, Artan drove his car into a crowd of people on a sidewalk at the Ohio State University (OSU)—where he was a student—and then proceeded to stab and slash victims with a butcher knife. He wounded 11 people—hitting six with his car and stabbing five others—before he was shot and killed by a campus police officer within one minute of beginning his assault.Brian Ross, Mike Levine, Josh Margolin, and Aaron Katersky, “Officials Investigating Anti-US Facebook Rant Believed Linked to OSU Attacker,” ABC News, November 28, 2016, http://abcnews.go.com/US/osu-attack-suspect-identified-abdul-razak-ali-artan/story?id=43827435;
Mitch Smith, Richard Perez-Pena, and Adam Goldman, “Suspect Is Killed in Attack at Ohio State University That Injured 11,” New York Times, November 28, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/us/active-shooter-ohio-state-university.html. Artan is believed to have been inspired in part by the ideology of late al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Just before the attack, Artan referred to Awlaki as “our hero” in a post on Facebook.Brian Ross, Mike Levine, Josh Margolin, and Aaron Katersky, “Officials Investigating Anti-US Facebook Rant Believed Linked to OSU Attacker,” ABC News, November 28, 2016, http://abcnews.go.com/US/osu-attack-suspect-identified-abdul-razak-ali-artan/story?id=43827435;
Jonathan Dienst, “18-Year-Old Somali Identified As Ohio State Attack Suspect,” NBC New York, November 28, 2016, http://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/18-Year-Old-Somali-Identified-As-Ohio-State-Attack-Suspect-403425576.html;
Jake Trapper, Twitter post, November 28, 2016, 5:56 p.m., https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/803417243547799552. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack the following day via the encrypted messaging app Telegram, referring to Artan as the group’s “soldier.”Mitch Smith, Rukmini Callimachi, and Richard Perez-Pena, “ISIS Calls Ohio State University Attacker a ‘Soldier,’” New York Times, November 29, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/29/us/ohio-state-university-abdul-artan-islamic-state.html.
Artan was born in Somalia in 1998 and in 2007, his family fled to Pakistan, where he lived for seven years in a refugee camp. He reportedly came to the United States as a legal permanent resident in 2014 with six family members. Artan studied at a community college in Columbus, Ohio, before transferring to OSU in 2016, were he studied logistics management at the business school.Jonathan Dienst, “18-Year-Old Somali Identified As Ohio State Attack Suspect,” NBC New York, November 28, 2016, http://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/18-Year-Old-Somali-Identified-As-Ohio-State-Attack-Suspect-403425576.html;
“What's known about the OSU attack suspect Abdul Razak Ali Artan,” CBS News, November 28, 2016, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-state-university-attack-whats-known-about-suspect-abdul-razak-ali-artan/; Melissa Korn, Kris Maher, and Pervais Shallwani, “Ohio State University Says Student Carried Out Attack,” Wall Street Journal, November 28, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/ohio-state-university-reports-active-shooter-on-campus-1480347704. In August 2016, he was interviewed by OSU’s school newspaper, The Lantern. Artan spoke to the reporter about what he perceived to be the media’s inaccurate portrayal of Muslims: “I’m a Muslim, it’s not what the media portrays me to be. If people look at me, a Muslim praying, I don’t know what they’re going to think, what’s going to happen.”Kevin Stankiewicz and Jay Panandiker, “From the archives: Ohio State attacker featured in ‘Humans of Ohio State,’” The Lantern, November 28, 2016, http://thelantern.com/2016/11/from-the-archives-ohio-state-attacker-featured-in-humans-of-ohio-state/.
Minutes before carrying out the attack on November 28, Artan reportedly warned in a post on Facebook that Muslims would not cease conducting “lone wolf attacks” until America gave “peace to the Muslims.” In addition to referring to Anwar al-Awlaki as “hero,” Artan expressed his desire to “use a billion infidels in retribution…” and warned that he had reached a “boiling point.”Jake Trapper, Twitter post, November 28, 2016, 5:56 p.m., https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/803417243547799552;
Brian Ross, Mike Levine, Josh Margolin, and Aaron Katersky, “Officials Investigating Anti-US Facebook Rant Believed Linked to OSU Attacker,” ABC News, November 28, 2016, http://abcnews.go.com/US/osu-attack-suspect-identified-abdul-razak-ali-artan/story?id=43827435. Artan reportedly called on the United States to make peace with “dawla in al sham”—purportedly referring to ISIS—or else face continued lone wolf attacks.Jake Trapper, Twitter post, November 28, 2016, 5:56 p.m., https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/803417243547799552;
Brian Ross, Mike Levine, Josh Margolin, and Aaron Katersky, “Officials Investigating Anti-US Facebook Rant Believed Linked to OSU Attacker,” ABC News, November 28, 2016, http://abcnews.go.com/US/osu-attack-suspect-identified-abdul-razak-ali-artan/story?id=43827435;
Mitch Smith, Rukmini Callimachi, and Richard Perez-Pena, “ISIS Calls Ohio State University Attacker a ‘Soldier,’” New York Times, November 29, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/29/us/ohio-state-university-abdul-artan-islamic-state.html. ISIS sympathizers on Twitter and Telegram celebrated the attack using the hashtag #OhioAttack in Arabic, and referred to Artan as “brother.”Mitch Smith, Rukmini Callimachi, and Richard Perez-Pena, “ISIS Calls Ohio State University Attacker a ‘Soldier,’” New York Times, November 29, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/29/us/ohio-state-university-abdul-artan-islamic-state.html.
Domestic terrorist: Drove a car into a crowd of students at Ohio State University on November 28, 2016, before using a butcher knife to stab students, wounding 11 people.
Referenced Anwar al-Awlaki in a Facebook post prior to the assault.
Domestic terrorist: Drove his car into a crowd of people on a sidewalk at the Ohio State University on November 28, 2016, wounding 11. Shot and killed by campus police.
Allegedly influenced by Faisal, according to the U.S. government.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab—known colloquially as the “underwear bomber”—is the attempted suicide bomber from Nigeria who targeted a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day, 2009.David Ariosto and Deborah Feyerick, “Christmas Day Bomber Sentenced to Life in Prison,” CNN, February 17, 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/16/justice/michigan-underwear-bomber-sentencing/.Abdulmutallab—who had traveled to Yemen to meet with al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki—pled guilty in October 2011 to eight counts related to the failed bombing, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to commit an act of transnational terrorism.“‘Underwear Bomber’ Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Pleads Guilty,” Federal Bureau of Investigation, October 12, 2011, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/detroit/press-releases/2011/underwear-bomber-umar-farouk-abdulmutallab-pleads-guilty. Abdulmutallab is currently serving life in prison in Florence, Colorado.Hannah Fairfield and Tim Wallace, “The Terrorists in U.S. Prisons,” New York Times, April 7, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/04/07/us/terrorists-in-us-prisons.html.
Abdulmutallab was a member of Nigeria’s elite but was nonetheless drawn to extremism from an early age, according to reports from classmates, friends, and relatives. Abdulmutallab’s father, Umaru Mutallab, was a wealthy banker who had previously served as Nigeria’s economics minister,Andrew Johnson and Emily Dugan, “Wealthy, Quiet, Unassuming: the Christmas Day Bomb Suspect,” Independent (London), December 26, 2009, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/wealthy-quiet-unassuming-the-christmas-day-bomb-suspect-1851090.html. allowing Abdulmutallab to attend a series of prestigious schools abroad, including the British School in Lome (BSL), Togo.“Profile: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” BBC News, October 12, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11545509.
It was at BSL, according to Abdulmutallab’s father, that Abdulmutallab was first radicalized to an extremist interpretation of Islam.“Profile: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” BBC News, October 12, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11545509. One teacher from BSL described Abdulmutallab as a “dream student,” but nonetheless noted that in hindsight, signs of his radicalization could have been present as early as 2001. That year, according to the teacher, the class had a number of discussions about the Taliban, during which Abdulmutallab was the sole Muslim student to speak up in the group’s defense.“Profile: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” BBC News, October 12, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11545509. Soon after, Abdulmutallab reportedly gained a reputation at the school for proselytizing to other students.“Profile: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” BBC News, October 12, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11545509.
The ideology that Abdulmutallab began to cultivate and propagate in Togo came back home with him to Nigeria, according to reports from relatives. A cousin of Abdulmutallab’s noted that whenever Abdulmutallab returned from his studies and vacations abroad, he would scold his father and tell him that he should quit his profession since charging interest was “un-Islamic.”Adam Nossiter, “Lonely Trek to Radicalism for Terror Suspect,” New York Times, January 16, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/world/africa/17abdulmutallab.html.
In 2005, Abdulmutallab left the continent to study abroad, this time at the prestigious University College London (UCL) in London, England. There, Abdulmutallab began to study engineering and served as president of the Islamic society.Chris Irvine, “Detroit Terror Attack: Suspect President of University Islamic Society,” Telegraph (London), December 29, 2009, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/6902785/Detroit-terror-attack-suspect-president-of-university-Islamic-society.html. Yemeni officials claim that it was during this time that Abdulmutallab was recruited to a local al-Qaeda cell in London, a claim denied by both the U.K. government and UCL.“Profile: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” BBC News, October 12, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11545509. One of Abdulmutallab’s classmates maintains that Abdulmutallab showed no signs of radicalization while at UCL, and therefore must have been recruited to al-Qaeda after leaving the United Kingdom in 2008.“Profile: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” BBC News, October 12, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11545509.
Abdulmutallab graduated from UCL in 2008 and told his parents that he wanted to study Arabic abroad. His parents sent him to Dubai, where they hoped the UAE’s cosmopolitan culture would help mitigate Abdulmutallab’s tendency to extremism.“Profile: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” BBC News, October 12, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11545509. By late 2009, however, Abdulmutallab had reportedly told his parents that he was dropping post-graduate business classes to move to Yemen. It was during this time that Abdulmutallab’s father reportedly sought help from U.S., Nigerian, and Saudi authorities to retrieve his son from Yemen.“Profile: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” BBC News, October 12, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11545509. In October 2009, Abdulmutallab called the U.S. embassy in Lagos, warning the embassy of Abdulmutallab’s suspected radicalization.Eric Lipton and Scott Shane, “Questions on Why Suspect Wasn’t Stopped,” New York Times, December 27, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/us/28terror.html.
By this time, Abdulmutallab had already left Dubai, having traveled to Yemen with the express purpose of meeting with Anwar al-Awlaki, according to U.S. court documents.“Government Sentencing Memorandum: United States of America v. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, February 10, 2012, 13-14, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/291667-abdulmutallab-sentencing-memorandum.html. While in Yemen, Abdulmutallab traveled between mosques, inquiring where he could meet the American-Yemeni cleric. Abdulmutallab eventually came across someone who agreed to pass Abdulmutallab’s contact information on to Awlaki himself.“Government Sentencing Memorandum: United States of America v. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, February 10, 2012, 13-14, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/291667-abdulmutallab-sentencing-memorandum.html.
According to U.S. court documents, Awlaki and Abdulmutallab first spoke by text and then by phone, later agreeing to meet in person. After spending three days in Awlaki’s residence in Yemen and being vetted by Awlaki himself, Abdulmutallab was accepted for a suicide mission and referred to al-Qaeda bomb maker Ibrahim al-Asiri, who designed a chemical bomb specifically for Abdulmutallab. Asiri instructed Abdulmutallab on how to conceal and detonate the bomb, which would involve using a syringe to allow the explosive chemicals to mix.“Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempted Bombing of Flight 253 on Christmas Day 2009,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 16, 2012, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/umar-farouk-abdulmutallab-sentenced-life-prison-attempted-bombing-flight-253-christmas-day. Awlaki then worked personally with Abdulmutallab to create a five-minute-long “martyrdom video,” to be released following the attack.“Government Sentencing Memorandum: United States of America v. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, February 10, 2012, 14, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/291667-abdulmutallab-sentencing-memorandum.html.
In accepting Abdulmutallab for an al-Qaeda suicide bomb mission, Awlaki gave Abdulmutallab flexibility over the details and timing of his attack, with only two stipulations: the attack had to be on a U.S. airliner and detonated over U.S. soil.“Government Sentencing Memorandum: United States of America v. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, February 10, 2012, 14, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/291667-abdulmutallab-sentencing-memorandum.html. Abdulmutallab ultimately chose to target a Detroit-bound airliner scheduled to arrive on Christmas Day.David Ariosto and Deborah Feyerick, “Christmas Day Bomber Sentenced to Life in Prison,” CNN, February 17, 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/16/justice/michigan-underwear-bomber-sentencing/. After meeting with Awlaki and Asiri, Abdulmutallab was instructed to avoid taking a direct flight from Yemen to the United States, and reportedly traveled back to Nigeria through Ethiopia and Ghana.“Government Sentencing Memorandum: United States of America v. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, February 10, 2012, 14, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/291667-abdulmutallab-sentencing-memorandum.html;
“Profile: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” BBC News, October 12, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11545509.
On December 24, 2009, Abdulmutallab used a one-way ticket to fly from Nigeria to the United States, with a layover in Amsterdam. Abdulmutallab landed in Amsterdam Airport Schiphol shortly before 6:00 a.m. local time on December 25. At 8:30 a.m., Adulmutallab boarded Northwest Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit.“Aanslag op vlucht Schiphol - Detroit mislukt,” NRC, December 26, 2009, http://vorige.nrc.nl//binnenland/article2445884.ece/Aanslag_op_vlucht_Schiphol_-_Detroit_mislukt. Twenty minutes before landing in Detroit, Michigan, Abdulmutallab attempted to explode the suicide bomb strapped to his underwear. Rather than explode, the bomb lit on fire, causing severe burns to Abdulmutallab’s leg. Abdulmutallab was subdued by a nearby passenger and arrested upon his arrival in Detroit.Scott Shane and Eric Lipton, “Passengers’ Quick Action Halted Attack,” New York Times, December 26, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/us/27plane.html.
On October 12, 2011, Abdulmutallab pled guilty to all charges leveled against him, saying that he “attempted to use an explosive device which in the U.S. law is a weapon of mass destruction,” but which he considered a “blessed weapon.”Monica Davey, “Would-Be Plane Bomber Pleads Guilty, Ending Trial,” New York Times, October 12, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/us/umar-farouk-abdulmutallab-pleads-guilty-in-plane-bomb-attempt.html. Abdulmutallab aligned himself with al-Qaeda and said that he was “greatly inspired to participate in jihad by the lectures of the great…Anwar al-Awlaki, may Allah preserve him and his family and give them victory.”Monica Davey, “Would-Be Plane Bomber Pleads Guilty, Ending Trial,” New York Times, October 12, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/us/umar-farouk-abdulmutallab-pleads-guilty-in-plane-bomb-attempt.html.
Abdulmutallab was sentenced to life in prison without parole on February 16, 2012.“Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempted Bombing of Flight 253 on Christmas Day 2009,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 16, 2012, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/umar-farouk-abdulmutallab-sentenced-life-prison-attempted-bombing-flight-253-christmas-day. He is currently serving his sentence in a maximum-security prison in Florence, Colorado.Hannah Fairfield and Tim Wallace, “The Terrorists in U.S. Prisons,” New York Times, April 7, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/04/07/us/terrorists-in-us-prisons.html.
In October 2017, Abdulmutallab sued the U.S. Department of Justice. He claimed that prison officials violated his rights by holding him in solitary confinement, restricting his communication with relatives, and force-feeding him when he goes on a hunger strike.Charlie Savage, “Underwear Bomber Sues Over Treatment in Supermax Prison,” New York Times, October 19, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/us/politics/underwear-bomber-lawsuit-prison-treatment.html; “COMPLAINT FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF, DECLARATORY RELIEF, AND ATTORNEY’S FEES: UMAR FAROUK ABDULMUTALLAB v. JEFFERSON SESSIONS, Attorney General of the United States, in his official capacity; FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS; JOHN DOES 1 THROUGH 20 in their official capacities,” U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, October 18, 2017, http://mediaassets.thedenverchannel.com/document/2017/10/19/Umar%20Farouk%20Abdulmutallab%20%201-Complaint_69243244_ver1.0.pdf?_ga=2.179667425.434619029.1628184523-683732015.1628184523.
International terrorist: Nigerian, known colloquially as the “underwear bomber,” who attempted a suicide bombing on board a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009. Sentenced to life in prison in the United States.
Listened to Faisal lectures online.
Syed Rizwan Farook was a U.S.-born domestic terrorist and a suspected ISIS sympathizer. On December 2, 2015, Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik carried out a shooting spree at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people.Eli Saslow and Setephanie McCrummen, “National ‘Where’s Syed?’: How the San Bernardino shooting unfolded,” Washington Post, December 3, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/wheres-syed-how-the-san-bernardino-shooting-unfolded/2015/12/03/2ee90128-9a15-11e5-8917-653b65c809eb_story.html. During the attack, Malik pledged allegiance—on behalf of both herself and Farook—to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi via Facebook. The couple died in a shootout with law enforcement in the hours following the attack.Saeed Ahmed, “Who were Syed Rizwan Farookand Tashfeen Malik?,” CNN, December 4, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/03/us/syed-farook-tashfeen-malik-mass-shooting-profile/;
Pamela Engel, “Here’s the ISIS message the female San Bernardino shooter posted on Facebook during the attack,” Business Insider, December 17, 2015, www.businessinsider.com/isis-message-tashfeen-malik-posted-on-facebook-during-attack-2015-12.
According to U.S. officials, Farook self-radicalized online and listened to the lectures of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. In August 2011, Farook informed his neighbor and friend Enrique Marquez of his interest in joining AQAP in Yemen, according to the FBI.“U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: U.S. v. Enrique Marquez, Jr.,” Department of Justice, December 17, 2015, 8, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800606/download;
Lee Ferran and Brian Ross, “San Bernardino: Ghost of American al-Qaeda Haunts Another US Terror Plot,” ABC News, December 18, 2015, http://abcnews.go.com/International/san-bernardino-ghost-american-al-qaeda-haunts-us/story?id=35838795. Farook may have also had some degree of online contact with members of the Somali al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabab, as well as al-Qaeda’s former affiliate the Nusra Front, according to an unnamed federal investigator.“Everything we know about the San Bernardino terror attack investigation so far,” Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-san-bernardino-shooting-terror-investigation-htmlstory.html;
Chris Pleasance, Ashley Collman, and Snejana Farberov, “REVEALED: San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook ‘had contact with Syrian al Qaeda-affiliated group AND al Shabaab in Somalia’,” Daily Mail (London), December 4, 2015, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3346500/Pictured-handcuffed-body-San-Bernardino-terrorist-Pakistani-wife-pledged-allegiance-ISIS-Facebook-slaughter-14.html.
Farook was raised in California by Pakistani parents.Kate Shepherd, “San Bernardino Shooter Was Born In Chicago,” Chicagoist, December 3, 2015, http://chicagoist.com/2015/12/03/_the_san_bernardino_shooter.php. He adhered to traditional dress, and reportedly attended religious services twice daily at the Islamic Center of Riverside in Riverside, California.Adam Nagourney, Ian Lovett, Julie Turkewitz, and Benjamin Mueller, “Couple Kept Tight Lid on Plans for San Bernardino Shooting,” New York Times, December 3, 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/us/san-bernardino-shooting-syed-rizwan-farook.html?_r=0. In 2010, Farook began working for the San Bernardino County Health Department.Saeed Ahmed, “Who were Syed Rizwan Farookand Tashfeen Malik?,” CNN, December 4, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/03/us/syed-farook-tashfeen-malik-mass-shooting-profile/.
In 2013, Farook met Malik, a Pakistani national, online. That same year, Farook met Malik in person in Saudi Arabia while on hajj.Greg Botelho, “San Bernardino shooting: Carnage was ‘unspeakable,’ police say,” CNN, December 4, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/03/us/san-bernardino-shooting/index.html. Later in 2013, according to then-FBI director James Comey, Farook and Malik discussed their “joint commitment to jihad and to martyrdom” in private online messages. Malik was granted a U.S. fiancée visa in July 2014, and the two married one month later in California.Al Baker and Marc Santora, “San Bernardino Attackers Discussed Jihad in Private Messages, F.B.I. Says,” New York Times, December 16, 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/12/17/us/san-bernardino-attackers-discussed-jihad-in-private-messages-fbi-says.html?_r=0.
Farook’s intention to carry out a domestic terror attack dates back to at least 2011, when he began plotting attacks alongside friend and neighbor Marquez. Farook discussed radical Islam with Marquez, and shared with him the teachings of AQAP cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.“U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: U.S. v. Enrique Marquez, Jr.,” Department of Justice, December 17, 2015, 4, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800606/download. According to the FBI, the pair planned, trained, and purchased equipment—including firearms—and plotted to target Riverside Community College and the highway State Route 91.“U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: U.S. v. Enrique Marquez, Jr.,” Department of Justice, December 17, 2015, 3, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800606/download. Farook and Marquez reportedly halted their plots in November 2012 after three men unaffiliated with Farook were arrested in Chino, California, on terror-related charges.Sarah Parvini, Kate Mather, James Queally, and Richard A. Serrano, “San Bernardino shooter used friend to dodge gun check, may have planned larger attack, sources say,” Los Angeles Times, December 10, 2015, www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-enrique-marquez-main-mother-speaks-20151210-story.html.
Farook soon renewed his efforts to conduct an attack. According to the FBI, Farook and Malik began plotting the December 2015 attack before Malik moved to the United States in mid-2014.Richard A. Serrano and Brian Bennet, “San Bernardino shooters began plotting attack before their marriage, FBI chief says,” Los Angeles Times, December 9, 2015, www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-san-bernardino-shooters-preplanning-20151209-story.html.
On the morning of December 2, 2015, Farook and his wife entered the Inland Regional Center (IRC) in San Bernardino, where Farook’s employer was hosting a holiday party.Elizabeth Chuck, Tracy Connor, and Mark Schone, “San Bernardino Shooting: What Is the Inland Regional Center?,” NBC News, December 2, 2015, www.nbcnews.com/storyline/san-bernardino-shooting/san-bernardino-shooting-what-inland-regional-center-n473016. Roughly one hour into the event, Farook placed a concealed explosive device on a table and left the premises, though the device failed to detonate. Marquez later told investigators that Farook had constructed the device using instructions published in AQAP’s English-language magazine Inspire.“U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: U.S. v. Enrique Marquez, Jr.,” Department of Justice, December 17, 2015, 25-26, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800606/download;
Richard A. Serrano, James Rufus Koren, Richard Winton, and Corina Knoll, “Online loan may have helped couple fund their terror arsenal in San Bernardino attack,” Los Angeles Times, June 21, 2016, www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-bernardino-shooting-attackers-bomb-mainbar-20151208-story.html.
At 11 a.m., Farook and Malik returned to the IRC, dressed in tactical vests and black masks. In less than four minutes, the pair fired 65-75 rounds of bullets, killing 14 people and injuring 21 others.Eli Saslow and Setephanie McCrummen, “National ‘Where’s Syed?’: How the San Bernardino shooting unfolded,” Washington Post, December 3, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/wheres-syed-how-the-san-bernardino-shooting-unfolded/2015/12/03/2ee90128-9a15-11e5-8917-653b65c809eb_story.html. During the shooting spree, Malik pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—on behalf of both herself and Farook—via Facebook.Pamela Engel, “Here’s the ISIS message the female San Bernardino shooter posted on Facebook during the attack,” Business Insider, December 17, 2015, www.businessinsider.com/isis-message-tashfeen-malik-posted-on-facebook-during-attack-2015-12. Farook and Malik fled the scene of the shooting in an SUV, and were apprehended by police near their apartment in the nearby city of Redlands. The pair opened fire on police from their vehicle and were killed in the ensuing shootout.Greg Botelho, “San Bernardino shooting: Carnage was ‘unspeakable,’ police say,” CNN, December 4, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/03/us/san-bernardino-shooting/index.html.
According to the FBI, two of the five firearms used by Farook and Malik in the San Bernardino attack were purchased by Enrique Marquez on separate occasions in late 2011 and early 2012.“Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Enrique Marquez, Jr.,” United States District Court for the Central District of California, December 17, 2015, 3, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800606/download. The day after the attack, Marquez told a 911 operator that he had given the guns to Farook for “safe storage.”Richard Winton, Richard A. Serrano, Joseph Serna, and Marisa Gerber, “After San Bernardino massacre, suspect Enrique Marquez Jr. made dramatic 911 call,” Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-911-san-bernardino-massacre-20151218-story.html. The other firearms were legally purchased by Farook between 2007 and 2012.“Everything we know about the San Bernardino terror attack investigation so far,” Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-san-bernardino-shooting-terror-investigation-htmlstory.html. Police also found over 4,500 rounds of ammunition and additional bomb making materials at the couple’s home.“Everything we know about the San Bernardino terror attack investigation so far,” Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-san-bernardino-shooting-terror-investigation-htmlstory.html.
Following the attack, FBI investigators sought to gather evidence from Farook’s locked iPhone.Cecilia Kang and Eric Lichtblau, “F.B.I. Error Locked San Bernardino Attacker’s iPhone,” New York Times, March 1, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/02/technology/apple-and-fbi-face-off-before-house-judiciary-committee.html. In April 2016, FBI Director James Comey said that after paying to have the device unlocked, the FBI had found no evidence linking Farook and Malik to ISIS militants.Devlin Barrett, “FBI Paid More Than $1 Million to Hack San Bernardino iPhone,” New York Times, April 21, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/comey-fbi-paid-more-than-1-million-to-hack-san-bernardino-iphone-1461266641.
Along with his wife Tashfeen Malik, carried out the December 2, 2015 shooting in San Bernardino, California, which killed 14 people. Also planned numerous terror attacks with Enrique Marquez Jr. in 2011 and 2012.
Reviewed the bomb-making instructions in AQAP’s Inspire magazine along with Enrique Marquez Jr., according to Marquez. Also introduced Marquez to sermons by now-deceased AQAP recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki, and listened to Awlaki’s lectures in 2010-2011.
Nidal Hasan is a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent and a convicted domestic terrorist. In November 2009, while serving as a soldier at the Fort Hood military post in Kalleen, Texas, Hasan launched an attack on fellow soldiers, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others.Jennifer Hlad, “In opening remarks, Hasan says he was ‘on the wrong side’ in US Army uniform,” Stars and Stripes, August 6, 2013, https://archive.org/stream/final-report-of-the-william-h.-webster-commission#page/n0/mode/2up. In the year leading up to the attack, Hasan was in contact via email with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, reportedly sending him a series of emails in 2008 and 2009 and receiving two emails from Awlaki in response.David Johnston and Scott Shane, “U.S. Knew of Suspect’s Tie to Radical Cleric,” New York Times, November 9, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/us/10inquire.html;
Larry Shaughnessy, “Hasan’s E-mail Exchange with al-Awlaki; Islam, Money and Matchmaking,” CNN Security Clearance, July 20, 2012, http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/20/hasans-e-mail-exchange-with-al-awlaki-islam-money-and-matchmaking/. In his court hearings following the attack, Hasan claimed that he had targeted U.S. soldiers in order to preemptively protect Taliban militants in Afghanistan.Michael Muskal and Molly Hennessy-Fiske, “Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan tells court-martial: ‘I am the shooter’,” Los Angeles Times, August 6, 2013, http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/06/nation/la-na-nn-nidal-malik-hasan-fort-hood-20130806;
Manny Fernandez, “Fort Hood Suspect Says Rampage Was to Defend Afghan Taliban Leaders,” New York Times, June 4, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/us/fort-hood-suspect-says-he-was-defending-taliban-leaders.html. Hasan pled not guilty to murder-related charges but was nonetheless convicted by a military jury and sentenced to death in August 2013.Chelsea J. Carter, “Nidal Hasan Convicted in Fort Hood Shootings; Jurors Can Decide Death,” CNN, August 23, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/justice/nidal-hasan-court-martial-friday/;
Billy Kenber, “Nidal Hasan sentenced to death for Fort Hood shooting rampage,” Washington Post, August 28, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nidal-hasan-sentenced-to-death-for-fort-hood-shooting-rampage/2013/08/28/aad28de2-0ffa-11e3-bdf6-e4fc677d94a1_story.html. Hasan is currently detained on military death row in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.“Fort Leavenworth death row inmate Nidal Hasan appears at hearing in Fort Hood massacre case,” Dallas Morning News, January 29, 2015, www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20150129-fort-leavenworth-death-row-inmate-nidal-hasan-appears-at-hearing-in-fort-hood-massacre-case.ece.
Hasan was born in 1970 in Arlington, Virginia, to Palestinian immigrant parents. In 1995, Hasan graduated with honors from Virginia Tech University with a degree in biochemistry. Following graduation, he attended Army Officer Candidate School, and was selected to attend medical school at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Hasan graduated in 2003, later earning a master’s degree in public health.James C. McKinley Jr. and James Dao, “Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage,” New York Times, November 8, 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/us/09reconstruct.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1.
Hasan’s radicalization is believed to have begun as early as 2000 when, following the death of his parents, Hasan reportedly grew more overtly pious. In 2001, Hasan attended Anwar al-Awlaki’s Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Virginia, though it is not clear if the two interacted.James C. McKinley Jr. and James Dao, “Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage,” New York Times, November 8, 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/us/09reconstruct.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1.
In December 2008, Hasan contacted Awlaki through Awlaki’s personal website. Hasan asked Awlaki to “make some general comments about Muslims in the u.s. military [sic],” including Hasan Akbar, the U.S. army sergeant who killed two soldiers in Kuwait in March 2003.Manuel Roig-Franzia, “Army Soldier Is Convicted In Attack on Fellow Troops,” Washington Post, April 22, 2005, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7210-2005Apr21.html. Hasan asked whether Awlaki would “consider someone like Hasan Akbar or other soldiers that have committed such acts with the goal of helping Muslims/Islam…fighting Jihad[?],” and “if they did die would you consider them shaheeds[?]”“Anwar Awlaki E-mail Exchange with Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan,” IntelWire, July 19, 2012, http://news.intelwire.com/2012/07/the-following-e-mails-between-maj.html.
The FBI intercepted the message but classified it as “Not a product of interest.”“FINAL REPORT of the WILLIAM H. WEBSTER COMMISSION on The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Counterterrorism Intelligence, and the Events at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009,” William H. Webster Commission, Accessed July 2, 2016, 41-52, https://archive.org/details/final-report-of-the-william-h.-webster-commission. Over the next two months, Hasan sent six emails to Awlaki and Awlaki responded to two, after which Hasan continued to email him. Hasan asked several questions about Hamas and the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, posited an essay scholarship prize for the question “Why is Anwar Al Awlaki a great activist and leader?” and offered to help Awlaki “in accordance with the u.s. Law [sic].”“FINAL REPORT of the WILLIAM H. WEBSTER COMMISSION on The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Counterterrorism Intelligence, and the Events at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009,” William H. Webster Commission, Accessed July 2, 2016, 41-52, https://archive.org/details/final-report-of-the-william-h.-webster-commission. In all, Hasan exchanged 16 emails with Anwar al-Awlaki, dated from December 2008 to June 2009.“Anwar Awlaki E-mail Exchange with Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan,” IntelWire, July 19, 2012, http://news.intelwire.com/2012/07/the-following-e-mails-between-maj.html.
In July 2009, Hasan moved to the Fort Hood military post, pending an almost certain deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.James C. McKinley Jr. and James Dao, “Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage,” New York Times, November 8, 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/us/09reconstruct.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1. Two weeks after his move, Hasan purchased a Herstal FN Five-Seven handgun from a gun store in Killeen, Texas, allegedly asking clerks for the most technologically advanced weapon available.Jennifer Hlad, “In opening remarks, Hasan says he was ‘on the wrong side’ in US Army uniform,” Stars and Stripes, August 6, 2013, https://archive.org/stream/final-report-of-the-william-h.-webster-commission#page/n0/mode/2up. In October of that year, the U.S. Army notified Hasan he would be deploying to Afghanistan in November.“FINAL REPORT of the WILLIAM H. WEBSTER COMMISSION on The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Counterterrorism Intelligence, and the Events at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009,” William H. Webster Commission, Accessed July 2, 2016, 62, https://archive.org/details/final-report-of-the-william-h.-webster-commission.
On November 5, Hasan entered the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at the Fort Hood military post. He told a civilian clerk to leave the room, yelled “Allahu Akbar,” and began shooting. Hasan specifically sought out uniformed soldiers and killed only one individual who was not in uniform.Jennifer Hlad, “In opening remarks, Hasan says he was ‘on the wrong side’ in US Army uniform,” Stars and Stripes, August 6, 2013, https://archive.org/stream/final-report-of-the-william-h.-webster-commission#page/n0/mode/2up. Hasan killed 13 and wounded another 32 before he was subdued by responding police officers.James C. McKinley Jr. and James Dao, “Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage,” New York Times, November 8, 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/us/09reconstruct.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1.
Hasan was charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premediated murder.Michael Muskal and Molly Hennessy-Fiske, “Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan tells court-martial: ‘I am the shooter’,” Los Angeles Times, August 6, 2013, http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/06/nation/la-na-nn-nidal-malik-hasan-fort-hood-20130806. In his opening statement at the military tribunal in Fort Hood, Hasan declared himself the shooter and said that he was a member of the “mujhadeen [holy warriors].”Jennifer Hlad, “In opening remarks, Hasan says he was ‘on the wrong side’ in US Army uniform,” Stars and Stripes, August 6, 2013, https://archive.org/stream/final-report-of-the-william-h.-webster-commission#page/n0/mode/2up. Hasan also said that as a member of the U.S. Army, he found himself on the “wrong side,” and had “switched sides.”Josh Rubin and Matt Smith, “‘I am the shooter,’ Nidal Hasan tells Fort Hood court-martial,” CNN, August 6, 2013, www.cnn.com/2013/08/06/justice/hasan-court-martial/. The judge struck down an attempt by Hasan to frame his attack as an effort to protect Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.Michael Muskal and Molly Hennessy-Fiske, “Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan tells court-martial: ‘I am the shooter’,” Los Angeles Times, August 6, 2013, http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/06/nation/la-na-nn-nidal-malik-hasan-fort-hood-20130806. Roughly one year after the shooting, Awlaki praised Hasan, stating, “How can we object to...Nidal Hasan’s operation. He killed American soldiers who were on their way to Afghanistan and Iraq. Who would object to that?”Jeremy Havardi, “The children of Anwar Al-Awlaki,” Commentator, May 23, 2013, www.thecommentator.com/article/3605/the_children_of_anwar_al_awlaki.
Statements by Hasan’s acquaintances following the attack reveal that Hasan viewed his military service as deeply in conflict with his religion. According to Duane Reasoner Jr., a friend of Hasan’s who attended mosque, “[Hasan] felt he was supposed to quit [the army]… In the Koran, it says you are not supposed to have alliances with Jews or Christians, and if you are killed in the military fighting against Muslims, you will go to hell.” Reasoner characterized Hasan as “very upset” and stated, “He didn’t want to go to Afghanistan.” In 2004, Hasan reportedly sought legal advice in an effort to terminate his Army contract, which was set to last until 2010. On one occasion in 2009, Hasan asked Osman Danquah—a veteran of the first Gulf War and the cofounder of Killeen mosque which Hasan attended—how he should counsel Muslim soldiers objecting to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Danquah later told the media, “I got the impression he was trying to validate how he was dealing with it.”James C. McKinley Jr. and James Dao, “Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage,” New York Times, November 8, 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/us/09reconstruct.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1.
Though Hasan did not plead guilty to charges, he refused to field a defense and suggested that an execution would be his martyrdom. In August 2013, the military court found Hasan guilty on all charges and sentenced him to death.Manny Fernandez, “Death Penalty for Rampage at Fort Hood,” New York Times, August 28, 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/08/29/us/jury-weighs-sentence-for-fort-hood-shooting.html?_r=0. Hasan remains on military death row in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.“Fort Leavenworth death row inmate Nidal Hasan appears at hearing in Fort Hood massacre case,” Dallas Morning News, January 29, 2015, www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20150129-fort-leavenworth-death-row-inmate-nidal-hasan-appears-at-hearing-in-fort-hood-massacre-case.ece.
Faisal Shahzad is a Pakistani-born naturalized U.S. citizen who in May 2010 attempted to detonate a car bomb in Times Square, Manhattan. According to the U.S. government, Shahzad had previously trained alongside the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), in Pakistan.“Faisal Shahzad Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to Life in Prison for Attempted Car Bombing in Times Square,” United States Attorney Southern District of New York, October 5, 2010, 2. Following the May 2010 attack, Shahzad told investigators that he had been inspired by the online sermons of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.Shane, Scott and Mark Mazzetti, “Times Sq. Bomb Suspect Is Linked to Militant Cleric,” New York Times, May 6, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/world/middleeast/07awlaki-.html.
Shahzad was born in Pakistan and moved to the United States in 1998, gaining U.S. citizenship in May 2009.Adams, Lorraine and Ayesha Nasir, “Inside the mind of the Times Square bomber,” Guardian (London), September 18, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/19/times-square-bomber;
“Profile: Faisal Shahzad,” BBC News, October 5, 2010, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11475789. One month later, Shahzad returned to Pakistan. In December 2009, he began training with TTP militants in Waziristan, Pakistan. Shahzad lived and trained alongside TTP militants for approximately two months, five days of which he spent learning to build explosives.Adams, Lorraine and Ayesha Nasir, “Inside the mind of the Times Square bomber,” Guardian (London), September 18, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/19/times-square-bomber.
Shahzad returned to the United States in February of 2010 after living and training with the TTP for two months. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, between February and April of 2010, Shahzad received two separate payments totaling $12,000 from the TTP via the informal hawala system. Hawala—an ancient payment system with Middle Eastern and South Asian roots—allows people to transfer money across the world by way of brokers, or hawaladar, who collect and pay money out of their own funds before balancing their accounts with one another. Shahzad used the $12,000 to purchase materials for the attack, including bomb materials and a car.“Faisal Shahzad Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to Life in Prison for Attempted Car Bombing in Times Square,” United States Attorney Southern District of New York, October 5, 2010, 1-2; West, Ben and Scott Stewart, “Uncomfortable Truths and the Times Square Attack,” Stratfor, May 6, 2010, https://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100505_uncomfortable_truths_times_square_attack;
Benjamin Weiser, “Charges of Getting Cash to Failed Times Sq. Bomber,” New York Times, September 15, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/nyregion/16shahzad.html?rref=collection%252Ftimestopic%252FTimes%2520Square%2520Bomb%2520Attempt%2520(May%25201%252C%25202010)&_r=0;
Mohammed El-Qorchi, “The Hawala System,” Global Development Research Center, December 2002, http://www.gdrc.org/icm/hawala.html.
On the evening of May 1, 2010, Shahzad attempted to detonate three bombs—built from fertilizer, gasoline, and a gun safe—in his newly purchased car.Ben West and Scott Stewart, “Uncomfortable Truths and the Times Square Attack,” Stratfor, May 6, 2010, https://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100505_uncomfortable_truths_times_square_attack. Shahzad parked in Times Square near 45th Street and Seventh Avenue, and walked a few blocks away to wait for the explosion. However, Shahzad had mistakenly set the timer—which ran on military time—to 07:00 rather than 19:00. When no explosion occurred, Shahzad returned to his home in Connecticut.Adams, Lorraine and Ayesha Nasir, “Inside the mind of the Times Square bomber,” Guardian (London), September 18, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/19/times-square-bomber. Police disarmed the car bomb after a street vendor reported seeing smoke rising from the back vents.Al Baker, William K. Rashbaum, “Police Find Car Bomb in Times Square,” New York Times, May 1, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/nyregion/02timessquare.html.
Two days after the attack, FBI agents arrested Shahzad at New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport after he boarded a flight to Dubai.“Times Square suspect had explosives training, documents say,” CNN, May 5, 2010, http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/04/new.york.car.bomb/index.html. Shahzad told investigators that he had been inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki, having listened to his lectures online. According to an unnamed U.S. official, “[Shahzad] listened to [Awlaki], and he did it,” referring to the attempted Times Square attack.Shane, Scott and Mark Mazzetti, “Times Sq. Bomb Suspect Is Linked to Militant Cleric,” New York Times, May 6, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/world/middleeast/07awlaki-.html.
Following the attack, both AQAP and the TTP featured Shahzad in their propaganda material. AQAP’s English-language magazine Inspire—released in June 2010—quoted an email from Shahzad in which he condemned peaceful protests in favor of jihad.Scott Shane and Mark Mazzetti, “Times Sq. Bomb Suspect Is Linked to Militant Cleric,” New York Times, May 6, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/world/middleeast/07awlaki-.html;
“Hear the World… A collection of quotes from friend and foe,” Inspire, June 2010, Issue 1, https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/aqap-inspire-magazine-volume-1-uncorrupted.pdf. Shahzad was further featured in a TTP propaganda video released in July 2010. The video was filmed at some point between late 2009 and early 2010 while Shahzad lived alongside the TPP in Pakistan. In the video, Shahzad urged Muslims to “fight against the enemy of Islam,” and to carry out attacks on the United States. The video also featured clips of Western media coverage of the Times Square attack.“United States v. Faisal Shahzad: Government’s Memorandum in Connection with the Sentencing of Faisal Shahzad,” United States District Court Southern District of New York, September 29, 2010, 5-7.
In October 2010, Shahzad was charged on 10 counts including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to commit an act of international terrorism. Shahzad pled guilty to all 10 charges on June 21, 2010. Prosecutors sentenced Shahzad to life in prison on October 5, 2010.Michael Wilson, “Shahzad Gets Life Term for Times Square Bombing Attempt,” New York Times, October 5, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/nyregion/06shahzad.html?_r=1;
“Faisal Shahzad Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to 10 Federal Crimes Arising from Attempted Car Bombing in Times Square,” Department of Justice: Office of Public Affairs, June 21, 2010, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/faisal-shahzad-pleads-guilty-manhattan-federal-court-10-federal-crimes-arising-attempted-car;
“Faisal Shahzad Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to Life in Prison for Attempted Car Bombing in Times Square,” United States Attorney Southern District of New York, October 5, 2010, 1.
Attempted to carry out the May 1, 2010, bombing in Times Square, New York. Sentenced to life in prison in October 2010 on terrorism-related charges.
Told authorities that he was inspired by speeches given by now-deceased AQAP recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki.
Domestic terrorist: Attempted to detonate a car bomb in New York City in April 2010. Arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport after boarding a flight to Dubai. Pled guilty and received a life sentence.
Told authorities he had been listening to sermons by Faisal and Anwar al-Awlaki, who were “the only two clerics out there who have got it right.”
Chérif Kouachi was a French citizen of Algerian origin and one of two brothers who carried out the January 2015 attack against the Paris offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.Harriet Alexander, “How did the Paris terrorists get hold of their weapons?” Daily Telegraph (London), January 17, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11351855/How-did-the-Paris-terrorists-get-hold-of-their-weapons.html. According to Yemeni intelligence, both brothers had trained alongside al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in mid-2011 in Yemen, where they met Anwar al-Awlaki, the AQAP cleric killed by a U.S. drone strike in September of that year.“Kouachi brothers had weapons training in Yemen,” Al Jazeera America, January 11, 2015, http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/11/kouachi-france.html.
On the morning of January 7, 2015, Kouachi and his older brother Saïd Kouachi forcibly entered the Charlie Hebdo office armed with assault rifles, submachine guns, pistols, and a rocket launcher.Harriet Alexander, “How did the Paris terrorists get hold of their weapons?” Daily Telegraph (London), January 17, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11351855/How-did-the-Paris-terrorists-get-hold-of-their-weapons.html. Within 10 minutes, they murdered 11 people, six of whom were cartoonists.“Charlie Hebdo attack: Three days of terror,” BBC News, January 14, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30708237. While fleeing the premises, the brothers shouted that they had carried out the attack on behalf of AQAP.Mohammed Ghobari, “Exclusive: Paris attack suspect met prominent al Qaeda preacher in Yemen – intelligence source,” Reuters, January 9, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-shooting-yemen-idUSKBN0KI0PW20150109. The pair killed another police officer outside on the street, but managed to evade capture for two days. On January 9, French police confronted and killed both brothers in a shootout in Dammartin-en-Goële, 22 miles northeast of Paris.“Charlie Hebdo hunt: Bloody end to sieges,” BBC News, January 10, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30752239.
According to former CIA deputy director Michael Morell, the Kouachi brothers targeted Charlie Hebdo because the magazine had depicted and published cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Their motive was “absolutely clear,” said Morell, who added that the brothers were “trying to shut down a media organization that lampooned the Prophet Muhammad.”Dan Bilefsky and Maïa de la Baume, “Terrorists Strike Charlie Hebdo Newspaper, Leaving 12 Dead,” New York Times, January 7, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/world/europe/charlie-hebdo-paris-shooting.html?_r=1.
The Kouachi brothers, of Algerian descent, grew up in France. Their father died during the brothers’ early teenage years. Their mother sent them to a state school for special-needs children because she was unable to care for them. The Kouachis’ mother died before they completed school and they did not proceed to university. The brothers moved to Paris’s 19th arrondisement, a neighborhood known for its large and poor immigrant population.Scott Bronstein, “Cherif and Said Kouachi: Their path to terror,” CNN, January 14, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/13/world/kouachi-brothers-radicalization/index.html.
Chérif was known to French authorities one decade before the Charlie Hebdo massacre. In the 19th arrondisement, the brothers attended Adda’wa mosque, a.k.a. La Mosquee de Stalingrad, with French Islamist cleric Farid Benyettou. Chérif would later tell a French court that Benyettou first introduced him to the concept of jihad and encouraged him to go fight in Iraq. Chérif claimed that he committed to the idea of jihad during Ramadan in 2004 and told friends he was going to go fight in Syria.Scott Bronstein, “Terror suspect Cherif Kouachi: ‘I was ready to go and die in battle,’” CNN, January 10, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/09/europe/cherif-kouachi-court-documents/index.html. Benyettou allegedly taught Chérif how to use a Kalashnikov rifle and other weapons.Scott Bronstein, “Terror suspect Cherif Kouachi: ‘I was ready to go and die in battle,’” CNN, January 10, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/09/europe/cherif-kouachi-court-documents/index.html. Chérif was arrested and detained in 2005 for his connection to a terror cell that recruited young French Muslims to join al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). Chérif was reportedly arrested before he was able to travel to Iraq via Syria in order to fight alongside AQI’s founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.Andrew Higgins and Maïa de la Baume, “Two Brothers Suspected in Killing Were Known to French Intelligence Services,” New York Times, January 8, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/world/two-brothers-suspected-in-killings-were-known-to-french-intelligence-services.html?_r=0. According to Chérif’s accomplices at the time of his arrest, Chérif was “ready to firebomb and to destroy Jewish shops in Paris.”Scott Bronstein, “Terror suspect Cherif Kouachi: ‘I was ready to go and die in battle,’” CNN, January 10, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/09/europe/cherif-kouachi-court-documents/index.html. He later admitted to anti-Semitic thoughts to French authorities but denied that he would take such action.Scott Bronstein, “Terror suspect Cherif Kouachi: ‘I was ready to go and die in battle,’” CNN, January 10, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/09/europe/cherif-kouachi-court-documents/index.html. In a 2007 deposition in French court, Chérif said that he was ready to “die in battle” to avenge “the torture that the Americans have inflicted on the Iraqis.”Scott Bronstein, “Cherif and Said Kouachi: Their path to terror,” CNN, January 14, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/13/world/kouachi-brothers-radicalization/index.html. French prosecutors eventually convicted Chérif in 2008 and sentenced him to three years in prison.Andrew Higgins and Maïa de la Baume, “Two Brothers Suspected in Killing Were Known to French Intelligence Services,” New York Times, January 8, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/world/two-brothers-suspected-in-killings-were-known-to-french-intelligence-services.html?_r=0. He was immediately released, however, having already served three years in pre-trial detention.Andrew Higgins and Maïa de la Baume, “Two Brothers Suspected in Killing Were Known to French Intelligence Services,” New York Times, January 8, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/world/two-brothers-suspected-in-killings-were-known-to-french-intelligence-services.html?_r=0.
While Chérif was prison, he reportedly came in contact with other jihadists who furthered his radicalization, including Djamel Beghal, an al-Qaeda recruiter of Algerian descent who had plotted to attack the U.S. embassy in Paris in 2001.Scott Bronstein, “Cherif and Said Kouachi: Their path to terror,” CNN, January 14, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/13/world/kouachi-brothers-radicalization/index.html. Beghal reportedly became a mentor to Chérif in prison. While in prison Chérif also met Amedy Coulibaly.Scott Bronstein, “Cherif and Said Kouachi: Their path to terror,” CNN, January 14, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/13/world/kouachi-brothers-radicalization/index.html.
After Beghal’s release from prison in 2009, Chérif and Coulibaly continued to visit him.Scott Bronstein, “Cherif and Said Kouachi: Their path to terror,” CNN, January 14, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/13/world/kouachi-brothers-radicalization/index.html. During their meetings, Beghal, Coulibaly, and the Kouachi brothers reportedly plotted to break Smain Ali Belkacem—convicted for the 1995 Paris metro bombing—out of prison.Carol Kuruvilla and Jaweed Kaleem, “Amedy Coulibaly, Paris Kosher Market Terrorist, Had History Of Ties To Violence,” Huffington Post, January 10, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/09/amedy-coulibaly-paris-kosher-market_n_6444418.html; “Paris attacks: Suspects’ profiles,” BBC News, January 12, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30722038. Police monitoring the group arrested the men in May 2010 before they could carry out the prison break.Greg Botelho and Ray Sanchez, “France: Raids kill 3 suspects, including 2 wanted in Charlie Hebdo attack,” CNN, January 21, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/09/europe/charlie-hebdo-paris-shooting/. The Kouachi brothers were implicated in the plot, but were not charged due to lack of evidence.Carol Kuruvilla and Jaweed Kaleem, “Amedy Coulibaly, Paris Kosher Market Terrorist, Had History Of Ties To Violence,” Huffington Post, January 10, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/09/amedy-coulibaly-paris-kosher-market_n_6444418.html.
Both Chérif and his brother are reported to have had contact with Anwar al-Awlaki. According to an unnamed Yemeni security official, at some point between late July and early August 2011, the brothers traveled to Yemen where they received training from AQAP and met with Awlaki.“Kouachi brothers had weapons training in Yemen,” Al Jazeera America, January 11, 2015, http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/11/kouachi-france.html. On January 9, 2015, during the final siege in Dammartin-en-Goële, Chérif told French media over a phone call interview that his trip to Yemen had been financed by Awlaki.“Charlie Hebdo shooter says financed by Qaeda preacher in Yemen,” Reuters, January 9, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-shooting-yemen-finance-idUSKBN0KI1Y320150109.
The Kouachi brothers’ attack on Chalie Hebdo was also linked to Coulibaly’s January 9, 2015, attack on Paris’s Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket.Griff Witte, “In a kosher grocery store in Paris, terror takes a deadly toll,” Washington Post, January 9,2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/paris-kosher-market-seized-in-second-hostage-drama-in-nervous-france/2015/01/09/f171b97e-97ff-11e4-8005-1924ede3e54a_story.html?utm_term=.2d7aacfbb438; Angus Berwick, “Spanish police arrest man suspected of arming Paris supermarket gunman,” Reuters, April 13, 2016, http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKCN0XA1JA?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0. Coulibaly took 16 occupants hostage, and reportedly demanded that police allow the Kouachi brothers to escape their hideout in Dammartin.Griff Witte, “In a kosher grocery store in Paris, terror takes a deadly toll,” Washington Post, January 9,2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/paris-kosher-market-seized-in-second-hostage-drama-in-nervous-france/2015/01/09/f171b97e-97ff-11e4-8005-1924ede3e54a_story.html?utm_term=.2d7aacfbb438; John Lichfield, “Paris attackers interview with French TV station: ‘We are defenders of the Prophet… We took vengeance’, said Charlie Hebdo killer Cherif Kouachi,” Independent (London), January 10, 2015, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-attackers-gave-interview-to-french-tv-station-we-are-defenders-of-the-prophet-we-took-9969749.html; Ricky Ben-David, “4 dead as French forces storm kosher supermarket, kill gunman; Charlie Hebdo terrorist brothers also killed,” Times of Israel, January 10, 2015, http://www.timesofisrael.com/terror-onslaught-in-paris/. Coulibaly claimed in a phone interview that he had “coordinated [with the Kouachi brothers] from the beginning.”Griff Witte, “In a kosher grocery store in Paris, terror takes a deadly toll,” Washington Post, January 9,2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/paris-kosher-market-seized-in-second-hostage-drama-in-nervous-france/2015/01/09/f171b97e-97ff-11e4-8005-1924ede3e54a_story.html?utm_term=.2d7aacfbb438; “Paris gunman appears in video, declares loyalty to Islamic State,” Reuters, January 11, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-shooting-video-gunman-idUSKBN0KK0BL20150111; John Lichfield, “Paris attackers interview with French TV station: ‘We are defenders of the Prophet… We took vengeance’, said Charlie Hebdo killer Cherif Kouachi,” Independent (London), January 10, 2015, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-attackers-gave-interview-to-french-tv-station-we-are-defenders-of-the-prophet-we-took-9969749.html. On January 10, a video was distributed online in which Coulibaly claimed to have synchronized his attacks with the Kouachi brothers.Fidelma Cook, Lucy Crossley, Tom Kelly, and Claire Duffin, “Hebdo killers in ISIS martyrdom video – as French police discover his massive arms cache and link him to another shooting two days earlier,” Daily Mail (London), January 11, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2905302/Calm-stare-Jewish-deli-terrorist-Jihadist-s-ISIS-suicide-video-emerges-confirms-link-Charlie-Hebdo-killers-calls-fellow-vigorous-Muslims-defend-prophet-Mohammed.html.
Ahmad Khan Rahami carried out the New York and New Jersey bombings, planted on September 17 and September 18, 2016.Marc Santora, William K. Rashbaum, Al Baker, and Adam Goldman, “Ahmad Khan Rahami Is Arrested in Manhattan and New Jersey Bombings,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/nyc-nj-explosions-ahmad-khan-rahami.html.
Rahami—an Afghan-born U.S. citizen and former resident of Elizabeth, New Jersey—was convicted of planting four improvised explosive devices (IEDs)Marc Santora, William K. Rashbaum, Al Baker, and Adam Goldman, “Ahmad Khan Rahami Is Arrested in Manhattan and New Jersey Bombings,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/nyc-nj-explosions-ahmad-khan-rahami.html. and injuring 33 people over the course of three days: 31 people in the pressure-cooker bomb that exploded in New York City’s Chelsea district on September 17, and two police officers in a New Jersey shootout on September 19.Marc Santora, William K. Rashbaum, Al Baker, and Adam Goldman, “Ahmad Khan Rahami Is Arrested in Manhattan and New Jersey Bombings,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/nyc-nj-explosions-ahmad-khan-rahami.html;
“FBI: Rahmani Linked to Bombs in New York and New Jersey,” NBC News, September 19, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/video/fbi-rahmani-linked-to-bombs-in-new-york-and-new-jersey-768647747830. No one was injured in the remaining three IED attacks attributed to Rahami, two of which he failed to detonate.Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Pete Williams, and Chris Francescani, “Terror Timeline: The NY/NJ Bombings, From First Blast to Arrest,” NBC News, September 19, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ny-nj-bombings/terror-timeline-ny-nj-bombings-first-blast-arrest-n650716.
After a days-long manhunt, Rahami was found and arrested on September 19 in Linden, New Jersey, close to his parents’ home in neighboring Elizabeth.Marc Santora, William K. Rashbaum, Al Baker, and Adam Goldman, “Ahmad Khan Rahami Is Arrested in Manhattan and New Jersey Bombings,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/nyc-nj-explosions-ahmad-khan-rahami.html. After engaging in a shootout with police, Rahami was taken into custody and transferred to University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. Rahami was charged later that day with seven counts, including five counts of attempted murder of a police officer, with his bail set at $5.2 million.Marc Santora, William K. Rashbaum, Al Baker, and Adam Goldman, “Ahmad Khan Rahami Is Arrested in Manhattan and New Jersey Bombings,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/nyc-nj-explosions-ahmad-khan-rahami.html. On September 20, 2016, the U.S. brought formal charges against Rahami, including use of weapons of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use.“Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Ahmad Khan Rahami a/k/a/ ‘Ahmad Rahimi,’ defendant,” U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,” September 20, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/894396/download. A notebook belonging to Rahami and discovered by law enforcement upon Rahami’s arrest allegedly included messages praising Osama bin Laden and U.S.-born al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.“Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Ahmad Khan Rahami a/k/a/ ‘Ahmad Rahimi,’ defendant,” U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,” September 20, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/894396/download.
The first IED linked to Rahami was discovered on the morning of Saturday, September 17, when—at approximately 9:35 a.m. EST—a pipe bomb fizzled and exploded in a garbage can in New Jersey’s Seaside Park, near the route of the Seaside Marine Corps Charity 5K Race.Sarah Almukhtar, Ford Fessenden, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Tim Wallace, and Derek Watkins;
“How the Manhunt for the Chelsea Bombing Suspect Unfolded,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/19/nyregion/chelsea-bombing-explosion-maps-timeline.html;
Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Pete Williams, and Chris Francescani, “Terror Timeline: The NY/NJ Bombings, From First Blast to Arrest,” NBC News, September 19, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ny-nj-bombings/terror-timeline-ny-nj-bombings-first-blast-arrest-n650716. According to law enforcement, the race—which sought to raise money for the U.S. Marine Corps—began late, explaining why no one was killed or injured in the attack.Evan Perez, Shimon Prokupecz, and John Newsome, “Blast Near Marine Corps Race in New Jersey Probed as Possible Terror Act,” CNN, September 18, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/17/us/nj-explosive-trash-can. Eleven hours later, at approximately 8:30 p.m. EST, a pressure-cooker bomb, packed with ball bearings and steel nuts, exploded near a dumpster in New York’s Chelsea district in Manhattan, blowing up a dumpster 150 feet down the street, shattering windows a block away, and leaving 31 people wounded, including one British citizen. Sarah Almukhtar, Ford Fessenden, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Tim Wallace, and Derek Watkins;
“How the Manhunt for the Chelsea Bombing Suspect Unfolded,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/19/nyregion/chelsea-bombing-explosion-maps-timeline.html;
“Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Ahmad Khan Rahami a/k/a/ ‘Ahmad Rahimi,’ defendant,” U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,” September 20, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/894396/download.
Hours after the attack in Chelsea—at approximately 11:30 p.m. EST—police discovered and removed an unexploded pressure-cooker bomb a few blocks away in Chelsea. Sarah Almukhtar, Ford Fessenden, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Tim Wallace, and Derek Watkins;
“How the Manhunt for the Chelsea Bombing Suspect Unfolded,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/19/nyregion/chelsea-bombing-explosion-maps-timeline.html. The fourth IED linked to Rahami—a backpack containing six unexploded pipe bombs—was discovered at 8:40 p.m. the following evening near a train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey.Michael Wilson, “New Jersey Man Found Guilty in Chelsea Bombing,” New York Times, October 16, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/nyregion/chelsea-bombing-verdict.html;
Sarah Almukhtar, Ford Fessenden, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Tim Wallace, and Derek Watkins;
“How the Manhunt for the Chelsea Bombing Suspect Unfolded,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/19/nyregion/chelsea-bombing-explosion-maps-timeline.html. Police disarmed the bombs remotely, detonating one of the pipe bombs in the process.Sarah Almukhtar, Ford Fessenden, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Tim Wallace, and Derek Watkins;
“How the Manhunt for the Chelsea Bombing Suspect Unfolded,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/19/nyregion/chelsea-bombing-explosion-maps-timeline.html;
“Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Ahmad Khan Rahami a/k/a/ ‘Ahmad Rahimi,’ defendant,” U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,” September 20, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/894396/download.
Law enforcement initially treated the investigations in New York and New Jersey as separate incidents, but soon after linked Rahami to all four IEDs. Rahami’s fingerprints were discovered on the unexploded bomb in New York as well as the backpack of pipe bombs in Elizabeth.“Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Ahmad Khan Rahami a/k/a/ ‘Ahmad Rahimi,’ defendant,” U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,” September 20, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/894396/download. Surveillance footage also showed that Rahami was at the scene of both bomb locations in Chelsea. The exploded bombs in Chelsea and Seaside Park were both primed by cellphones that were purchased at the same Family Dollar store in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Pete Williams, and Chris Francescani, “Terror Timeline: The NY/NJ Bombings, From First Blast to Arrest,” NBC News, September 19, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ny-nj-bombings/terror-timeline-ny-nj-bombings-first-blast-arrest-n650716;
Tom Winter, Miguel Almaguer, Jonathan Dienst, and Corky Siemaszko, “Ahmad Rahami, Suspect in N.Y. and N.J. Bombings, Charged With Attempted Murder,” NBC News, September 19, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ny-nj-bombings/ahmad-rahami-identified-n-y-n-j-bombings-suspect-officials-n650306. The unexploded bomb in Chelsea also contained a cellphone that was registered in the name of one of Rahami’s family members.“Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Ahmad Khan Rahami a/k/a/ ‘Ahmad Rahimi,’ defendant,” U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,” September 20, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/894396/download.
On September 19, 2016, at around 8:00 a.m. EST, New York City issued a cellphone alert: “WANTED: Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28-yr-old male. See media for pic. Call 9-1-1 if seen.”J. David Goodman and David Gelles, “Cellphone Alerts Used in New York to Search for Bombing Suspect,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/cellphone-alerts-used-in-search-of-manhattan-bombing-suspect.html. The police department also shared the wanted poster via its Twitter account.“The work of a terrorist” behind New York’s explosion… and Ahmad Khan Rahami is suspected,” Al-Araby (London), September 19, 2016, https://www.alaraby.co.uk/amp//politics/2016/9/19/عمل-إرهابي-وراء-انفجار-نيويورك-والمشتبه-أحمد-خان-رحامي. New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “The bomb which exploded was a terrorist act, but there is no evidence of his (Rahami’s) connection to international jihadist groups.”“The work of a terrorist” behind New York’s explosion… and Ahmad Khan Rahami is suspected,” Al-Araby (London), September 19, 2016, https://www.alaraby.co.uk/amp//politics/2016/9/19/عمل-إرهابي-وراء-انفجار-نيويورك-والمشتبه-أحمد-خان-رحامي. At around 10:30 a.m., Rahami was discovered by police in Linden, New Jersey, asleep in the doorway of a bar.Barbara Demick, Del Quentin Wilber, Vera Haller, and Matt Pearce, “Suspect in New York-area bombings had traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Los Angeles Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-new-york-bomb-suspect-20160919-snap-story.html. According to the Linden Police Department, shortly after trying to wake Rahami, the police officer realized that he resembled the man in the wanted poster.Marc Santora, William K. Rashbaum, Al Baker, and Adam Goldman, “Ahmad Khan Rahami Is Arrested in Manhattan and New Jersey Bombings,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/nyc-nj-explosions-ahmad-khan-rahami.html. The officer then ordered Rahami to show his hands at which point Rahami allegedly pulled out a handgun and shot the officer in the chest, hitting the officer’s bulletproof vest.Marc Santora, William K. Rashbaum, Al Baker, and Adam Goldman, “Ahmad Khan Rahami Is Arrested in Manhattan and New Jersey Bombings,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/nyc-nj-explosions-ahmad-khan-rahami.html. Rahami then reportedly fled the scene, shooting indiscriminately at passersby.Marc Santora, William K. Rashbaum, Al Baker, and Adam Goldman, “Ahmad Khan Rahami Is Arrested in Manhattan and New Jersey Bombings,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/nyc-nj-explosions-ahmad-khan-rahami.html. Other officers reportedly joined the chase, shooting Rahami multiple times before overtaking him, taking him into custody, and transferring him to University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey.Marc Santora, William K. Rashbaum, Al Baker, and Adam Goldman, “Ahmad Khan Rahami Is Arrested in Manhattan and New Jersey Bombings,” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/nyc-nj-explosions-ahmad-khan-rahami.html. Two officers were injured in the gunfire exchange, according to a briefing by the FBI. One of the officers was allegedly shot by Rahami as he sought to flee. The other officer was reportedly wounded by flying glass and shrapnel as a result of the gunfire exchange.“FBI: Rahmani Linked to Bombs in New York and New Jersey,” NBC News, September 19, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/video/fbi-rahmani-linked-to-bombs-in-new-york-and-new-jersey-768647747830;
Katie Little and Christine Wang, “NY/NJ Bombing Suspect Charged with 5 Counts of Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer: NBC,” CNBC, September 19, 2016, http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/19/ahmad-rahami-in-custody-after-shooting-police-officer-in-linden-nj-wnbc-citing-source.html.
For years before the series of bomb attacks in September 2016, Rahami had shown few signs of radicalization, according to several friends and neighbors. Born in Afghanistan, Rahami and his family came to the United States in 1995 after Rahami’s father claimed asylum.Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef, Katie Zavadski, and Katie Briquelet, “Ahmad Khan Rahami, Accused NYC Bomber, Traveled to Pakistan Undetected by U.S.,” Daily Beast, September 19, 2016, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/09/19/ahmad-khan-rahami-arrested-but-questions-remain-about-bombings.html. Rahami grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, attending local public school and residing with his family in an apartment above their family-run restaurant, First American Fried Chicken. The restaurant—a fast-food joint described in news outlets as “always open”—received a series of noise complaints from neighbors.N. R. Kleinfeld, “Ahmad Rahami: Fixture in Family’s Business and, Lately, a ‘Completely Different Person,’” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/ahmad-khan-rahami-bombing-suspect.html. In June 2010, two of Rahami’s brothers—identified as Mohammad K. and Mohammad Q.—were arrested after engaging in an altercation with police who had come to the restaurant to close it down for the evening. One of the brothers was not charged, while the other pled guilty to charges and paid a $100 fine.N. R. Kleinfeld, “Ahmad Rahami: Fixture in Family’s Business and, Lately, a ‘Completely Different Person,’” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/ahmad-khan-rahami-bombing-suspect.html. In 2011, Rahami’s parents filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the city and its police department, accusing them of religious-based harassment and intimidation.N. R. Kleinfeld, “Ahmad Rahami: Fixture in Family’s Business and, Lately, a ‘Completely Different Person,’” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/ahmad-khan-rahami-bombing-suspect.html.
According to some neighbors, Rahami’s radicalization may have begun as early as 2011, when Rahami spent several weeks in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and Quetta, Pakistan, an area known for its Taliban presence.Catherine E. Shoichet, “Ahmad Khan Rahami: What We Know about the Bombing Suspect,” CNN, September 20, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/19/us/ahmad-khan-rahami. It was during this trip that Rahami reportedly married a Pakistani woman, Asia Bibi Rahami.Catherine E. Shoichet, Shimon Prokupecz, and Evan Perez, “Ahmad Khan Rahami’s Wife Left US Before Bombings,” CNN, September 20, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/20/us/ahmad-khan-rahami-wife/. In August 2014, Rahami’s father contacted law enforcement, fearing that his son had been radicalized. The FBI investigated the claim but did not find cause for a full inquiry, according to the bureau.Marc Santora and Adam Goldman, “Ahmad Khan Rahami Was Inspired by Bin Laden, Charges Say,” New York Times, September 20, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/nyregion/ahmad-khan-rahami-suspect.html;
Spencer Ackerman, Paul Owen, and Amber Jamieson, “Ahmad Khan Rahami’s Father Contacted FBI in 2014 over Terrorism Worry,” Guardian (London), September 20, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/20/ahmad-khan-rahami-father-fbi-terrorism-bombing. The FBI claimed that it had conducted “internal database reviews, interagency checks, and multiple interviews” as part of its preliminary investigation, but none of the inquiries “revealed ties to terrorism.”Spencer Ackerman, Paul Owen, and Amber Jamieson, “Ahmad Khan Rahami’s Father Contacted FBI in 2014 over Terrorism Worry,” Guardian (London), September 20, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/20/ahmad-khan-rahami-father-fbi-terrorism-bombing.
Because Rahami was not placed on a watch list as a result of the FBI investigation, he was able to travel to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region at least three times between 2014 and 2016 without detection by law enforcement, according to U.S. officials.Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef, Katie Zavadski, and Katie Briquelet, “Ahmad Khan Rahami, Accused NYC Bomber, Traveled to Pakistan Undetected by U.S.,” Daily Beast, September 19, 2016, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/09/19/ahmad-khan-rahami-arrested-but-questions-remain-about-bombings.html. Following Rahami’s return to the United States, he became noticeably more religiously observant, according to patrons at the Rahamis’ family-run restaurant. Customers noticed that Rahami started to wear more traditional Muslim clothing, sport a beard, and pray in the back of the restaurant.N. R. Kleinfeld, “Ahmad Rahami: Fixture in Family’s Business and, Lately, a ‘Completely Different Person,’” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/ahmad-khan-rahami-bombing-suspect.html.
Though Rahami may have been radicalized to extremist ideology during his visits to the Af-Pak region, Rahami had a prior history of arrests and violence dating back to 2008. On one occasion in 2012, Rahami spent a day in jail after allegedly violating a restraining order filed against him.N. R. Kleinfeld, “Ahmad Rahami: Fixture in Family’s Business and, Lately, a ‘Completely Different Person,’” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/ahmad-khan-rahami-bombing-suspect.html. In another incident in 2014, Rahami spent three months in jail on charges of aggravated assault and illegal possession of a firearm after allegedly stabbing a relative in the leg.N. R. Kleinfeld, “Ahmad Rahami: Fixture in Family’s Business and, Lately, a ‘Completely Different Person,’” New York Times, September 19, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/ahmad-khan-rahami-bombing-suspect.html. It was reportedly this violent incident in 2014 that prompted Rahami’s father to contact the FBI and request an investigation.Spencer Ackerman, Paul Owen, and Amber Jamieson, “Ahmad Khan Rahami’s Father Contacted FBI in 2014 over Terrorism Worry,” Guardian (London), September 20, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/20/ahmad-khan-rahami-father-fbi-terrorism-bombing.
According to reports, Rahami may have begun planning for the New York and New Jersey attacks as far back as February 2015, when he allegedly purchased the first of two flip phones used as timers for the IEDs.“Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Ahmad Khan Rahami a/k/a/ ‘Ahmad Rahimi,’ defendant,” U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,” September 20, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/894396/download. In June 2016, Rahami allegedly began purchasing bomb-related materials off of eBay, according to the criminal complaint filed against him.“Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Ahmad Khan Rahami a/k/a/ ‘Ahmad Rahimi,’ defendant,” U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,” September 20, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/894396/download. Two days before the September 17 attacks, Rahami was recorded on a family member’s cellphone lighting “incendiary materials” in a “cylindrical container,” according to the criminal complaint.“Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Ahmad Khan Rahami a/k/a/ ‘Ahmad Rahimi,’ defendant,” U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,” September 20, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/894396/download.
On October 16, 2017, Rahami was convicted in connection to the New York and New Jersey attacks, including use of weapons of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use.Michael Wilson, “New Jersey Man Found Guilty in Chelsea Bombing,” New York Times, October 16, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/nyregion/chelsea-bombing-verdict.html; “Criminal Complaint: United States of America v. Ahmad Khan Rahami a/k/a/ ‘Ahmad Rahimi,’ defendant,” U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,” September 20, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/file/894396/download. The conviction carried a mandatory life sentence.“Ahmad Khan Rahimi found guilty of New York bombing,” BBC News, October 16, 2017, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41642571; Michael Wilson, “New Jersey Man Found Guilty in Chelsea Bombing,” New York Times, October 16, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/nyregion/chelsea-bombing-verdict.html. On January 24, 2020, Rahami was sentenced to a second life sentence for the attempted murder of five police officers stemming from a shootout with police in New Jersey two days after the bomb had exploded.“Convicted Chelsea Bomber Ahmad Khan Rahimi Gets 2nd Life Sentence in Attempted Cop Killings,” NBC New York, January 24, 2020, https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/convicted-chelsea-bomber-ahmad-khan-rahimi-gets-2nd-life-sentence-in-attempted-cop-killings/2266059/.
Domestic terrorist: Suspected of planting four bombs and injuring 31 people over the course of three days in September 2016.
Owned a notebook that referenced Anwar al-Awlaki.
Omar Mateen was an American citizen and ISIS follower who perpetrated the deadliest terror attack on American soil since 9/11. In the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, Mateen gunned down 49 people and injured 53 more at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. He reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Facebook—as well as in a call to 911—during the attack. He is believed to have spoken to a 911 operator at least three more times during the shooting.Hayley Tsukayama, Adam Goldman, Peter Holley and Mark Berman, “Terror in Orlando: 50 killed in shooting rampage at gay club; gunman pledged allegiance to ISIS,” Washington Post, June 12, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/06/12/orlando-nightclub-shooting-about-20-dead-in-domestic-terror-incident-at-gay-club/?utm_term=.bf262f6ae243; “Orlando gay nightclub shooting: 50 killed, suspect is Omar Mateen,” BBC News, June 12, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36512308; Ralph Ellis, Ashley Fantz, Faith Karimi and Eliott C. McLaughlin, "Orlando shooting: 49 killed, shooter pledged ISIS allegiance," CNN, June 13, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/us/orlando-nightclub-shooting/;
Kevin Sullivan, Ellen Nakashima, Matt Zapotosky and Mark Berman, “Orlando shooter posted messages on Facebook pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS and vowing more attacks,” Washington Post, June 15, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/investigation-into-orlando-shooting-continues-no-impending-charges-expected/2016/06/15/c3eccf5e-3333-11e6-8758-d58e76e11b12_story.html;
Julie Vitkovskaya, “‘You already know what I did': Read excerpts of Omar Mateen’s 911 calls to Orlando police,” Washington Post, June 20, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/06/20/here-is-the-excerpt-of-omar-mateens-911-call-to-orlando-police/.
Later on June 12, ISIS took responsibility for the mass shooting, writing on its Amaq news agency Telegram channel that “an Islamic State fighter” had “targeted a nightclub for homosexuals….” On June 13, the terror group released another claim of responsibility on its official Al Bayan radio station, referring to Mateen as “one of the soldiers of the caliphate in America.” However, there is little evidence suggesting ISIS lent direct operational support to Mateen, according to authorities. Jared Malsin, “What We Know About ISIS’s Role in the Orlando Shooting,” TIME, June 12, 2016, http://time.com/4365507/orlando-shooting-isis-claims-responsibility-terror/; “IS Calls Orlando Nightclub Shooter "One of the Soldiers of the Caliphate in America,” SITE Intelligence, June 13, 2016, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/is-calls-orlando-nightclub-shooter-one-of-the-soldiers-of-the-caliphate-in-america.html; Rukmini Callimachi, “ISIS Claims Responsibility for Orlando Attack in Radio Statement,” New York Times, June 13, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/live/orlando-nightclub-shooting-live-updates/isis-radio-station/; Pete Williams, Tracy Connor, Erik Ortiz and Stephanie Gosk, “Gunman Omar Mateen Described as Belligerent, Racist and 'Toxic',” NBC News, June 13, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/terror-hate-what-motivated-orlando-nightclub-shooter-n590496.
At 2 a.m. on June 12, Mateen entered Pulse and shot approximately one third of the clubbers. While firing his weapons, Mateen reportedly yelled “Allahu Akhbar,” and said that “America needs to stop bombing ISIS in Syria.” Witnesses also heard him say “stop bombing my country,” presumably in reference to his parents’ native Afghanistan. He engaged in a brief firefight with an off-duty officer, but survived the shootout and took approximately 30 people hostage in the bathroom of the club. During calls with the police, Mateen reportedly threatened to strap explosives to four of the hostages and place them throughout the club. He also reportedly said he would spare African American hostages, announcing, “I don’t have a problem with black people…This is about my country. You guys suffered enough.” At 5 a.m., a SWAT team stormed the premises and, according to authorities, detonated a “distractionary device” in order to confuse Mateen. The officers reportedly broke through a wall of the nightclub in order to free hostages, after which they shot and killed Mateen. “Orlando Shooting: What We Know and Don’t Know,” New York Times, June 12, 2016, http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/06/13/us/orlando-shooting-what-we-know-and-dont-know.html?referer=; Kate Lions, “Orlando Pulse club attack: gunman identified as police investigate motive,” Guardian (London), June 12, 2016, http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/12/orlando-shooting-nightclub-pulse-gunman.
Mateen worked as a security guard and lived in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He had legally purchased firearms within a week of the attack, and used both a handgun and an AR-15-type assault rifle—as well as many rounds of ammunition—during the shooting. According to police, “suspicious devices” were found on Mateen as well as in his car.
“Orlando Shooting: What We Know and Don’t Know,” New York Times, June 12, 2016, http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/06/13/us/orlando-shooting-what-we-know-and-dont-know.html?referer=; Colin Wolf, “Pulse shooter identified as Omar S. Mateen of Fort Pierce, Florida,” Orlando Weekly, June 12, 2016, http://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2016/06/12/pulse-shooter-identified-as-omar-s-mateen-of-fort-pierce-florida; Kate Lions, “Orlando Pulse club attack: gunman identified as police investigate motive,” Guardian (London), June 12, 2016, http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/12/orlando-shooting-nightclub-pulse-gunman; Jay Reeves and Eric Tucker, “Correction: Nightclub Shooting-Florida story,” Associated Press, June 15, 2016, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/761507bed75f461e9fd95a1422e63ef7/orlando-mourns-possible-motives-emerge-club-gunman; David Shariatmadari, “Omar Mateen's interest in gay men makes this no ordinary act of terrorism,” Guardian (London), June 14, 2016, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/14/omar-mateen-gay-men-terrorism-pulse-jackd-sexuality;
Kevin Sullivan, Ellen Nakashima, Matt Zapotosky and Mark Berman, “Orlando shooter posted messages on Facebook pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS and vowing more attacks,” Washington Post, June 15, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/investigation-into-orlando-shooting-continues-no-impending-charges-expected/2016/06/15/c3eccf5e-3333-11e6-8758-d58e76e11b12_story.html;
Frances Robles and Richard Perez-Pena, “Omar Mateen Told Police He’d Strap Bombs to Hostages, Orlando Mayor Says,” New York Times, June 15, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/16/us/orlando-shooting.html;
Danika Fears, “Club killer wanted to spare black people,” New York Post, June 14, 2016, http://nypost.com/2016/06/14/club-killer-wanted-to-spare-black-people/;
Lizette Alvarez, Richard Perez-Pena, Christine Hauser, “Orlando Gunman Was ‘Cool and Calm’ After Massacre, Police Say,” New York Times, June 13, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/us/orlando-shooting.html.
The FBI interviewed Mateen in both 2013 and 2014, though both cases were closed after it was determined he did not pose a threat. In 2013, Mateen reportedly claimed he had family connections to al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, and told coworkers “he hoped that law enforcement would raid his apartment and assault his wife and child so that he could martyr himself,” according to FBI director James Comey.“Orlando gay nightclub shooting: Who was gunman Omar Mateen?,” BBC News, June 12, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36513468;
Pete Williams, Tracy Connor, Erik Ortiz and Stephanie Gosk, “Gunman Omar Mateen Described as Belligerent, Racist and 'Toxic',” NBC News, June 13, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/terror-hate-what-motivated-orlando-nightclub-shooter-n590496;
Associated Press, “Obama says it appears Orlando shooter was inspired by extremist information disseminated over the internet,” Washington Post, June 13, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-says-it-appears-orlando-shooter-was-inspired-by-extremist-information-disseminated-over-the-internet/2016/06/13/e0d59f84-317a-11e6-ab9d-1da2b0f24f93_story.html;
Adam Goldman, Joby Warrick and Max Bearak, “‘He was not a stable person’: Orlando shooter showed signs of emotional trouble,” Washington Post, June 12, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/ex-wife-of-suspected-orlando-shooter-he-beat-me/2016/06/12/8a1963b4-30b8-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html;
Associated Press, “FBI: Orlando Gunman Had Strong Indications of Radicalization,” ABC, June 13, 2016, http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/fbi-orlando-gunman-strong-indications-radicalization-39820558.
In 2014, Mateen was questioned about his alleged connection to Moner Mohammad Abusalha, the first American to carry out a suicide bombing in Syria, on behalf of the Nusra Front. The two men were believed to attend the same mosque in Fort Pierce, Florida. According to FBI Director James Comey, “the investigation turned up no ties of any consequence between the two of them.” But on one of his calls with 911 during the shooting, Mateen reportedly noted his support for Abusalha, as well as the Tsarnaev brothers, responsible for the Boston marathon bombings in April 2013. In an around 2013, Mateen is also believed to have watched videos of the deceased al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, whose radical propaganda has been implicated in multiple domestic terror attacks including the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, the 2013 Boston bombing, and the 2015 San Bernardino shooting.“Orlando gay nightclub shooting: Who was gunman Omar Mateen?,” BBC News, June 12, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36513468; Pete Williams, Tracy Connor, Erik Ortiz and Stephanie Gosk, “Gunman Omar Mateen Described as Belligerent, Racist and 'Toxic',” NBC News, June 13, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/terror-hate-what-motivated-orlando-nightclub-shooter-n590496; Associated Press, “Obama says it appears Orlando shooter was inspired by extremist information disseminated over the internet,” Washington Post, June 13, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-says-it-appears-orlando-shooter-was-inspired-by-extremist-information-disseminated-over-the-internet/2016/06/13/e0d59f84-317a-11e6-ab9d-1da2b0f24f93_story.html; Adam Goldman, Joby Warrick and Max Bearak, “‘He was not a stable person’: Orlando shooter showed signs of emotional trouble,” Washington Post, June 12, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/ex-wife-of-suspected-orlando-shooter-he-beat-me/2016/06/12/8a1963b4-30b8-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html; Associated Press, “FBI: Orlando Gunman Had Strong Indications of Radicalization,” ABC, June 13, 2016, http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/fbi-orlando-gunman-strong-indications-radicalization-39820558; “Orlando killer expressed support for multiple Islamist groups,” Reuters Canada, June 14, 2016, http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKCN0YY08B?sp=true; Cassandra Vinograd, “Omar Mateen, U.S. Suicide Bomber Tied to Fort Pierce, Florida,” NBC, June 13, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/omar-mateen-u-s-suicide-bomber-tied-fort-pierce-florida-n590846.
On June 13, President Obama said that it appeared Mateen had been radicalized by extremist content online, and referred to the attack as a case of “homegrown extremism.” Mateen operated a Facebook account, and pledged allegiance to ISIS, writing “may Allah accept me,” on the account before the attack. He also reportedly operated an account on the social media site MySpace, although it is unclear if he utilized the platform to disseminate extremist messaging. Mateen reportedly searched for news of the attack as he was carrying it out.“Orlando gay nightclub shooting: Who was gunman Omar Mateen?,” BBC News, June 12, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36513468; Pete Williams, Tracy Connor, Erik Ortiz and Stephanie Gosk, “Gunman Omar Mateen Described as Belligerent, Racist and 'Toxic',” NBC News, June 13, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/terror-hate-what-motivated-orlando-nightclub-shooter-n590496; Associated Press, “Obama says it appears Orlando shooter was inspired by extremist information disseminated over the internet,” Washington Post, June 13, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-says-it-appears-orlando-shooter-was-inspired-by-extremist-information-disseminated-over-the-internet/2016/06/13/e0d59f84-317a-11e6-ab9d-1da2b0f24f93_story.html; Adam Goldman, Joby Warrick and Max Bearak, “‘He was not a stable person’: Orlando shooter showed signs of emotional trouble,” Washington Post, June 12, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/ex-wife-of-suspected-orlando-shooter-he-beat-me/2016/06/12/8a1963b4-30b8-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html; Associated Press, “FBI: Orlando Gunman Had Strong Indications of Radicalization,” ABC, June 13, 2016, http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/fbi-orlando-gunman-strong-indications-radicalization-39820558; Rachel Bishop, “Orlando clubbers filmed dancing just two hours before ISIS fanatic shot 49 partygoers dead,” Mirror (London), June 13, 2016, http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/orlando-clubbers-filmed-dancing-just-8183772; Kevin Sullivan, Ellen Nakashima, Matt Zapotosky and Mark Berman, “Orlando shooter posted messages on Facebook pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS and vowing more attacks,” Washington Post, June 15, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/investigation-into-orlando-shooting-continues-no-impending-charges-expected/2016/06/15/c3eccf5e-3333-11e6-8758-d58e76e11b12_story.html; Richard Perez-Pena, “Omar Mateen Posted to Facebook Amid Orlando Attack, Lawmaker Says,” New York Times, June 16, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/17/us/orlando-shooting.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news.
According to numerous witnesses, Mateen had frequently visited Pulse. One of the club’s customers reported that Mateen had attempted to pick up men, and that the customer’s friends thought Mateen was a “strange person.” Another witness reported that Mateen had messaged him over an online dating app for gay men called Jack’d. Others claimed he interacted with them on gay dating apps including Grindr and Adam 4 Adam. In late June, the FBI reported it had found no evidence suggesting Mateen communicated on gay dating apps or had homosexual relationships.“Orlando attacker Omar Mateen 'frequented gay nightclub',” Al Jazeera, June 14, 2016, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/orlando-attacker-omar-mateen-visited-pulse-gay-club-160614112632336.html;
Matt Zapotosky, Adam Goldman and Brian Murphy, “FBI director: Orlando shooting probe also looks ‘backward’ into agency files on shooter,” Washington Post, June 14, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/06/14/fbi-director-orlando-shooting-probe-also-looks-backward-into-agency-files-on-shooter/?utm_term=.06bccfa2ea41;
“If you were gay you would definitely be my type’: Orlando shooter came onto former classmate and shared penis pictures on gay app - but gunman's father insists he isn't homosexual,” Daily Mail (London), last modified June 16, 2016, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3642784/If-gay-definitely-type-Former-classmate-reveals-Orlando-shooter-came-drag-queen-says-club-regular-shooter-s-father-insists-isn-t-homosexual.html;
“FBI investigators say they have found no evidence that Orlando shooter had gay lovers,” Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2016, http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-orlando-gay-fbi-20160623-snap-story.html.
Mateen’s autopsy showed that he had been a habitual user of steroids for muscle growth at the time of his death. These steroids are reportedly known to cause severe emotional swings in some users, although it is unknown whether this played any role in Mateen’s decision to perpetrate the shooting.Ginger Adams Otis,” Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen was HIV-negative and user of steroids, autopsy shows,” New York Daily News, July 15, 2016, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/omar-mateen-hiv-negative-habitual-steroid-user-autopsy-article-1.2713155.
After the attack, Mateen’s father, Seddique Mateen, immediately denied a connection between his son’s crime and radical Islam, stating that the shooting “had nothing to do with religion.” According to his father, Omar had previously been angered after witnessing a same-sex couple kissing in Miami. The day after the shooting, Mateen’s father posted a video on Facebook in which he claimed that “God himself will punish those involved in homosexuality…this is not for the servants [of God].” Pete Williams, Tracy Connor and Erik Ortiz, “Nightclub Shooter Omar Mateen Pledged Allegiance to ISIS, Was Once Probed by FBI,” NBC News, June 12, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/terror-hate-what-motivated-orlando-nightclub-shooter-n590496; Tim Craig, Max Bearak and Lee Powell, “Shooter Omar Mateen’s father says he’s saddened by massacre, calls gunman ‘a good son’,” Washington Post, June 13, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-orlando-shooters-afghan-roots/2016/06/13/d89a8cd0-30e4-11e6-ab9d-1da2b0f24f93_story.html.
Mateen was born in New York to Afghan immigrant parents, and moved to Florida more than a decade prior to the shooting. At age 14, Mateen reportedly imitated an airplane flying into the twin towers, and claimed he could shoot an AK-47. He reportedly applauded the 9/11 attacks when they occurred, and told classmates that Osama bin Laden was his uncle. In high school, Mateen reportedly smoked marijuana and used steroids, and was expelled in the ninth grade for fighting. He attended Indian River State College, receiving an associate of science degree in criminal justice technology in 2006.Kevin Sullivan, Ellen Nakashima, Matt Zapotosky and Mark Berman, “Orlando shooter posted messages on Facebook pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS and vowing more attacks,” Washington Post, June 15, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/investigation-into-orlando-shooting-continues-no-impending-charges-expected/2016/06/15/c3eccf5e-3333-11e6-8758-d58e76e11b12_story.html; Evan Perez, Shimon Prokupecz, Catherine E. Shoichet and Amy La Porte, “Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS, official says,” CNN, June 13, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/us/orlando-shooter-omar-mateen/; Damian Paletta, Alexandra Berzon, and John R. Emshwiller, “A Life of Violent Threats Paved Way for Orlando Attack,” Washington Post, June 17, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-life-of-violent-threats-paved-way-for-orlando-attack-1466127324.
Mateen’s ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, claimed that Mateen was bipolar, and told reporters that he had physically abused her. Yusufiy’s parents were reportedly forced to rescue her from the marriage. According to Yusufiy, “He started abusing me physically, very often, and not allowing me to speak to my family, keeping me hostage from them.” Evan Perez, Shimon Prokupecz, Catherine E. Shoichet and Amy La Porte, “Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS, official says,” CNN, June 13, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/us/orlando-shooter-omar-mateen/.
Mateen worked as a security guard for a company called G4S Secure Solutions, and reportedly aspired to become a law-enforcement officer. A former colleague of Mateen’s reportedly described him as “toxic,” belligerent, and racist, adding that he “referred to every other race, religion, gender in a derogatory way.” Another former co-worker, Daniel Gilroy, told reporters that Mateen had “talked about killing people all the time.” Mateen’s peer in high school, Robert Zirkle, said, “We joked that he’d become a terrorist. And then he did.”Pete Williams, Tracy Connor, Erik Ortiz and Stephanie Gosk, “Gunman Omar Mateen Described as Belligerent, Racist and 'Toxic',” NBC News, June 13, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/terror-hate-what-motivated-orlando-nightclub-shooter-n590496; Alan Blinder, Jack Healy and Richard A. Oppel Jr., “Omar Mateen: From Early Promise to F.B.I. Surveillance,” New York Times, June 12, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/13/us/omar-mateen-early-signs-of-promise-then-abuse-and-suspected-terrorist-ties.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news; Damian Paletta, Alexandra Berzon, and John R. Emshwiller, “A Life of Violent Threats Paved Way for Orlando Attack,” Washington Post, June 17, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-life-of-violent-threats-paved-way-for-orlando-attack-1466127324.
Mateen’s second wife, Noor Salman, faces charges for failing to alert authorities about the attack. According to U.S. officials speaking to NBC News, Salman once drove with Mateen to the Pulse nightclub, and had accompanied him to purchase ammunition. Salman also reportedly claimed that she had attempted to talk Mateen out of carrying out the attack.Jason Silverstein, “Omar Mateen's wife Noor Salman went with him to Pulse nightclub and to buy ammo, might face criminal charges,” New York Daily News, June 14, 2016, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/omar-mateen-wife-spotted-time-massacre-article-1.2672956. According to Salman’s attorney, she suffered abuse for years at the hand of Mateen.“Some neighbors ‘not surprised’ after wife of Pulse nightclub shooter arrested,” WHIOTV7, January 17, 2017, http://www.whio.com/news/national/some-neighbors-not-surprised-after-wife-pulse-nightclub-shooter-arrested/kGTxMlxbUhBvmB8a0anlBM/.
On January 16, 2017, Salman was arrested outside of San Francisco on charges of obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting Mateen’s “material support” to ISIS.Pamela Brown, Evan Perez and Adam Levine, “Widow of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateern arrested,” CNN, January 17, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/16/us/omar-mateen-wife-arrested/. According to Orlando Chief of Police John Mina, Salman had enough information in advance of the shooting to prevent the attack.Pamela Brown, Evan Perez and Adam Levine, “Widow of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateern arrested,” CNN, January 17, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/16/us/omar-mateen-wife-arrested/. Salman pled not guilty to the charges, and on March 1, 2017, she was released on a bail of $500,000 on the grounds that there was no evidence that she held connections to the Islamic State or any other extremist groups.Liz Kreutz, Emily Shapiro and Duan Perrin, “Wife of Pulse Nightclub Gunman Omar Mateen Pleads Not Guilty,” ABC News, January 18, 2017, http://abcnews.go.com/US/wife-pulse-nightclub-gunman-omar-mateen-pleads-guilty/story?id=4485158;
Christal Hayes and Gal Tziperman Lotan, “Pulse shooter’s widow, Noor Salman, to be released on bail,” Orlando Sentinel, March 1, 2017, http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/pulse-orlando-nightclub-shooting/os-noor-salman-released-bail-pulse-20170301-story.html. This ruling was reversed by an Orlando federal judge a week later, who ruled that she should remain in prison on grounds of her awareness of her husband’s plans.Gal Tziperman Lotan, “Judge: Pulse shooter Omar Mateen’s widow, Noor Salman, will stay in Jail,” Orlando Sentinel, March 10, 2017, http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/pulse-orlando-nightclub-shooting/os-noor-salman-pulse-details-20170310-story.html. Salman began trial hearings in April 2017.Rene Stutzman, “Noor Salman trial starts in March; summonses to be sent in September, judge says,” Orlando Sentinel, April 20, 2017, http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/pulse-orlando-nightclub-shooting/os-pulse-noor-salman-trial-date-hearing-20170420-story.html. On March 30, 2018, Salman was found not guilty and was released.Eric Levenson, “Pulse gunman’s widow found not guily,” CNN, March 31, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/30/us/noor-salman-pulse-trial-verdict/index.html.
Domestic terrorist: Murdered 49 people and wounded 53 more at Pulse nightclub in Orlando
Had previously mentioned al-Awlaki’s “recruitment videos,” according to one witness in a July 2014 FBI investigation.
Carried out shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016, that killed 49 people.
Electronic devices showed that he watched videos of ISIS beheadings. Additionally, his wife, Noor Salman, stated that she saw him watching ISIS recruitment videos with their son. Also told someone at his mosque that he listened to lectures by now-deceased AQAP recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki.
Kyrgyzstan-born Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is a naturalized U.S. citizen and an Islamic extremist. On April 15, 2013, then-19-year-old Tsarnaev carried out the Boston Marathon bombings alongside his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, then age 26. The bombs killed three people and injured more than 250, 17 of whom became amputees. Three days later, the brothers shot and killed 27-year-old police officer Sean Collier while attempting to ambush him and steal his pistol.Steve Annear, “MIT dedicates monument to Sean Collier,” Boston Globe, April 29, 2015, https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/29/mit-dedicate-monument-sean-collier-wednesday/E8aVcQXkrht6KO8D85VPFL/story.html;
Katharine Q. Seelye and Jess Bidgood, “Breaking Silence, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Apologizes for Boston Marathon Bombing,” New York Times, June 24, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/us/boston-marathon-bombing-dzhokhar-tsarnaev.html?_r=0. In May 2015, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death by a unanimous jury vote in Boston, after he was found guilty the previous month on 30 charges relating to the bombing attack.Milton J. Valencia and Patricia Wen, “Tsarnaev guilty on all counts in Marathon bombings,” Boston Globe, April 8, 2015, https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/08/tsarnaev-jury-begins-second-day-deliberations/t7KplwR18hH1RSuX1BQohM/story.html. A federal appeals court overturned Tsarnaev’s death sentence in July 2020,Alanna Durkin Richer, “Court overturns Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, July 31, 2020, https://apnews.com/article/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-trials-boston-marathon-bombing-ap-top-news-bombings-af38a703ab88fe922629dcc254cb41df; Travis Anderson, “Lawyers for Boston Marathon bomber ask Supreme Court to deny government request to review appellate ruling tossing death penalty,” Boston Globe, December 17, 2020, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/17/metro/lawyers-boston-marathon-bomber-ask-supreme-court-deny-government-request-review-appellate-ruling-tossing-death-penalty/; Mark Sherman, “Court could reimpose Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, March 22, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/court-could-reimpose-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-death-sentence-719087dcbe7145514094fe3c7da8d9bf. but the Supreme Court reinstated the sentence in March 2022.Mark Sherman, “High court reimposes Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, March 4, 2022, https://apnews.com/article/bombings-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-e52706c006644cfcb3f742cf78afa6d0. Tsarnaev’s attorneys filed another appeal in January 2023.Alanna Durkin Richer, “Court weighs tossing Boston marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, January 10, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/massachusetts-state-government-legal-proceedings-crime-boston-f32276fbfccb77fca2a08ae831d7f4df; Shelley Murphy, “Where the legal battle over Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence stands a decade after the Marathon bombings,” Boston Globe, April 16, 2023, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/04/16/sports/boston-marathon-bombing-dzhokhar-tsarnaev/. On March 21, 2024, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston demanded further investigation of Tsarnaev’s claims of juror misconduct during the 2015 trial.Nate Raymond, “US appeals court directs probe of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber’s case,” Reuters, March 21, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-court-directs-inquiry-into-juror-bias-boston-marathon-bombers-trial-2024-03-21/.
At the Boston Marathon, the Tsarnaev brothers placed two pressure-cooker bombs near the race’s finish line. Each device “killed at least one person, maimed, burned and wounded scores of others, and damaged public and private property,” according to the criminal complaint filed against Tsarnaev.“United States of America v. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,” United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, April 21, 2013, http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/363201342213441988148.pdf. Three days after the bombings, on April 18, the brothers carjacked a vehicle and fled to Watertown, Massachusetts, west of Boston. On April 19, Boston police and SWAT team members found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in an upturned boat in a backyard at 67 Franklin Street, Watertown. After a gunfight that killed Tamerlan and injured Dzhokhar, Dzhokhar was arrested and brought in for questioning.“United States of America v. Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev a/k/a/ ‘Jahar Tsarni,’” United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, June 27, 2013, http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-ma/legacy/2013/06/27/Indictment1.pdf.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged with 30 counts and pleaded not guilty to all of them. On April 8, 2015, he was found guilty on all 30 charges including causing death by use of a weapon of mass destruction. The following month, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. The day after his conviction, he was transferred to a maximum-security prison near Florence, Colorado. During his trial, Tsarnaev’s defense lawyers suggested he was heavily influenced by his older brother Tamarlan and therefore less responsible for the bombings.Patricia Wen and Milton J. Valencia, “Tsarnaev defense keeps focusing on brother’s influence,” Boston Globe, April 28, 2015, https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/28/defense-continues-push-for-life-prison-for-tsarnaev-boston-marathon-bomber/GFWPFfPF8PD293g4F6aH7M/story.html.
An ethnic Chechen, Tsarnaev was born in the northern Kyrgyz town of Tokmok near the Khazak border. His family fled to Dagestan following the Russian invasion of Chechnya in 1999. His family was also prompted to flee following the purge of Chechens from the Kyrgyz government, which caused his father to lose his job.Janet Reitman, “Jahar’s World,” Rolling Stone, July 17, 2013, http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/jahars-world-20130717. Tsarnaev arrived in the United States as a child in 2002, and lived in Massachusetts.Lara Jakes, Matt Apuzzo, and Rodrique Ngowi, “Officials: Suspect described plot before Miranda,” Associated Press, April 25, 2013, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/lawmakers-ask-who-knew-what-about-bomb-suspect. In high school, Tsarnaev was “as American as they come,” became wrestling team captain, and “partied hard and studied when he had to,” according to the Washington Post.Marc Fisher, “The Tsarnaev family: A faded portrait of an immigrant’s American dream,” Washington Post, April 27, 2013, http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/feature/wp/2013/04/27/the-tsarnaev-family-a-faded-portrait-of-an-immigrants-american-dream/. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen on September 11, 2012.Janet Reitman, “Jahar’s World,” Rolling Stone, July 17, 2013, http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/jahars-world-20130717.
Tsarnaev was inspired to murder in part by the Yemeni-American Islamist preacher Anwar al-Awlaki.Patricia Wen, “Tsarnaev posted radical messages on second Twitter account, FBI agent testifies,” Boston Globe, March 10, 2015, https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/09/tsarnaev-had-second-secret-twitter-account-witness-testifies/lgiJqqmXlD3ua8HmFLnAZO/story.html. Al-Awlaki—the former director of external operations for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)—was assassinated in a U.S. drone strike on the orders of President Obama in 2011. Tsarnaev exhorted friends via Twitter to listen to al-Awlaki’s sermons. Tsarnaev downloaded al-Awlaki-authored and -inspired materials, including a copy of a book entitled “The Slicing Sword Against The One Who Forms Allegiances With The Disbelievers And Takes Them As Supporters Instead Of Allah, His Messenger And The Believers,” which contains a foreword by al-Awlaki. He also downloaded Volume One of AQAP’s magazine Inspire, which contains instructions on how to construct a bomb. Just three weeks before the Boston bombings, he tweeted, “Listen to Anwar al-Awlaki’s ... here after series… you will gain an unbelievable amount of knowledge.” YouTube videos of al-Awlaki were found on Dzhokhar and Tamerlan’s electronic devices.Scott Shane, “The Lessons of Anwar al-Awlaki,” New York Times, August 27, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/magazine/the-lessons-of-anwar-al-awlaki.html?_r=1;
Ann O’Neill, “The 13th Juror: The radicalization of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,” CNN, March 30, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/27/us/tsarnaev-13th-juror-jahar-radicalization/;
“United States of America v. Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev a/k/a/ ‘Jahar Tsarni,’” United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, June 27, 2013, http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-ma/legacy/2013/06/27/Indictment1.pdf.
In December 2015, after Tsarnaev’s death sentence was confirmed, his lawyers argued for a re-trial and new sentencing. They argued that his older brother Tamerlan was the mastermind of the bombing, and that it was unfair to hold the trial in Boston because the jury could not be impartial. Tsarnaev is presently held at the Supermax prison in Colorado.Associated Press, “Boston Marathon bomber’s lawyers urge judge to grant new trial,” Guardian (London), December 1, 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/01/boston-marathon-bomber-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-lawyers-new-trial. In June 2016, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri warned of the “gravest of consequences” for the United States if Tsarnaev, or any other Muslim prisoner in U.S. custody, is harmed.Alan Yuhas, “Al-Qaida leader: 'grave consequences' for US if Boston bomber executed,” Guardian (London), July 1, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/01/al-qaida-boston-marathon-bomber-tsarnaev-execution. On July 31, 2020, Boston’s 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld 27 of Tsarnaev’s convictions but overturned the death sentence on the grounds that the presiding judge had inaccurately screened jurors for potential bias. The court also called for a new penalty phase trial to weigh a death sentence.Alanna Durkin Richer, “Court overturns Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, July 31, 2020, https://apnews.com/article/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-trials-boston-marathon-bombing-ap-top-news-bombings-af38a703ab88fe922629dcc254cb41df. In October 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to reinstate Tsarnaev’s death sentence.Justine Coleman, “DOJ asks Supreme Court to reinstate death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber,” Hill, October 7, 2020, https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/519944-doj-asks-supreme-court-to-reinstate-death-penalty-for-boston. Lawyers for Tsarnaev have asked the Supreme Court to deny the request.Travis Anderson, “Lawyers for Boston Marathon bomber ask Supreme Court to deny government request to review appellate ruling tossing death penalty,” Boston Globe, December 17, 2020, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/17/metro/lawyers-boston-marathon-bomber-ask-supreme-court-deny-government-request-review-appellate-ruling-tossing-death-penalty/.
On January 4, 2021, Tsarnaev filed a $250,000 lawsuit against the U.S. government alleging “unlawful, unreasonable and discriminatory” treatment. In the suit, Tsarnaev complained that he had been limited to three showers a week. He also claimed prison guards had confiscated a baseball hat and bandana he purchased in the prison commissary because they thought he was disrespecting the FBI and victims of the Boston Marathon bombing by wearing them. According to the suit, Tsarnaev’s treatment is contributing to his “mental and physical decline.”“Boston Marathon bomber sues over ballcap, showers in prison,” Associated Press, January 7, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/boston-lawsuits-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-6291406e4d86d029ae5b4d28d8cde16c.
On March 22, 2021, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the government’s appeal on Tsarnaev’s death penalty, filed by the Trump administration in October 2020. The administration of Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, initially sought the death penalty for Tsarnaev. President Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president, has signaled his opposition to the death penalty in general.Mark Sherman, “Court could reimpose Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, March 22, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/court-could-reimpose-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-death-sentence-719087dcbe7145514094fe3c7da8d9bf. Biden’s Justice Department halted federal executions in July 2021, citing the need to review policies and procedures after the Trump administration carried out 13 executions within a six-month span.Michael Balsamo, Colleen Long, and Michael Tarm, “Federal executions halted; Garland orders protocols reviewed,” Associated Press, https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-executions-government-and-politics-9daf230ef2257b901cb0dfeeeb60be44. Nonetheless, the Biden administration pursued Tsarnaev’s death penalty in the case United States v. Tsarnaev, No. 20-443. Government attorneys argued before the Supreme Court in October 2021 to have the sentence reinstated.Adam Liptak, “Supreme Court Seems Ready to Restore Death Sentence for Boston Marathon Bomber,” New York Times, last updated October 18, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/13/us/politics/supreme-court-death-sentence-boston-marathon-bomber.html.
On March 4, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to reinstate Tsarnaev’s death sentence, reversing the July 2020 1st Circuit ruling that the trial judge improperly excluded evidence that could have shown Tsarnaev was less responsible for the marathon attack as he was deeply influenced by his older brother, Tamerlan. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “Dzhokhar Tsarnaev committed heinous crimes. The Sixth Amendment nonetheless guaranteed him a fair trial before an impartial jury. He received one.”Mark Sherman, “High court reimposes Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, March 4, 2022, https://apnews.com/article/bombings-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-e52706c006644cfcb3f742cf78afa6d0. In his dissent on behalf of the court’s three liberal justices, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the Court of Appeals “acted lawfully in holding that the District Court should have allowed Dzhokhar to introduce this evidence.”Mark Sherman, “High court reimposes Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, March 4, 2022, https://apnews.com/article/bombings-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-e52706c006644cfcb3f742cf78afa6d0. Despite the ruling, the Justice Department’s moratorium on federal executions is likely to further delay the execution.
On January 10, 2023, Tsarnaev’s attorneys filed an appeal with the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston to have Tsarnaev’s death sentence thrown out because of juror misconduct. They argued two jurors lied during jury selection. According to the attorneys, one juror lied during selection about not having publicly commented on the case, while another had contact with Tsarnaev’s Facebook friends. One of those friends reportedly urged the juror to “play the part” so he could get on the jury and send Tsarnaev to “jail where he will be taken of.”Alanna Durkin Richer, “Court weighs tossing Boston marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, January 10, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/massachusetts-state-government-legal-proceedings-crime-boston-f32276fbfccb77fca2a08ae831d7f4df. Tsarnaev’s attorneys argued the judge denied Tsarnaev a fair trial by refusing to excuse the two jurors in question and by refusing to hold the trial outside of Boston.Alanna Durkin Richer, “Court weighs tossing Boston marathon bomber’s death sentence,” Associated Press, January 10, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/massachusetts-state-government-legal-proceedings-crime-boston-f32276fbfccb77fca2a08ae831d7f4df; Shelley Murphy, “Where the legal battle over Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence stands a decade after the Marathon bombings,” Boston Globe, April 16, 2023, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/04/16/sports/boston-marathon-bombing-dzhokhar-tsarnaev/.
In April 2023, streaming service Netflix released a docuseries on the Tsarnaev brothers called American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing. The 10-part series interviews survivors, family of the bombing’s victims, as well as people who personally knew the Tsarnaev brothers. The series traces the events that led to Tamerlan’s death and Dzhokhar’s capture.Amanda Richards and Ingrid Ostby, “‘American Manhunt’ Revisits the Boston Marathon Bombing, 10 Years Later,” Netflix, April 12, 2023, https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/american-manhunt-the-boston-marathon-bombing-release-date-news. Boston Globe reporter David Filipov also gives his perspective. Filipov wrote a December 2013 article on the Tsarnaevs that revealed Tamerlan claimed from an early age he heard a voice in his head that told him to commit various acts. According to the 2013 article, one doctor was concerned Tamerlan was schizophrenic. Media observers noted this piece of information on Tamerlan’s possible psychosis did not appear in the Netflix series.Laura Jane Turner, “Netflix’s Boston Marathon Bombing documentary doesn’t quite address its own controversy,” Digital Spy, April 13, 2023, https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a43575200/tsarnaev-brothers-boston-marathon-bombing-documentary/.
On March 21, 2024, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston directed the presiding judge of the 2015 trial to investigate whether two of the jurors were biased against Tsarnaev and should not have been seated.Nate Raymond, “US appeals court directs probe of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber’s case,” Reuters, March 21, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-court-directs-inquiry-into-juror-bias-boston-marathon-bombers-trial-2024-03-21/. According to court documents, two of the jurors were not thoroughly questioned or were dishonest about their exposure to the attack via social media and the news prior to the jury selection process.Alanna Durkin Richer, “Appeals court orders judge to probe claims of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber’s case,” Associated Press, March 21, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/boston-marathon-bombing-tsarnaev-juror-bias-4cf3031d41cb0ab1bd1cad2bd3ad107a. If the lower court’s investigation reveals that either of two jurors could have been disqualified, the court will vacate Tsarnaev’s death sentence and grant him a new penalty-phase trial.Nate Raymond, “US appeals court directs probe of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber’s case,” Reuters, March 21, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-court-directs-inquiry-into-juror-bias-boston-marathon-bombers-trial-2024-03-21/. As of March 2024, Tsarnaev remained on death row at a federal supermax prison in Colorado.Danny McDonald, “Federal Prosecutors Want Tsarnaev’s Entire Inmate Account to Go Toward His Outstanding Criminal Penalties,” Boston Globe, March 26, 2024, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/26/metro/federal-prosecutors-want-tsarnaevs-entire-inmate-account-go-toward-his-outstanding-criminal-penalties/.
Domestic terrorist: Convicted and sentenced to death for plotting and executing the bombing of the 2013 Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 250 others.
Dzhokhar downloaded an electronic copy of a book entitled “The Slicing Sword Against The One Who Forms Allegiances With The Disbelievers And Takes Them As Supporters Instead Of Allah, His Messenger And The Believers” with a forward by Anwar al-Awlaki; Downloaded Volume One of al-Awlaki’s Inspire, which includes bomb-building instructions; Approximately three weeks before the Boston bombings, Tsarnaev tweeted: “Listen to Anwar al-Awlaki’s ... here after series… you will gain an unbelievable amount of knowledge”; Al-Awlaki’s YouTube videos were found on Dzhokhar’s—and his brother Tamerlan’s—electronic devices.
Carried out the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings alongside his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, that killed three people and injured more than 250. Convicted of 30 charges related to the attack and in May 2015, was sentenced to death.
Downloaded a book with a forward by now-deceased AQAP recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki, as well a copy of an issue of AQAP’s Inspire magazine that included bomb-making instructions and graphic content. Told investigators that he and his brother Tamerlan learned to make the bombs used in the Boston Marathon from the instructions in Inspire. Some of Awlaki’s speeches and YouTube videos, including his “Hereafter” series, were found on Dzokhar’s electronic devices.
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers.
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