Rakhmat Akilov is the perpetrator of the April 7, 2017 vehicle attack in Stockholm, Sweden, that killed five people and injured 14 others.“Stockholm truck attack: Rakhmat Akilov convicted of terror-related murder, gets life term,” Australian Broadcasting Company, June 7, 2018, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-07/stockholm-truck-attack-suspect-gets-life-sentence/9847106. Akilov, an Uzbek native, had been wanted by Swedish authorities only because he failed to depart the country after his application for asylum was rejected.“Stockholm truck attack: Who is Rakhmat Akilov?” BBC News, June 7, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39552691. Unknown to authorities, he consumed ISIS propaganda online, encouraged fellow Uzbeks to join ISIS, and swore allegiance to the group before carrying out the attack in Stockholm.Sewell Chan, “Suspect in Stockholm Attack was an ISIS recruit, Uzbek Official Says,” New York Times, April 14, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/world/europe/stockholm-attack-isis-rakhmat-akilov.html; “Stockholm truck attack: Who is Rakhmat Akilov?” BBC News, June 7, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39552691; “Stockholm truck attack: Rakhmat Akilov convicted of terror-related murder, gets life term,” Australian Broadcasting Company, June 7, 2018, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-07/stockholm-truck-attack-suspect-gets-life-sentence/9847106. In June 2018, Akilov was convicted of multiple counts of of terror-related murder, attempted murder, and endangering the life of others. He was given a lifetime prison sentence––which in Sweden equates to about 18 years––and was also sentenced to be banned from Sweden for life after he completes his prison sentence there.“Stockholm truck attack: Rakhmat Akilov convicted of terror-related murder, gets life term,” Australian Broadcasting Company, June 7, 2018, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-07/stockholm-truck-attack-suspect-gets-life-sentence/9847106.

Akilov, an Uzbek native and construction worker, traveled to Stockholm, Sweden, in 2014, where he submitted an application for asylum. While there, he reportedly communicated with ISIS recruiters and even became a recruiter himself, encouraging fellow Uzbeks to travel abroad to join ISIS. According to Uzbek foreign minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, Akilov “repeatedly sent propagandist videos to his relatives and other contacts in Uzbekistan, trying to induce them to commit acts of violence against representatives of public authority, leadership, and law enforcement of Uzbekistan.”Sewell Chan, “Suspect in Stockholm Attack was an ISIS recruit, Uzbek Official Says,” New York Times, April 14, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/world/europe/stockholm-attack-isis-rakhmat-akilov.html. In December 2016, Akilov’s application for asylum was rejected, and he was given four weeks to depart the country.“Stockholm truck attack: Who is Rakhmat Akilov?” BBC News, June 7, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39552691; “Stockholm lorry attacker Rakhman Akilov jailed for life,” BBC News, June 7, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44399293. However, he did not depart and was consequently put on an official wanted list in February 2017.“Stockholm truck attack: Who is Rakhmat Akilov?” BBC News, June 7, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39552691.

On April 7, 2017, Akilov hijacked a truck and drove it into crowd of shoppers and into a department store in central Stockholm, killing five people and injuring 14 others.Sewell Chan, “Suspect in Stockholm Attack was an ISIS recruit, Uzbek Official Says,” New York Times, April 14, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/world/europe/stockholm-attack-isis-rakhmat-akilov.html; “Stockholm lorry attacker Rakhman Akilov jailed for life,” BBC News, June 7, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44399293; “Stockholm truck attack: Rakhmat Akilov convicted of terror-related murder, gets life term,” Australian Broadcasting Company, June 7, 2018, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-07/stockholm-truck-attack-suspect-gets-life-sentence/9847106. Additionally, in what authorities suspected may have been a failed suicide bombing attempt, a bomb made of gas canisters and small metal objects also exploded in the truck but only inflicted damage on the vehicle.Associated Press, “Uzbek man charged with terrorism in Stockholm truck attack,” Canadian Broadcasting Company, January 30, 2018, http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/stockholm-truck-attack-uzbek-charge-1.4509964. Akilov fled the scene via the subway but was arrested by authorities hours later in a northern suburb of Stockholm. He quickly confessed to carrying out the attack.“Stockholm truck attack: Rakhmat Akilov convicted of terror-related murder, gets life term,” Australian Broadcasting Company, June 7, 2018, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-07/stockholm-truck-attack-suspect-gets-life-sentence/9847106; “Stockholm lorry attacker Rakhman Akilov jailed for life,” BBC News, June 7, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44399293.

A subsequent investigation found photos of downtown Stockholm on Akilov’s cell phone, and a memory card with ISIS propaganda, including execution videos, that had been in his possession.Associated Press, “Uzbek man charged with terrorism in Stockholm truck attack,” Canadian Broadcasting Company, January 30, 2018, http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/stockholm-truck-attack-uzbek-charge-1.4509964. Authorities also discovered that Akilov had communicated with others about his intended activities over social media, and had sworn allegiance to ISIS on April 6, 2017, the day before the attack.“Stockholm truck attack: Rakhmat Akilov convicted of terror-related murder, gets life term,” Australian Broadcasting Company, June 7, 2018, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-07/stockholm-truck-attack-suspect-gets-life-sentence/9847106.

In January 2018, Akilov was charged with attempted murder, terror-related murder, and endangering the lives of others.Associated Press, “Uzbek man charged with terrorism in Stockholm truck attack,” Canadian Broadcasting Company, January 30, 2018, http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/stockholm-truck-attack-uzbek-charge-1.4509964. Uzbekistan also charged him with involving minors in antisocial behavior, distributing materials that pose a threat to public security, and participation in a prohibited group, though he was ultimately prosecuted in Sweden.Sewell Chan, “Suspect in Stockholm Attack was an ISIS recruit, Uzbek Official Says,” New York Times, April 14, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/world/europe/stockholm-attack-isis-rakhmat-akilov.html. On June 7, 2018, he was found guilty of five counts of terror-related murder, 119 counts of attempted murder, and 24 counts of endangering the life of others. Akilov was given a lifetime prison sentence, which is the heaviest penalty in Sweden and equates to about 18 years. He was also sentenced to be banned from Sweden for life after he completes his prison sentence there.“Stockholm truck attack: Rakhmat Akilov convicted of terror-related murder, gets life term,” Australian Broadcasting Company, June 7, 2018, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-07/stockholm-truck-attack-suspect-gets-life-sentence/9847106.

Moroccan citizen Rachid Redouane was one of three men to carry out a terrorist attack in London, England, on June 3, 2017, that killed eight individuals and injured 48 others.“London attack: Who were the attackers?,” BBC News, June 28, 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40173157; Tom Cleary, “Youssef Zaghba: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” Heavy.com, June 6, 2017, https://heavy.com/news/2017/06/youssef-zaghba-london-bridge-terror-attacks-stabbings-suspect-attacker-killer-name/. In the attack, Redouane, Youssef Zaghba, and suspected ringleader Khuram Butt drove a van into pedestrians on the London Bridge, then continued on foot to the Borough Market area where they stabbed bystanders before police arrived and shot dead all three assailants. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack the following day.Tom Cleary, “Youssef Zaghba: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” Heavy.com, June 6, 2017, https://heavy.com/news/2017/06/youssef-zaghba-london-bridge-terror-attacks-stabbings-suspect-attacker-killer-name/. All three assailants were reportedly linked to the U.K.-banned jihadist network al-Muhajiroun.Rukmini Callimachi and Katirn Bennhold, “London Attackers Slip By Despite an Avalanche of Warnings,” New York Times, June 6, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/world/europe/london-assailants-terrorism-warning-signs-fbi.html, Mark White, “London Bridge attackers were part of banned jihadi network,” Sky News, June 6, 2017, https://news.sky.com/story/london-bridge-attacker-khuram-butt-was-part-of-banned-jihadi-network-10906091.

Redouane first arrived in the United Kingdom in 2006, where he applied for asylum under a false name and date of birth.“London attack: Who were the attackers?,” BBC News, June 28, 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40173157; “London bridge terrorist entered UK under false name and date of birth, inquest hears,” Telegraph (London), June 27, 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/27/london-bridge-terrorist-entered-uk-false-name-date-birth-inquest/. He continued to reside in England after the British government denied his application three years later.“London attack: Who were the attackers?,” BBC News, June 28, 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40173157; Lizzie Dearden, “London attack: Rachid Redouane's wife says she is 'numbed' by his actions amid reports of domestic abuse,” Independent (London), June 7, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-attack-rachid-redouane-wife-domestic-abuse-numbed-response-bridge-borough-market-isis-a7778041.html; Ben Framer, “London attacker Rachid Redouane refused UK asylum in 2009,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/06/london-attacker-rachid-redouane-refused-uk-asylum-2009/. In 2011, Redouane traveled to Libya, his father’s country of birth, to fight in the Libyan civil war. He reportedly fought against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces as part of the Tripoli-based Liwa al Ummah unit, which went on to send jihadist fighters to the Syrian conflict.Ben Framer, “London attacker Rachid Redouane refused UK asylum in 2009,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/06/london-attacker-rachid-redouane-refused-uk-asylum-2009/.

In 2012, Redouane married British citizen Charisse O’Leary in Dublin, Ireland, which allowed him to receive an Irish identity card and European Union residence card.Ben Framer, “London attacker Rachid Redouane refused UK asylum in 2009,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/06/london-attacker-rachid-redouane-refused-uk-asylum-2009/. Redouane and his wife lived between Ireland and the United Kingdom before they separated in 2017.Lizzie Dearden, “London attack: Rachid Redouane's wife says she is 'numbed' by his actions amid reports of domestic abuse,” Independent (London), June 7, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-attack-rachid-redouane-wife-domestic-abuse-numbed-response-bridge-borough-market-isis-a7778041.html; “What we know about the London Bridge killers,” Sky News, June, 7, 2017, https://news.sky.com/story/third-london-attacker-named-as-youssef-zaghba-10905940. According to media interviews with O’Leary’s friends, Redouane abused O’Leary both physically and emotionally during their marriage. He reportedly tried to force her to convert to Islam and act as a traditional Muslim wife, though she refused.Lizzie Dearden, “London attack: Rachid Redouane's wife says she is 'numbed' by his actions amid reports of domestic abuse,” Independent (London), June 7, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-attack-rachid-redouane-wife-domestic-abuse-numbed-response-bridge-borough-market-isis-a7778041.html. The pair maintained contact after their separation only to discuss raising their daughter. Redouane reportedly visited his wife and daughter in their apartment a few hours before carrying out the attack on June 3, 2017.Sarah Knapton, “Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba named: Everything we know about the London Bridge terrorists,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/ringleader-london-bridge-terror-attack-named-khuram-butt/; Lizzie Dearden, “London attack: Rachid Redouane's wife says she is 'numbed' by his actions amid reports of domestic abuse,” Independent (London), June 7, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-attack-rachid-redouane-wife-domestic-abuse-numbed-response-bridge-borough-market-isis-a7778041.html.

On June 3, 2017, Redouane, Youssef Zaghba, and suspected ringleader Khuram Butt drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge. The three men then exited the vehicle wearing fake suicide belts in an attempt to deter authorities and continued on foot to the Borough Market area, where they stabbed individuals in bars and restaurants using knives.Tom Cleary, “Youssef Zaghba: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” Heavy.com, June 6, 2017, https://heavy.com/news/2017/06/youssef-zaghba-london-bridge-terror-attacks-stabbings-suspect-attacker-killer-name/; Lizzie Dearden, “London attack: Rachid Redouane's wife says she is 'numbed' by his actions amid reports of domestic abuse,” Independent (London), June 7, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-attack-rachid-redouane-wife-domestic-abuse-numbed-response-bridge-borough-market-isis-a7778041.html. In total, they killed eight individuals and injured 48 others before police arrived at the scene and shot dead all three assailants.“London attack: Who were the attackers?,” BBC News, June 28, 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40173157; Tom Cleary, “Youssef Zaghba: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” Heavy.com, June 6, 2017, https://heavy.com/news/2017/06/youssef-zaghba-london-bridge-terror-attacks-stabbings-suspect-attacker-killer-name/. ISIS’s Amaq News Agency claimed responsibility for the attack the next day.Lizzie Dearden, “London terror attack: Isis claims responsibility amid group’s ‘call for increased attacks,’” Independent (London), June 4, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-terror-attack-isis-claims-responsibility-borough-market-bridge-a7772776.html. Redouane had not been known to authorities previously, though all three assailants were reportedly linked to the jihadist network al-Muhajiroun, which is banned in the United Kingdom due to its links to terrorism.Jessica McBride, “Rachid Redouane: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” Heavy.com, June 5, 2017, https://heavy.com/news/2017/06/rachid-redouane-khuram-butt-london-terror-attack-suspect-bridge-borough-market-photos-facebook-isis-islamic-state/; Rukmini Callimachi and Katirn Bennhold, “London Attackers Slip By Despite an Avalanche of Warnings,” New York Times, June 6, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/world/europe/london-assailants-terrorism-warning-signs-fbi.html, Mark White, “London Bridge attackers were part of banned jihadi network,” Sky News, June 6, 2017, https://news.sky.com/story/london-bridge-attacker-khuram-butt-was-part-of-banned-jihadi-network-10906091.

Pakistani-born British citizen Khuram Butt was the suspected ringleader of a terrorist attack carried out in London, England, on June 3, 2017, that killed eight individuals and injured 48 others.“London attack: Who were the attackers?,” BBC News, June 28, 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40173157; Tom Cleary, “Youssef Zaghba: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” Heavy.com, June 6, 2017, https://heavy.com/news/2017/06/youssef-zaghba-london-bridge-terror-attacks-stabbings-suspect-attacker-killer-name/; Sarah Knapton, “Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba named: Everything we know about the London Bridge terrorists,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/ringleader-london-bridge-terror-attack-named-khuram-butt/. In the attack, Butt, Youssef Zaghba, and Rachid Redouane drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge, then continued on foot to the Borough Market area where they stabbed additional bystanders before police arrived and shot dead all three assailants. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack the next day.Tom Cleary, “Youssef Zaghba: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” Heavy.com, June 6, 2017, https://heavy.com/news/2017/06/youssef-zaghba-london-bridge-terror-attacks-stabbings-suspect-attacker-killer-name/. All three assailants were reportedly linked to the U.K.-banned jihadist network al-Muhajiroun.Rukmini Callimachi and Katirn Bennhold, “London Attackers Slip By Despite an Avalanche of Warnings,” New York Times, June 6, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/world/europe/london-assailants-terrorism-warning-signs-fbi.html, Mark White, “London Bridge attackers were part of banned jihadi network,” Sky News, June 6, 2017, https://news.sky.com/story/london-bridge-attacker-khuram-butt-was-part-of-banned-jihadi-network-10906091.

Born in Pakistan, Butt reportedly moved the United Kingdom as a child refugee.Sarah Knapton, “Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba named: Everything we know about the London Bridge terrorists,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/ringleader-london-bridge-terror-attack-named-khuram-butt/. Butt was educated there, receiving a business administration vocational qualification in 2009 and a diploma in teaching English to adults in 2016.“What we know about the London Bridge killers,” Sky News, June, 7, 2017, https://news.sky.com/story/third-london-attacker-named-as-youssef-zaghba-10905940. According to a friend, he was radicalized by watching YouTube videos of U.S. hate preacher Ahmad Musa JibrilPatrick Knox, “What was Jihadis Next Door on Channel 4 and when did London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt appear on the documentary?,” Sun (London), March 15, 2018, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3733446/jihadis-next-door-when-did-london-bridge-attacker-khuram-butt-appear-channel-4/; Sarah Knapton, “Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba named: Everything we know about the London Bridge terrorists,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/ringleader-london-bridge-terror-attack-named-khuram-butt/. The New York Times reported that Butt initially connected with co-attacker Youssef Zaghba through the al-Muhajiroun network.Rukmini Callimachi and Katirn Bennhold, “London Attackers Slip By Despite an Avalanche of Warnings,” New York Times, June 6, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/world/europe/london-assailants-terrorism-warning-signs-fbi.html.

Butt was reported to authorities at least twice for extremist behavior. In 2015, his neighbor Erica Gasprri reported him to the police on the suspicion that he was trying to radicalize children in a local park. Gasparri reportedly confronted him after her son came home from the park and told her, “Mummy, I want to be a Muslim.”Robert Booth, “London Bridge attacker named as Khuram Butt,” Guardian (London), June 5, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/05/london-bridge-attacker-named-as-khuram-butt. The London Metropolitan Police Service and MI5 launched an investigation into Butt that year, but downgraded it after failing to find evidence of terrorist activity.Robert Booth, “London Bridge attacker named as Khuram Butt,” Guardian (London), June 5, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/05/london-bridge-attacker-named-as-khuram-butt; “London attack: Who were the attackers?,” BBC News, June 28, 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40173157. Butt was again reported to authorities in July 2016 after being involved in a violent confrontation with Dr. Usama Hasan, the Head of Islamic Studies at the British counter-extremism think tank Quilliam, at an event marking the Islamic Eid holiday. The confrontation started after Butt reportedly accused Hasan of taking “government money to spy on Muslims,” supporting gay marriage, and believing in evolution.Jamie Grierson, “London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt had argued with anti-extremist Muslims,” Guardian (London), June 6, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/06/london-bridge-attacker-khuram-butt-had-argued-with-anti-extremist-muslims.

On June 3, 2017, Butt, Rachid Redouane, and Youssef Zaghba drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge. The three men then exited the vehicle wearing fake suicide belts in an attempt to deter authorities and continued on foot to the Borough Market area, where they stabbed individuals in bars and restaurants using knives.Tom Cleary, “Youssef Zaghba: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” Heavy.com, June 6, 2017, https://heavy.com/news/2017/06/youssef-zaghba-london-bridge-terror-attacks-stabbings-suspect-attacker-killer-name/; Lizzie Dearden, “London attack: Rachid Redouane's wife says she is 'numbed' by his actions amid reports of domestic abuse,” Independent (London), June 7, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-attack-rachid-redouane-wife-domestic-abuse-numbed-response-bridge-borough-market-isis-a7778041.html. In total, they killed eight people and injured 48 others before police arrived at the scene and shot dead all three assailants.“London attack: Who were the attackers?,” BBC News, June 28, 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40173157; Tom Cleary, “Youssef Zaghba: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” Heavy.com, June 6, 2017, https://heavy.com/news/2017/06/youssef-zaghba-london-bridge-terror-attacks-stabbings-suspect-attacker-killer-name/. Butt was later named as the ringleader of the attack.Sarah Knapton, “Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba named: Everything we know about the London Bridge terrorists,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/ringleader-london-bridge-terror-attack-named-khuram-butt/. ISIS’s Amaq News Agency claimed responsibility for the attack the following day.Lizzie Dearden, “London terror attack: Isis claims responsibility amid group’s ‘call for increased attacks,’” Independent (London), June 4, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-terror-attack-isis-claims-responsibility-borough-market-bridge-a7772776.html; Sarah Knapton, “Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba named: Everything we know about the London Bridge terrorists,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/ringleader-london-bridge-terror-attack-named-khuram-butt/.

Martin Couture-Rouleau was the first Canadian to successfully carry out a domestic terror attack in the name of Islam on Canadian soil.Dylan Robertson, “‘Everybody can be radicalized’: How an everyday Canadian stunned the country as a terrorist,” Calgary Herald (Calgary), September 30, 2015, http://calgaryherald.com/news/national/9999-lang-how-radicalize. On October 20, 2014, Couture-Rouleau executed a vehicle ramming attack in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada, that killed one Canadian soldier and injured another.“Martin Rouleau, Quebec driver shot by police, ‘radicalized’: RCMP,” CBC News, October 20, 2014, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/martin-rouleau-quebec-driver-shot-by-police-radicalized-rcmp-1.2806104. Prior to the attack, Couture-Rouleau was monitored by authorities over concerns that he had become radicalized following a possible attempt to travel abroad to join a terrorist group.“From typical teen to jihadist: How Martin Couture-Rouleau became radicalized after converting to Islam,” National Post (Toronto), http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/from-typical-teen-to-jihadist-how-martin-couture-rouleau-became-radicalized-after-converting-to-islam. Couture-Rouleau engaged with ISIS and other jihadist propaganda on social media, though there is no evidence that he carried out the attack on behalf on any specific group.Umberto Bacchi, “Canada: Isis ‘Lone Wolf Killer Martin Couture Rouleau Mows Down Soldiers with Car,” International Business Times, October 21, 2014, https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/canada-isis-lone-wolf-killer-martin-couture-rouleau-mows-down-soldiers-car-1471023.

Martin Couture-Rouleau lived with his father in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada. In the year preceding the attack, he reportedly converted to Islam, grew a beard, and began to dress in Islamic clothing and attend a mosque regularly.“A radicalized man: Who was Martin Couture-Rouleau?” CTV Montreal, October 21, 2014, https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/a-radicalized-man-who-was-martin-couture-rouleau-1.2064326; Mark Gollom and Tracey Lindeman, “Who is Martin Couture-Rouleau?” CBC News, October 21, 2014, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/who-is-martin-couture-rouleau-1.2807285. He was active on Facebook, using the name “Ahmad LeConverti” (Ahmad the Converted). According to a Facebook friend, he reportedly engaged with posts that disparaged Islam. His Facebook page also contained anti-Semitic and pro-jihad propaganda videos, including a video featuring the ISIS logo, as well as posts referencing the ISIS flag.Mark Gollom and Tracey Lindeman, “Who is Martin Couture-Rouleau?” CBC News, October 21, 2014, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/who-is-martin-couture-rouleau-1.2807285; “Martin Rouleau, Quebec driver shot by police, ‘radicalized’: RCMP,” CBC News, October 20, 2014, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/martin-rouleau-quebec-driver-shot-by-police-radicalized-rcmp-1.2806104. Couture-Rouleau was also active on Twitter, where he followed several pro-ISIS and pro-jihad accounts.Umberto Bacchi, “Canada: Isis ‘Lone Wolf Killer Martin Couture Rouleau Mows Down Soldiers with Car,” International Business Times, October 21, 2014, https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/canada-isis-lone-wolf-killer-martin-couture-rouleau-mows-down-soldiers-car-1471023. During this time, he also reportedly told friends that he was sending money to Syria.Dylan Robertson, “‘Everybody can be radicalized’: How an everyday Canadian stunned the country as a terrorist,” Calgary Herald (Calgary), September 30, 2015, http://calgaryherald.com/news/national/9999-lang-how-radicalize.

Prior to carrying out the October 2014 attack, Couture-Rouleau was under investigation by authorities over concerns that he had become radicalized and that he had attempted to join a terror group.“Martin Rouleau, Quebec driver shot by police, ‘radicalized’: RCMP,” CBC News, October 20, 2014, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/martin-rouleau-quebec-driver-shot-by-police-radicalized-rcmp-1.2806104. He was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in June 2014 before boarding a flight to Turkey in a possible attempt to travel to Syria, but was released from custody due to a lack of evidence that he was traveling for terrorist purposes. However, authorities seized his passport and continued to monitor his activities during the subsequent months. RCMP officers even met with him several times in the subsequent months in an attempt to discourage him from subscribing to violent terrorist ideologies.“From typical teen to jihadist: How Martin Couture-Rouleau became radicalized after converting to Islam,” National Post (Toronto), http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/from-typical-teen-to-jihadist-how-martin-couture-rouleau-became-radicalized-after-converting-to-islam.

On October 20, 2014, Couture-Rouleau drove his car into two members of the Canadian Armed Forces in a parking lot in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu at about 11:30 a.m. local time. Both soldiers were wounded, and one later died of his injuries.“Martin Rouleau, Quebec driver shot by police, ‘radicalized’: RCMP,” CBC News, October 20, 2014, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/martin-rouleau-quebec-driver-shot-by-police-radicalized-rcmp-1.2806104. Couture-Rouleau reportedly waited in the lot for at least two hours before carrying out the attack.Mark Gollom and Tracey Lindeman, “Who is Martin Couture-Rouleau?” CBC News, October 21, 2014, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/who-is-martin-couture-rouleau-1.2807285. After the attack, Couture-Rouleau called 911 and told the operators that he had carried out the attack in the name of Allah.Kieran Corcoran, “Radicalized Canadian Muslim mows down two soldiers ‘in the name of Allah’, killing one,” Daily Mail (London), October 20, 2014, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2801102/radicalized-canadian-muslim-convert-runs-two-young-soldiers-car-shot-dead-police.html. He was then pursued by police as he drove off from the scene, until he lost control of his car and flipped it into a ditch. Couture-Rouleau was fatally shot by police as he subsequently exited the vehicle, and a knife was found at the scene.“Martin Rouleau, Quebec driver shot by police, ‘radicalized’: RCMP,” CBC News, October 20, 2014, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/martin-rouleau-quebec-driver-shot-by-police-radicalized-rcmp-1.2806104. Some witness reports claim that Couture-Rouleau charged at police while holding the knife before he was shot.Dylan Robertson, “‘Everybody can be radicalized’: How an everyday Canadian stunned the country as a terrorist,” Calgary Herald (Calgary), September 30, 2015, http://calgaryherald.com/news/national/9999-lang-how-radicalize.

Lionel Nelson Williams was an American citizen who pleaded guilty in August 2017 to attempting to provide material support to ISIS.Scott Daugherty, “Suffolk man who wanted to be a martyr pleads guilty to trying to aid the Islamic State,” Virginian-Pilot, August 16, 2017, https://pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/article_495d7307-8723-5815-914f-af098c88d1fe.html. Williams was reported to authorities in March 2016 for online posts that he made in support of the group. Williams later attempted to send money to individuals that he believed were ISIS fundraisers in order to finance the purchase of weapons and ammunition for the group. He was arrested in December 2016 following comments that he made suggesting that he was planning to carry out a domestic terror attack in the near future.“Affidavit in Support of an Application for a Criminal Complaint,” U.S. Department of Justice, December 22, 2015, https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/920321/download. Williams was sentenced to 20 years in prison following his guilty plea.Scott Daugherty, “Would-be terrorist from Suffolk sentenced to 20 years for supporting Islamic State,” Virginian-Pilot, December 20, 2017, https://pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/article_06e7fe04-8f4e-5578-8cb4-7f115aa1271d.html.

In 2014, Williams reportedly began sharing articles and videos about ISIS with an acquaintance from high school.Scott Daugherty, “Would-be terrorist from Suffolk sentenced to 20 years for supporting Islamic State,” Virginian-Pilot, December 20, 2017, https://pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/article_06e7fe04-8f4e-5578-8cb4-7f115aa1271d.html. On the day following the December 2015 terror attack in San Bernardino, California, Williams ordered an assault rifle, which he kept on his bedroom dresser. According to reports from neighbors, Williams conducted target practice in a field near his home beginning in early 2016. During this time, Williams was also active on Facebook, where he posted ISIS propaganda videos and lecture videos by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki, as well as a pledge of allegiance to ISIS and comments expressing his support for attacks against security personnel.“Affidavit in Support of an Application for a Criminal Complaint,” U.S. Department of Justice, December 22, 2015, https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/920321/download.

In March 2016, an acquaintance reported Williams to authorities for his online posts. The following month, an undercover FBI operative made contact with Williams over Facebook, and the two met in person in June. During their meeting, Williams state that he supported attacks on security targets. In September, Williams agreed to contribute money to fund ISIS fighters in Mosul, Iraq. On October 10, 2016, Williams provided his account information to an individual that he believed was an ISIS fundraiser. On November 3, 2016, Williams sent 50 dollars via an electronic transfer service to another individual that he believed was an ISIS facilitator based in the Middle East, though in reality, the money was seized by the U.S. government. In both cases, Williams believed that his money would be used to finance the purchase of weapons and ammunition for ISIS.“Affidavit in Support of an Application for a Criminal Complaint,” U.S. Department of Justice, December 22, 2015, https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/920321/download.

Williams also spoke of his desire to carry out a martyrdom operation. In December 2016, Williams stated to another individual that “it [would] be soon,” and began discussing his plans to get rid of his money before his intended death. Williams was arrested by FBI agents on December 21 and charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS.“Affidavit in Support of an Application for a Criminal Complaint,” U.S. Department of Justice, December 22, 2015, https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/920321/download.

On August 16, 2017, Williams pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS.Scott Daugherty, “Suffolk man who wanted to be a martyr pleads guilty to trying to aid the Islamic State,” Virginian-Pilot, August 16, 2017, https://pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/article_495d7307-8723-5815-914f-af098c88d1fe.html. On December 20, 2017, Williams was sentenced to 20 years in prison. According to prosecutors, although he had been in custody for nearly a year at the time, he had not disavowed the radical ideology that had motivated his actions.Scott Daugherty, “Would-be terrorist from Suffolk sentenced to 20 years for supporting Islamic State,” Virginian-Pilot, December 20, 2017, https://pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/article_06e7fe04-8f4e-5578-8cb4-7f115aa1271d.html.

Williams is currently incarcerated at Beckley Federal Correctional Institution in Beaver, West Virginia, with a scheduled release date of March 15, 2034.“LIONEL NELSON WILLIAMS,” Find an Inmate – Federal Bureau of Prisons, accessed April 14, 2021, https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/.

Redouane Lakdim was the Moroccan-born perpetrator of the March 23, 2018 attacks in Carcassonne and Trèbes, France that killed four people and wounded 15 others.Johanna Decorse, “Islamist gunman attacks French supermarket, kills three,” Reuters, March 23, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-security/islamist-gunman-attacks-french-supermarket-kills-three-idUSKBN1GZ1EY; Kim Willsher, “‘He has fallen a hero’: French gendarme who replaced hostages dies,” Guardian (London), March 24, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/24/he-has-fallen-a-hero-gendarme-who-replaced-hostage-in-french-siege-dies. Lakdim had been under surveillance by French authorities prior to the attack, but reportedly showed no signs of being an immediate threat.“France attack: Lakdim’s girlfriend ‘known to security services’, BBC News, March 26, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43539728; Jon Sharman and May Bulman, “Trèbes siege: French President Macron calls supermarket attack an ‘act of Islamic terror,” Independent (London), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trebes-hostage-supermarket-armed-siege-terror-france-carcassonne-police-shooting-a8269981.html. Following the attack, ISIS claimed responsibility, calling Lakdim a “soldier of the Islamic State.”Jon Sharman and May Bulman, “Trèbes siege: French President Macron calls supermarket attack an ‘act of Islamic terror,” Independent (London), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trebes-hostage-supermarket-armed-siege-terror-france-carcassonne-police-shooting-a8269981.html.

Born in Morocco, Lakdim had become a naturalized French citizen in 2004. At the time of the attack, he lived in an apartment with his parents and sister in Carcassonne, France.“Qui est Radouane Lakdim, l’auteur des attaques dans l’Aude?” Le Point (Paris), March 23, 2018, http://www.lepoint.fr/societe/aude-qui-est-redouane-l-l-auteur-des-attaques-a-carcassonne-et-trebes-23-03-2018-2205069_23.php. He was previously known to authorities for petty crimes, and was imprisoned in 2015 for illegal weapons possession and again in 2016 for drug possession.Kim Willsher, “‘He has fallen a hero’: French gendarme who replaced hostages dies,” Guardian (London), March 24, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/24/he-has-fallen-a-hero-gendarme-who-replaced-hostage-in-french-siege-dies; “Qui est Radouane Lakdim, le suspect des attaques terroristes dans l’Aude,” Le Parisien (Paris), March 23, 2018, http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/qui-est-le-suspect-des-attaques-terroristes-dans-l-aude-23-03-2018-7625091.php. Lakdim was reportedly flagged as a potential security threat in 2014, and was under surveillance by authorities throughout 2016 and 2017 due to reports of his radicalization and alleged links to the Salafist movement, though investigators found no signs that suggested that he would carry out a violent act.“France attack: Lakdim’s girlfriend ‘known to security services’, BBC News, March 26, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43539728; Jon Sharman and May Bulman, “Trèbes siege: French President Macron calls supermarket attack an ‘act of Islamic terror,” Independent (London), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trebes-hostage-supermarket-armed-siege-terror-france-carcassonne-police-shooting-a8269981.html. He was also reportedly suspected of making a trip to Syria, though the report is unconfirmed.“Qui est Radouane Lakdim, le suspect des attaques terroristes dans l’Aude,” Le Parisien (Paris), March 23, 2018, http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/qui-est-le-suspect-des-attaques-terroristes-dans-l-aude-23-03-2018-7625091.php.

On the morning of March 23, 2018, Lakdim shot dead one person and injured another while hijacking a car in Carcassonne, France.Jon Sharman and May Bulman, “Trèbes siege: French President Macron calls supermarket attack an ‘act of Islamic terror,” Independent (London), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trebes-hostage-supermarket-armed-siege-terror-france-carcassonne-police-shooting-a8269981.html; “France shooting: Police kill supermarket gunman,” BBC News, March 23, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43518769. He then drove up to a group of police officers who were jogging and opened fire, shooting one in the shoulder.Jon Sharman and May Bulman, “Trèbes siege: French President Macron calls supermarket attack an ‘act of Islamic terror,” Independent (London), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trebes-hostage-supermarket-armed-siege-terror-france-carcassonne-police-shooting-a8269981.html. Lakdim then drove the stolen car about fifteen minutes to the town of Trèbes, where he entered a Super-U supermarket reportedly shouting “Allahu Akhbar” and declaring that he was a “soldier of Daesh” ready to die for Syria. Lakdim shot dead a customer and employee and took about 50 people as hostages in the supermarket, reportedly demanding the release of Salah Abdeslam, one of the terrorists that carried out the November 13, 2015 terror attack in Paris. Though police officers managed to secure the release of some of the hostages, Lakdim attempted to hold one woman back as a human shield, at which point an officer volunteered to take her place.Jon Sharman and May Bulman, “Trèbes siege: French President Macron calls supermarket attack an ‘act of Islamic terror,” Independent (London), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trebes-hostage-supermarket-armed-siege-terror-france-carcassonne-police-shooting-a8269981.html; “France shooting: Police kill supermarket gunman,” BBC News, March 23, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43518769; Johanna Decors, “France supermarket attacker pledged to ‘die for Syria,’” Reuters, March 23, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-security-attacker/france-supermarket-attacker-pledged-to-die-for-syria-idUSKBN1GZ26T. The siege lasted for four hours before a SWAT team stormed the supermarket and killed Lakdim.Kim Willsher, “‘He has fallen a hero’: French gendarme who replaced hostages dies,” Guardian (London), March 24, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/24/he-has-fallen-a-hero-gendarme-who-replaced-hostage-in-french-siege-dies; “France shooting: Police kill supermarket gunman,” BBC News, March 23, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43518769. The officer who had swapped himself for hostage was seriously wounded and died of his injuries the following day, bringing the total death toll of the attacks to four. A total of 15 others were wounded.Kim Willsher, “‘He has fallen a hero’: French gendarme who replaced hostages dies,” Guardian (London), March 24, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/24/he-has-fallen-a-hero-gendarme-who-replaced-hostage-in-french-siege-dies. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that Lakdim was a “soldier of the Islamic State.”Jon Sharman and May Bulman, “Trèbes siege: French President Macron calls supermarket attack an ‘act of Islamic terror,” Independent (London), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trebes-hostage-supermarket-armed-siege-terror-france-carcassonne-police-shooting-a8269981.html.

According to French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, it appeared that Lakdim had acted alone.Jon Sharman and May Bulman, “Trèbes siege: French President Macron calls supermarket attack an ‘act of Islamic terror,” Independent (London), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trebes-hostage-supermarket-armed-siege-terror-france-carcassonne-police-shooting-a8269981.html. Nonetheless, two of Lakdim’s friends were taken into custody after the attack, including his 18-year-old girlfriend who had been known to security services for at least a year and allegedly showed “signs of radicalization.”“France attack: Lakdim’s girlfriend ‘known to security services’, BBC News, March 26, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43539728.

Rowaida El-Hassan is attempted domestic terrorist convicted in January 2018 for helping Munir Mohammed to prepare a terrorist act in the United Kingdom in the name of ISIS. El-Hassan, a London-based pharmacist, met Mohammed on a Muslim dating site and used her chemical expertise to advise him on how to prepare poisons and explosives. At the time of their December 2016 arrest, Mohammed had two of the three materials needed to make the explosive chemical TATP in his apartment.“Couple guilty of homemade bomb terror attack plot,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42607043.

El-Hassan was born into a moderately wealthy family in Sudan.Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025. She came to the United Kingdom legally as a child.“Couple guilty of homemade bomb terror attack plot,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42607043. She graduated from University College London with a master’s degree in pharmacy and lived in North London.“Couple planned terror attack after meeting on dating site, court hears,” Guardian (London), October 30, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/oct/30/terror-attack-couple-dating-site-court-hears-munir-mohammed-rowaida-el-hassan.

El-Hassan met Mohammed Munir, an Eritrean-born man living in Derby, on a Muslim dating site. The pair began to communicate over WhatsApp and Facebook. Beginning in April 2016, Mohamed shared with her at least seventeen violent propaganda videos, including ISIS videos that depicted children conducting executions, suicide bombings, and British citizen Mohammed Emwazi a.k.a. “Jihadi John,” carrying out a beheading. El-Hassan reportedly requested that he send her more videos, and sent him back news articles about ISIS attacks and similar propaganda advocating for jihad against non-Muslims.Toby Bradford, “Gruesome details of ISIS videos ‘shared’ by alleged Derby terror plotter are revealed in court,” Derby Telegraph (Derby), November 6, 2017, http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/gruesome-details-isis-videos-shared-737417; Isaac Crowson, “Derby terrorist Munir Mohammed planned to attack ‘enemies of the Islamic State,’” Derby Telegraph (Derby), January 8, 2018, http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/derby-terrorist-munir-mohammed-planned-1029215; Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025. The two met in person sometime during the spring at a park near El-Hassan’s home.Lizzie Dearden, “Isis-supporting coupled planned Christmas terror attack after meeting on online dating site,” Independent (London), January 8, 2018, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/isis-christmas-terror-attack-plot-couple-derby-explosives-old-bailey-bomb-ricin-online-dating-muslim-a8148061.html.

Using El-Hassan’s chemical expertise, the pair began to plot a domestic attack in the United Kingdom.Isaac Crowson, “Derby terrorist Munir Mohammed planned to attack ‘enemies of the Islamic State,’” Derby Telegraph (Derby), January 8, 2018, http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/derby-terrorist-munir-mohammed-planned-1029215; “Couple guilty of homemade bomb terror attack plot,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42607043. In July 2016, Mohammed allegedly began to investigate making the poison ricin with the help of El-Hassan.Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025. The two reportedly tried to build a pressure cooker-bomb, and at one point, Mohammed sent El-Hassan a 24-page document via WhatsApp on the manufacturing of explosives.Toby Bradford, “Gruesome details of ISIS videos ‘shared’ by alleged Derby terror plotter are revealed in court,” Derby Telegraph (Derby), November 6, 2017, http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/gruesome-details-isis-videos-shared-737417; “Couple guilty of homemade bomb terror attack plot,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42607043. At the time of their arrest in December 2016, Mohammed was found to be in possession of two of the three materials needed to make TATP and instruction manuals on how to prepare explosives, cell phone detonators, and the poison ricin. He had bought at least some of the necessary materials from a drugstore based on El-Hassan’s instructions.“Couple planned terror attack after meeting on dating site, court hears,” Guardian (London), October 30, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/oct/30/terror-attack-couple-dating-site-court-hears-munir-mohammed-rowaida-el-hassan; Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025; Lizzie Dearden, “Isis-supporting coupled planned Christmas terror attack after meeting on online dating site,” Independent (London), January 8, 2018, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/isis-christmas-terror-attack-plot-couple-derby-explosives-old-bailey-bomb-ricin-online-dating-muslim-a8148061.html.

On January 8, 2018, El-Hassan was convicted of preparing acts of terrorism between November 2015 and December 2016.“Couple guilty of homemade bomb terror attack plot,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42607043.

Munir Mohammed is an attempted domestic terrorist convicted in January 2018 for preparing a terrorist act in the United Kingdom on behalf of ISIS with the help of Rowaida El-Hassan. Mohammed met El-Hassan, a London-based pharmacist, on a Muslim dating site, and sought out her chemical expertise to prepare poisons and explosives. Mohammed also accessed bomb-making instructional videos online. At the time of his December 2016 arrest, he had two of the three materials needed to make the explosive chemical TATP in his apartment.“Couple guilty of homemade bomb terror attack plot,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42607043.

Born in Eritrea, Mohammed lived for some time in Sudan and Libya before arriving in the United Kingdom in February 2014. In the United Kingdom, Mohammed submitted an application for asylum and was placed in a shared house in Derby. Although he was not allowed to work, he obtained false European Union documentation before May 2016 in order to access services and work illegally. Mohammed found employment at the Kerry Foods manufacturing supermarket.Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025.

Mohammed met Rowaida El-Hassan, a pharmacy graduate from North London, on a Muslim dating site. The pair began to communicate over WhatsApp and Facebook. Beginning in April 2016, Mohamed shared with her at least seventeen violent propaganda videos, including ISIS videos that depicted children conducting executions, suicide bombings, and British citizen Mohammed Emwazi a.k.a. “Jihadi John,” carrying out a beheading. El-Hassan sent him back news articles about ISIS attacks and similar propaganda advocating for jihad against non-Muslims.Toby Bradford, “Gruesome details of ISIS videos ‘shared’ by alleged Derby terror plotter are revealed in court,” Derby Telegraph (Derby), November 6, 2017, http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/gruesome-details-isis-videos-shared-737417; Isaac Crowson, “Derby terrorist Munir Mohammed planned to attack ‘enemies of the Islamic State,’” Derby Telegraph (Derby), January 8, 2018, http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/derby-terrorist-munir-mohammed-planned-1029215; Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025. The two met in person sometime during the spring at a park near El-Hassan’s home.Lizzie Dearden, “Isis-supporting coupled planned Christmas terror attack after meeting on online dating site,” Independent (London), January 8, 2018, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/isis-christmas-terror-attack-plot-couple-derby-explosives-old-bailey-bomb-ricin-online-dating-muslim-a8148061.html.

In July 2016, while still working at the supermarket factory, Mohammed allegedly began to investigate making the poison ricin with the help of El-Hassan. That summer, he also made contact with a suspected ISIS commander called “Abubakr Kurdi” via Facebook.Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025. Authorities later found that Kurdi had posted general appeals to poison food.Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025. In his communications with Kurdi, Mohammed volunteered for a “new job in the UK”––meaning an act of terrorism––and pledged allegiance to ISIS.“Couple guilty of homemade bomb terror attack plot,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42607043; Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025. In September, Mohammed complained to Kurdi that he had not yet received instructions to carry out an attack.Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025.

Using El-Hassan’s chemical expertise, the pair began to plot a domestic attack in the United Kingdom, and were reportedly trying to build a pressure-cooker bomb.Isaac Crowson, “Derby terrorist Munir Mohammed planned to attack ‘enemies of the Islamic State,’” Derby Telegraph (Derby), January 8, 2018, http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/derby-terrorist-munir-mohammed-planned-1029215; “Couple guilty of homemade bomb terror attack plot,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42607043. Mohammed accessed several bomb-making instructions on YouTube and Facebook, including a 30-minute long violent ISIS video that provided instructions on how to carry out executions and make the explosive TATP using home materials.Toby Bradford, “Gruesome details of ISIS videos ‘shared’ by alleged Derby terror plotter are revealed in court,” Derby Telegraph (Derby), November 6, 2017, http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/gruesome-details-isis-videos-shared-737417. At one point, he sent El-Hassan a 24-page document via WhatsApp on the manufacturing of explosives.Toby Bradford, “Gruesome details of ISIS videos ‘shared’ by alleged Derby terror plotter are revealed in court,” Derby Telegraph (Derby), November 6, 2017, http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/gruesome-details-isis-videos-shared-737417. At the time of his arrest in December 2016, Mohammed was found to be in possession of two of the three materials needed to make TATP and instruction manuals on how to prepare explosives, cell phone detonators, and the poison ricin. He had bought at least some of the necessary materials from a local drugstore based on El-Hassan’s instructions.“Couple planned terror attack after meeting on dating site, court hears,” Guardian (London), October 30, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/oct/30/terror-attack-couple-dating-site-court-hears-munir-mohammed-rowaida-el-hassan; Dominic Casciani, “Derby terror plot: The online Casanova and his lover,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42370025.

On January 8, 2018, Mohammed was convicted of preparing acts of terrorism between November 2015 and December 2016.“Couple guilty of homemade bomb terror attack plot,” BBC News, January 8, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42607043.

Khalil Abu-Rayyan is an American citizen who expressed support for ISIS and a desire to carry out a domestic terror attack on a church in Detroit. He was investigated by the FBI after making increasingly violent terror threats on Twitter.“United States of America v. Khalil Abu Rayyan,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, February 4, 2016, https://media.clickondetroit.com/document_dev/2016/02/05/SKM_C554e16020515520_2078266_ver1.0.pdf. Rayyan was arrested on an unrelated charge of illegal firearm possession, and was sentenced to five years in prison on April 6, 2017. Rayyan was given a sentence greater than that recommended by federal guidelines for the charge due to his professed intentions to carry out a domestic terror attack.Orlandar Brand-Williams, “Accused ISIS supporter gets 5 years on firearm charges,” Detroit News, April 6, 2017, http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2017/04/06/accused-isis-supporter-sentenced/100135862/. He was released from prison on June 5, 2020.“KHALIL ABU-RAYYAN,” Find an Inmate – Federal Bureau of Prisons, accessed April 12, 2021, https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/.

Rayyan, who was born to Jordanian immigrants living in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, worked as a pizza delivery man.Lisa Rose, “How a suicidal pizza man found himself ensnared in an FBI terror sting,” CNN, November 29, 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/politics/aby-rayyan-fbi-terror-sting-pizza-man/index.html; Niraj Warikoo, “Dearborn Heights man accused of supporting ISIS sentenced to 5 years,” Detroit Free Press, April 6, 2017, https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2017/04/06/khalil-abu-rayyan-isis/100090964/. He was active on social media and starting in November 2014, began to retweet, like, and comment on ISIS propaganda material on his Twitter account, @khalilray21. The propaganda included news of ISIS victories and violent execution videos. Rayyan also posted a photo in which he was holding a pistol and making a gesture that signaled his support for ISIS. The FBI began to investigate Rayyan beginning in May 2015 due to increasingly violent threats that he was making about committing terrorist attacks in the name of ISIS.“United States of America v. Khalil Abu Rayyan,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, February 4, 2016, https://media.clickondetroit.com/document_dev/2016/02/05/SKM_C554e16020515520_2078266_ver1.0.pdf. For example, he reportedly stated that he wanted to skin victims “like sheep.”Ed White, The Associated Press, “Khalil Abu Rayyan, Michigan Convict, Said He Wanted To Skin Victims ‘Like Sheep,’” Huffington Post, April 7, 2017, http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/04/07/khalil-abu-rayyan_n_15861684.html. In November, he began used the Twitter account @khalilabura21, and tweeted a photo of himself with a weapon at a firing range with the caption “sawat hunting”––sawat being a term for Iraqis who oppose ISIS.“United States of America v. Khalil Abu Rayyan,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, February 4, 2016, https://media.clickondetroit.com/document_dev/2016/02/05/SKM_C554e16020515520_2078266_ver1.0.pdf. Additionally, Rayyan also allegedly listened to extremist clerics such as Ahmad Jibril of Dearborn, Michigan, and al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.Niraj Warikoo, “Dearborn Heights man accused of supporting ISIS sentenced to 5 years,” Detroit Free Press, April 6, 2017, http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2017/04/06/khalil-abu-rayyan-isis/100090964/.

That December, an undercover FBI operative made contact with Rayyan over social media. In their conversations, Rayyan expressed his support for ISIS and stated that he carried the same type of gun used by ISIS fighters. He also told the FBI agent that bought bullets and made plans to “shoot up” a large church close to his place of employment in Detroit, but that his father found his materials in his car and stopped him before he could carry out the attack. Rayyan stated that he had wanted to target a church because “it’s easy, and a lot of people go there…Plus it would make the news.” He stated that he regretted not carrying out the attack, and that he wanted to “do [his] jihad over here” if he could not wage jihad in the Middle East.“United States of America v. Khalil Abu Rayyan,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, February 4, 2016, https://media.clickondetroit.com/document_dev/2016/02/05/SKM_C554e16020515520_2078266_ver1.0.pdf. When asked if he would kill women and children, Rayyan stated that “I would have killed every last one of them…I would have shown no mercy.” Ed White, The Associated Press, “Khalil Abu Rayyan, Michigan Convict, Said He Wanted To Skin Victims ‘Like Sheep,’” Huffington Post, April 7, 2017, http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/04/07/khalil-abu-rayyan_n_15861684.html. Investigators identified a church that fit Rayyan’s description that could hold up to 6,000 individuals.“United States of America v. Khalil Abu Rayyan,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, February 4, 2016, https://media.clickondetroit.com/document_dev/2016/02/05/SKM_C554e16020515520_2078266_ver1.0.pdf.

In January, Rayyan also stated to the undercover FBI operative that he wanted to kill the officer who arrested in him October, who was presently in the hospital. Rayyan expressed a desire to carry out a domestic terror attack in the hospital that the officer was at. Rayyan also told the operative that he carried a knife or sword in his car and that it was his “dream” to behead someone.“United States of America v. Khalil Abu Rayyan,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, February 4, 2016, https://media.clickondetroit.com/document_dev/2016/02/05/SKM_C554e16020515520_2078266_ver1.0.pdf.

Rayyan purchased a pistol on October 5, 2015. Two days later, he was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in an automobile and marijuana possession after he was stopped by a police officer for speeding, but was subsequently released on bail. He attempted to purchase another pistol after his release.“United States of America v. Khalil Abu Rayyan,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, February 4, 2016, https://media.clickondetroit.com/document_dev/2016/02/05/SKM_C554e16020515520_2078266_ver1.0.pdf. He was also given similar charges by a state court the following month and pled guilty to both. In February 2016, he was sentenced to two years of probation by a state judge.“United States of America v. Khalil Abu Rayyan,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, February 4, 2016, https://media.clickondetroit.com/document_dev/2016/02/05/SKM_C554e16020515520_2078266_ver1.0.pdf; “Dearborn Heights Resident Charged with Illegal Possession of Firearm,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 8, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/dearborn-heights-resident-charged-illegal-possession-firearm; “Accused ISIS sympathizer in Dearborn Heights sentenced for gun charge,” ClickOnDetroit, February 16, 2016, https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/dad-asks-judge-to-release-son-who-is-accused-of-church-plot_.

Rayyan was arrested again by FBI agents on February 4, 2016, for being a marijuana user in possession of a firearm.“United States of America v. Khalil Abu Rayyan,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, February 4, 2016, https://media.clickondetroit.com/document_dev/2016/02/05/SKM_C554e16020515520_2078266_ver1.0.pdf. He underwent federal trial the following year and was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison on April 6, 2017. The federal judge gave Rayyan a sentence greater than that recommended by federal guidelines for the charge due to Rayyan’s professed intentions to carry out a domestic terror attack.Orlandar Brand-Williams, “Accused ISIS supporter gets 5 years on firearm charges,” Detroit News, April 6, 2017, http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2017/04/06/accused-isis-supporter-sentenced/100135862/. He was released from prison on June 5, 2020.“KHALIL ABU-RAYYAN,” Find an Inmate – Federal Bureau of Prisons, accessed April 12, 2021, https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/.

Akayed Ullah is a Bangladeshi national and U.S. permanent resident who attempted to carry out a suicide bombing inside a New York City subway passageway near the Port Authority Bus Terminal on December 11, 2017.“Port Authority Blast Suspect Identified As Akayed Ullah, Is From Bangladesh and Lived In Brooklyn,” CBS New York, December 11, 2017, http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/12/11/port-authority-terror-suspect/; Alan Feuer, “Suspect in Times Square Bombing Leaves Trail of Mystery,” New York Times, December 11, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/nyregion/akayed-ullah-port-authority-bombing-suspect.html. The device only partially detonated, however, and the resulting explosion injured five people in addition to Ullah himself.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint; Lawrence Crook III and Darran Simon, “Manhattan bomb suspect makes court appearance – from hospital bed,” CNN, December 13, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/us/port-authority-bombing-suspect-court-appearance/index.html; Brynn Gingras et al., “5 hurt, suspect survives New York attempted suicide terror attack,” ABC 7 Eyewitness News, December 11, 2017, http://abc7ny.com/5-hurt-suspect-survives-nyc-attempted-suicide-terror-attack-/2768166/. Ullah had built the homemade explosive device using instructions that he had found online. He was taken into custody after the attempted attack and told authorities that he had carried it out in the name of ISIS.Tom Winter et al., “NYC explosion: Suspect in custody after ‘terror-related incident’ in subway,” NBC News, December 11, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nyc-authorities-respond-explosion-port-authority-bus-terminal-n828331; “U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint. On December 12, Ullah was charged with five counts relating to terrorism.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint. He was convicted on November 6, 2018.“Akayed Ullah Convicted for Detonation of a Bomb in New York City,” U.S. Department of Justice, November 6, 2018, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/akayed-ullah-convicted-detonation-bomb-new-york-city. Ullah was sentenced to life in prison on April 22, 2021.“Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for ISIS-inspired Bombing in New York City Subway Station in 2017,” U.S. Department of Justice, April 22, 2021, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/man-sentenced-life-prison-isis-inspired-bombing-new-york-city-subway-station-2017.

Ullah was reportedly born on the island of Sandwip in Bangladesh, but grew up in the country’s capital, Dhaka.Omar Tasiq, “NYC subway suspect Akayed Ullah had baby son in June,” NBC News, December 12, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/n-y-subway-suspect-akayed-ullah-had-baby-son-june-n828671. He immigrated legally to the United States with his parents and siblings in February 2011 on a family visa.“Port Authority Blast Suspect Identified As Akayed Ullah, Is From Bangladesh and Lived In Brooklyn,” CBS New York, December 11, 2017, http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/12/11/port-authority-terror-suspect/; “New York Port Authority attack: Akayed Ullah ‘inspired by IS,” BBC News, December 12, 2017, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42320366. Ullah and his family followed his uncle, who was already a U.S. citizen.Tom Hays, “Prosecutors seek life term for would-be NYC suicide bomber,” Associated Press, April 1, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/new-york-new-york-city-akayed-ullah-islamic-state-group-immigration-649361cefdddaf476dbd3e7a2f871da9. Ullah obtained a green card after his arrival, becoming a legal U.S. permanent resident and living in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, where there is a Bangladeshi community.“Port Authority Blast Suspect Identified As Akayed Ullah, Is From Bangladesh and Lived In Brooklyn,” CBS New York, December 11, 2017, http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/12/11/port-authority-terror-suspect/; Alan Feuer, “Suspect in Times Square Bombing Leaves Trail of Mystery,” New York Times, December 11, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/nyregion/akayed-ullah-port-authority-bombing-suspect.html. Ullah was reportedly religious and attended the Masjid Nur al Islam mosque in his neighborhood.Alan Feur and Luis Ferré-Sadurní, “For Bombing Suspect, a Life Split Between Bangladesh and Brooklyn,” New York Times, December 12, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/nyregion/subway-bombing-akayed-ullah-bangladesh.html.

Between March 2012 and March 2015, Ullah held a New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission driver’s license, but the Commission does not have any information on whether he was ever independently hired as a driver.Tom Winter et al., “NYC explosion: Suspect in custody after ‘terror-related incident’ in subway,” NBC News, December 11, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nyc-authorities-respond-explosion-port-authority-bus-terminal-n82833; Ray Sanchez and Joe Sterling, “Akayed Ullah: What we know about the Manhattan explosion suspect,” CNN, December 12, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/us/ny-suspect-what-we-know/index.html. Prior to his attempted attack, Ullah reportedly worked as an electrician, at times working near the Port Authority Bus Terminal.Alan Feuer, “Suspect in Times Square Bombing Leaves Trail of Mystery,” New York Times, December 11, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/nyregion/akayed-ullah-port-authority-bombing-suspect.html; Abigail Gepner et al., “Port Authority bombing suspect was ‘always angry,’” New York Post, December 11, 2017, https://nypost.com/2017/12/11/neighbors-say-port-authority-bombing-suspect-always-looked-angry/. Authorities report that he made a number of overseas trips, including trips to Dubai and Bangladesh.Alan Feuer, “Suspect in Times Square Bombing Leaves Trail of Mystery,” New York Times, December 11, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/nyregion/akayed-ullah-port-authority-bombing-suspect.html; Abigail Gepner et al., “Port Authority bombing suspect was ‘always angry,’” New York Post, December 11, 2017, https://nypost.com/2017/12/11/neighbors-say-port-authority-bombing-suspect-always-looked-angry/. On one of those trips to Bangladesh in 2016, he got married. His wife remained in Bangladesh, and he traveled there to visit her and their newborn son in September 2017.Omar Tasiq, “NYC subway suspect Akayed Ullah had baby son in June,” NBC News, December 12, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/n-y-subway-suspect-akayed-ullah-had-baby-son-june-n828671; Euan McKirdy and Sugam Pokharel, “New York bombing suspect’s wife ‘didn’t know about radicalization,’” CNN, December 13, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/us/port-authority-bombing-suspect-akayed-ullah/index.html. Prior to the attempted attack, he had no criminal record either in the United States or in Bangladesh.Abigail Gepner et al., “Port Authority bombing suspect was ‘always angry,’” New York Post, December 11, 2017, https://nypost.com/2017/12/11/neighbors-say-port-authority-bombing-suspect-always-looked-angry/.

According to the criminal complaint filed against him, Ullah’s radicalization began in 2014. He viewed ISIS propaganda materials online, including a video instructing ISIS supporters to conduct attacks in their home countries.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint. Bangladeshi authorities also revealed that Ullah had encouraged his wife to read texts by the radical Bangladeshi imam Jasimuddin Rahmani, who was allegedly inspired by al-Qaeda. Rahmani lead the Islamic extremist group Ansarullah Bangla Team and was implicated in the murders of atheist bloggers.Tracy Connor, “Akayed Ullah hears charges in NYC subway bombing from hospital bed,” NBC News, December 13, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/akayed-ullah-hears-charges-nyc-subway-bombing-hospital-bed-n829346. In 2016, Ullah began conducting Internet research on how to build an explosive device.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint. According to the New York Post, he used the instructions from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)’s online propaganda magazine Inspire.Abigail Gepner et al., “Port Authority bombing suspect was ‘always angry,’” New York Post, December 11, 2017, https://nypost.com/2017/12/11/neighbors-say-port-authority-bombing-suspect-always-looked-angry/. The criminal complaint alleges that he began collecting the necessary materials to build a bomb about two or three weeks before the attempted attack, and constructed the bomb in his Brooklyn apartment.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint. The materials that Ullah used included Christmas tree lights, wiring, metal screws, and a metal pipe that he reportedly obtained at a construction work site.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint; Alan Feuer, “Suspect in Times Square Bombing Leaves Trail of Mystery,” New York Times, December 11, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/nyregion/akayed-ullah-port-authority-bombing-suspect.html.

At approximately 7:20 a.m. on December 11, 2017, in the 42^nd Street underground passageway between New York City’s 7^th and 8^th Avenues, Ullah detonated an explosive device in an attempted attack that injured himself and at least five others.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint; Brynn Gingras et al., “5 hurt, suspect survives New York attempted suicide terror attack,” ABC 7 Eyewitness News, December 11, 2017, http://abc7ny.com/5-hurt-suspect-survives-nyc-attempted-suicide-terror-attack-/2768166/. The incident took place near New York City’s Port Authority Bus Terminal. Ullah had filled the device with metal screws with the intent to cause maximum damage and attached it to his body with plastic zip ties.Tom Winter et al., “NYC explosion: Suspect in custody after ‘terror-related incident’ in subway,” NBC News, December 11, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nyc-authorities-respond-explosion-port-authority-bus-terminal-n828331; “U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint. However, the device, which law enforcement officials deemed “low-tech,” only partially detonated: the explosive chemical ignited, but the pipe itself did not explode.Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, and Tracy Connor, “Akayed Ullah: NYC explosion suspect identified as 27-year-old Brooklyn man,” NBC News, December 11, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/akayed-ullah-nyc-explosion-suspect-identified-27-year-old-brooklyn-n828361; Lawrence Crook III and Darran Simon, “Manhattan bomb suspect makes court appearance – from hospital bed,” CNN, December 13, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/us/port-authority-bombing-suspect-court-appearance/index.html. After the attempted attack, he was taken into custody and transferred to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. None of the injuries inflicted were life-threatening.Tom Winter et al., “NYC explosion: Suspect in custody after ‘terror-related incident’ in subway,” NBC News, December 11, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nyc-authorities-respond-explosion-port-authority-bus-terminal-n828331.

Ullah reportedly acted alone in attempting to carry out the attack.Lawrence Crook III and Darran Simon, “Manhattan bomb suspect makes court appearance – from hospital bed,” CNN, December 13, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/us/port-authority-bombing-suspect-court-appearance/index.html. Ullah waived his Miranda rights after his arrest and told investigators that he carried out the bombing “for the Islamic State,” although he reportedly had no direct contact with the group.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint; “The Latest: Mayor of Paris sends message of support for NYC,” Associated Press, December 11, 2017, https://www.apnews.com/ec1f7c0078fd427699a96d4889939856; “Akayed Ullah Convicted for Detonation of a Bomb in New York City,” U.S. Department of Justice, November 6, 2018, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/akayed-ullah-convicted-detonation-bomb-new-york-city. While in custody, Ullah also reportedly told investigators that he had been inspired by previous Christmas terror attacks in Europe as well as ISIS propaganda materials encouraging a Christmas attack that featured an image of Santa Claus over Times Square, and chose the Port Authority Bus Terminal because of the holiday posters on the subway walls there.“New York Port Authority attack: Allah Ullah ‘inspired by IS,’” BBC News, December 12, 2017, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42320366; Ray Sanchez and Joe Sterling, “Akayed Ullah: What we know about the Manhattan explosion suspect,” CNN, December 12, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/us/ny-suspect-what-we-know/index.html. He also stated that he chose a workday to carry out the attack because he thought there would be more people in public.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint; Alan Feuer, “Suspect in Times Square Bombing Leaves Trail of Mystery,” New York Times, December 11, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/nyregion/akayed-ullah-port-authority-bombing-suspect.html.

According to the criminal complaint filed against him, Ullah attempted to carry out the attack because of the U.S. government’s policies in the Middle East.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint. Other sources reported that it was in retaliation for American airstrikes in Syria targeting ISIS members, for recent Israeli actions in Gaza, and for “decades of violence” against Muslims in Gaza, Syria, and Iraq.Alan Feuer, “Suspect in Times Square Bombing Leaves Trail of Mystery,” New York Times, December 11, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/nyregion/akayed-ullah-port-authority-bombing-suspect.html; Lawrence Crook III and Darran Simon, “Manhattan bomb suspect makes court appearance – from hospital bed,” CNN, December 13, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/us/port-authority-bombing-suspect-court-appearance/index.html; Shawn Cohen et al., “Suicide bombing suspect was a caber driver bent on revenge: cops,” New York Post, December 11, 2017, https://nypost.com/2017/12/11/suicide-bombing-suspect-was-a-cab-driver-bent-on-revenge-cops/. On the morning of December 11, before carrying out the attempted attack, Ullah made a Facebook post stating, “Trump you failed to protect your nation.” He also made a post implying that the attack would be carried out in the name of ISIS. Additionally, his passport contained a handwritten message that said, “O America, die in your rage.”“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint; Alan Feuer, “Suspect in Times Square Bombing Leaves Trail of Mystery,” New York Times, December 11, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/nyregion/akayed-ullah-port-authority-bombing-suspect.html. Investigators searching Ullah’s apartment after the bombing discovered pieces of metal pipes, Christmas lights, wires, and screws that match screws found at the scene.“Akayed Ullah Convicted for Detonation of a Bomb in New York City,” U.S. Department of Justice, November 6, 2018, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/akayed-ullah-convicted-detonation-bomb-new-york-city.

On December 12, 2017, Ullah was charged with five federal counts relating to terrorism: providing material support to ISIS, use of a weapon of mass destruction, bombing a public place, destruction of property, and use of a destructive device during a crime of violence.“U S v Akayed Ullah Complaint,” NPR, December 12, 2017, https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=4326962-U-S-v-Akayed-Ullah-Complaint. He was also charged with three state counts relating to terrorism. The charges were presented to him during a court hearing on December 13, which Ullah attended via video camera from his hospital bed.Lawrence Crook III and Darran Simon, “Manhattan bomb suspect makes court appearance – from hospital bed,” CNN, December 13, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/us/port-authority-bombing-suspect-court-appearance/index.html; Tracy Connor, “Akayed Ullah hears charges in NYC subway bombing from hospital bed,” NBC News, December 13, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/akayed-ullah-hears-charges-nyc-subway-bombing-hospital-bed-n829346.

In January 2018, Ullah pleaded not guilty to charges against him.Rana Novini and Jon Schuppe, “Akayed Ullah not guilty to botched New York subway bombing,” NBC News, January 11, 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/akayed-ullah-pleads-not-guilty-botched-new-york-subway-bombing-n836936. Nonetheless, during his federal trial Ullah’s attorneys did not dispute that he had attempted the suicide bombing.Benjamin Weiser and Emily Palmer, “Akayed Ullah Guilty of ISIS-Inspired Bombing Near Times Square,” New York Times, November 6, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/nyregion/port-authority-bombing-verdict.html. Prosecutors presented multiple surveillance videos of Ullah leaving his apartment, traveling to Times Square, and setting off the bomb.Benjamin Weiser, “The Subway Bomber’s Journey to 42nd Street, Captured on Camera,” New York Times, November 5, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/05/nyregion/port-authority-bomber-trial.html?module=inline. On November 5, 2018, Ullah was convicted on all charges in federal court. After jurors delivered the verdict, Ullah told the judge that he did not support ISIS and that he had in fact attempted the bombing out of anger at President Donald Trump because he had said he would “bomb the Middle East.”Benjamin Weiser and Emily Palmer, “Akayed Ullah Guilty of ISIS-Inspired Bombing Near Times Square,” New York Times, November 6, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/nyregion/port-authority-bombing-verdict.html. Ullah faces a life sentence.Benjamin Weiser and Emily Palmer, “Akayed Ullah Guilty of ISIS-Inspired Bombing Near Times Square,” New York Times, November 6, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/nyregion/port-authority-bombing-verdict.html. Although he was initially scheduled for sentencing in February 2020,Tareq Haddad, “Family of Convicted New York Pipe Bomb Detonator Facing Deportation as Unjust 'Collective Punishment,' They Say,” Newsweek, November 30, 2019, https://www.newsweek.com/family-new-york-terrorist-facing-deportation-collective-punishment-1474880. the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has indefinitely delayed Ullah’s sentencing hearing.Stephen Rex Brown, “NYC Judge Upholds Conviction of Port Authority Bomber Akayed Ullah,” Daily News, January 4, 2021, https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-port-authority-bomber-decision-20210104-b74ptfieiffxzo2hlm7lrbsr7u-story.html.

On January 4, 2021, a federal appeals judge declined to overturn Ullah’s guilty verdict. While his lawyers argued that Ullah had not acted on behalf of ISIS, the judge ruled that the evidence “amply establishes that Defendant acted at ISIS’s direction by heeding the call of the organization’s propaganda and recruiting materials.”Rebecca Rosenberg, “Judge Upholds Conviction for Subway Bomber Akayed Ullah,” New York Post, January 4, 2021, https://nypost.com/2021/01/04/judge-upholds-conviction-for-subway-bomber-akayed-ullah/; Larry Neumeister, “Judge Rejects NYC Subway Bomber's Conviction Challenge,” NBC4 New York, January 4, 2021, https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/judge-rejects-nyc-subway-bombers-conviction-challenge/2810607/. Ullah was sentenced to life in prison on April 22, 2021. According to federal Judge Richard J. Sullivan, Ullah’s failure to execute the attack did not alleviate his responsibility for a “calculated, premeditated decision to kill as many people” as possible.Benjamin Weiser, “Port Authority Bomber Is Sentenced to Life in Prison,” New York Times, April 22, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/22/nyregion/akayed-ullah-port-authority-pipe-bomb.html.