US Soldier Naser Jason Abdo Plan to Bomb Restau. Frequented by Military Foiled

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/cops-soldier-had-explosives-in-car
Army: GI admits to Ft. Hood attack plan
July 28, 2011

FORT HOOD, Texas (KXAN/AP) - An AWOL Muslim soldier who had weapons stashed in a motel room near Fort Hood admitted planning an attack on the Texas post, where 13 people died in 2009 in the worst mass shooting ever on a U.S. military installation, the Army said in an alert issued Thursday.

Police and military officials said Army Pfc. Naser J. Abdo, 21, assigned to Ft. Campbell, Ky., was overheard making the statements and that after his arrest, he kept making them. He was arrested in Killeen on Wednesday.

Federal officials said a search of Abdo's motel room in Killeen turned up explosives. The Public Affairs Officer at Fort Hood said Killeen police arrested Abdo, who allegedly had explosives and weapons.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved in the investigation.
More...
(Video at Link)

Police Chief Dennis Baldwin, Killeen Police Department, said Thursday in an afternoon press conference that Abdo was arrested at 2:03 p.m. on Wednesday on a warrant from Fort Campbell Provost Marshal's Office, charged with possession of obscene materials and  being absent without leave. Baldwin said he anticipated federal charges against Abdo are to come in the future. He said there are no threats to the community  now.

Baldwin said it did not appear that Abdo was working in concert with anyone else.

[MuffyBee]

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/07/28/fort.hood.arrest/
Official: Soldier said he wanted to attack Fort Hood troops
July 28, 2011

Killeen, Texas (CNN) -- An AWOL Muslim American Army private arrested near Fort Hood has told investigators that he wanted to attack fellow soldiers at the military base, the police chief in Killeen, Texas, said Thursday.

"Military personnel were a target of this suspect," Chief Dennis Baldwin told reporters about Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo, who is expected to face federal charges. Baldwin said Abdo, who was arrested Wednesday, had no accomplices, "as far as I know."

He added, "We are not aware of any additional threats to the safety of our community."

FBI agents discovered potential bomb-making materials in Abdo's hotel room, FBI spokesman Erik Vasys said. Abdo, 21, had refused to deploy to Afghanistan and later went AWOL from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, after being charged with possession of child pornography, Vasys said.

After a tip-off on Tuesday from a local gun shop, Killeen police arrested Abdo at a traffic stop, officials said. He was taken into custody without incident and is being held in Killeen City Jail.

"He's a very dangerous individual and he is where he needs to be," Baldwin said.

Asked how close Abdo may have come to pulling off an attack, Baldwin said, "I can tell you that we would probably be here today giving you a different briefing had he not been stopped."
More...
(Video at Link)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2011/07/29/defiant_abdo_formally_charged.html
Defiant Abdo formally charged in bomb plot
July 29, 2010

In what is being described as a wild scene inside a Waco federal courtroom, AWOL soldier Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo, yelled out the name of accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan during his initial court hearing this morning.

Abdo was charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to a criminal complaint unsealed today. According to the office of U.S. Attorney John Murphy, officials found bomb making materials including gunpowder, two clocks, spools of auto wire, an electric drill, two pressure cookers and an article titled “Make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom.”

According to the complaint, Abdo planned two build two bombs and detonate them inside a restaurant frequented by Fort Hood soldiers.

Abdo’s outburst was the latest indication that the 21-year-old Fort Campbell soldier was inspired by Hasan, who is facing 13 counts of premeditated murder in the Nov. 5, 2009, shooting rampage at a Fort Hood medical processing center. According to a senior military official with knowledge of the investigation, Abdo told investigators that he was trying to keep Hasan’s cause “on the radar.”
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Abdo had recently won conscientious objector status based on his Muslim faith, but shortly before he was to be discharged, was charged with having child pornography on his government computer. Before his court-martial could begin, Abdo fled Fort Campbell, Ky., on July 4.
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According to the Dallas Morning News, Abdo’s father was deported to Jordan in 2010 after serving a prison sentence for soliciting sex from a minor.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/PFC-Abdo-charged-Friday-in-Federal-Court-126430283.html
Pfc. Abdo charged Friday in federal court
July 29, 2011

KILLEEN, TX -- On Friday Pfc. Nasser Jason Abdo left a federal courthouse in Waco under heavily-armed guard. Shackled and wearing a white jump suite with the collar up, he had faced federal charges only minutes before.

No recorded devices were allowed inside.

The judge charged Abdo with the possession of an unregistered destructive device. Prosecutors say the charge could land him up to 10 years in prison.

Even more unusual than what appeared to be a light charge, however, was Abdo’s behavior just before he left.

In Arabic and in English he shouted at the media. “Iraq 2006” and “Fort Hood 2009” he yelled, as U.S. Marshals ushered him away.
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On Friday, a federal affidavit gave more insight into just what Abdo may have been doing. It revealed that he told authorities he would set off a bomb at an unspecified restaurant frequented by soldiers from Fort Hood. It did not reveal which restaurant in particular.

The affidavit also revealed a list of items found in Abdo's hotel room. They included an electric drill, two clocks, six ammunition magazines, four razor blades, shotgun pellets and two pressure cookers.

Abdo is due back in court next week. He has appointed an attorney who was out of town Friday and unable to comment on the case.
(Video at Link)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kcentv.com/story/15182628/naser-abdo-back-in-federal-court-next-week
Naser Abdo back in federal court next week
July 31, 2011

21-year-old Fort Cambell soldier Naser Abdo, who was accused of being the mastermind behind a plan to attack Fort Hood soldiers, will be back in federal court this week.
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Abdo was arraigned last Friday on a charge of "Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device." He is scheduled to be back in court in Waco on Thursday. In the meantime, he is being held in the McLennan county jail.
Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/09/national/main20090263.shtml?tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.2
AWOL Fort Hood soldier indicted for bomb plot
August 9, 2011


A booking photo of Army Pfc. Nasser Jason Abdo, July 28, 2011. (CBS)

CBS/AP)

WACO, Texas - An AWOL soldier has been indicted on three federal charges in connection with a plot to bomb Fort Hood soldiers in Texas.

Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Waco.

He's charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition by a fugitive from justice.

The 21-year-old Abdo faces up to 10 years in federal prison on each charge if convicted.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.kwtx.com/news/headlines/Two_Federal_Defendants_Waive_Thursday_Appearances_Wont_Show.html?ref=188
Two Federal Defendants Waive Thursday Appearances, Won’t Show
August 18, 2011

WACO (August 18, 2011)—Accused Fort Hood terror plotter Naser Jason Abdo was set to appear in federal magistrate court Thursday but he chose to waive his arraignment and will not appear, according to a court docket.

Federal magistrate Jeffrey C. Manske will take no additional action against the soldier, who prosecutors say planned to explode a bomb at a Killeen restaurant with the intent to kill soldiers.
Click here to find out more!

On Aug. 9 a federal grand jury in Waco returned an indictment against Abdo, 21, charging possession of an unregistered destructive device, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition by a fugitive from justice.

Abdo was arrested on July 27 at a hotel in Killeen after a clerk at a local gun store alerted authorities about a man who bought a quantity of gunpowder.

The indictment alleges that Abdo had shotgun shells and pellets, six containers of smokeless gunpowder, two clocks, two spools of auto wire, an electric drill, two pressure cookers and instructions on how to build a bomb.

Waco defense attorney Keith Dorsett, appointed by the court to represent Abdo, filed the waiver Tuesday as well as a motion seeking a gag order in the case.

The order would prevent anyone associated with prosecuting, defending or testifying in the case from speaking with the media in an effort to preserve the jury pool that might be selected to hear the evidence.

Dorsett said the attention paid the high profile case could easily taint the outcome and result in prejudice against his client.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2011/09/01/abdo_trial_could_begin_next_mo.html
Trial of Fort Hood bomb plot suspect could begin next month
September 1, 2011

A trial for Naser Jason Abdo, the AWOL soldier accused of plotting a bomb attack on Fort Hood soldiers, could begin next month, according to a scheduling order from U.S. District Judge Walter Smith.

Smith set a tentative start date for Oct. 17 at the United States Courthouse in Waco. He also set an Oct. 3 deadline for attorneys to reach a plea bargain. A hearing on pending motions has been scheduled for 1 p.m. Sept. 21.

Last month, Abdo was indicted on charges of possession of an unregistered destructive device and possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition by a fugitive from justice. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the three charges if convicted.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/AWOL-soldier-arrested-in-Killeen-pleads-not-guilty-131864568.html
Soldier arrested in Ft. Hood bomb plot pleads not guilty
October 14, 2011

KILLEEN, Texas -- The AWOL soldier accused of plotting an attack on Fort Hood has pleaded not guilty.
Naser Abdo was arrested earlier this year in Killeen.
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Abdo's trial is now scheduled to begin in late January 2012 in Waco.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/williamson/more-serious-charges-filed-against-abdo-1957922.html
More serious charges filed against Abdo
November 8, 2011

A federal grand jury on Tuesday approved more serious charges against an AWOL soldier who prosecutors said was planning to detonate a bomb at a restaurant frequented by Fort Hood soldiers in Killeen, officials said.

Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo, 21, is now charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder of officers or employees of the United States, two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a federal crime of violence and two counts of possession of a destructive device in furtherance of a federal crime of violence, U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Cory B. Nelson said in a news release.

The new charges have minimum penalties ranging from five years to life in prison, the release said.

Investigators have said they found a handgun, an article on bomb-making, gunpowder, shrapnel and pressure cookers in the Killeen motel where Abdo was staying. A bomb-making article with the same title appears in an al Qaeda magazine, officials have said.

After Abdo was arrested at the motel in July, he told authorities he planned to make two bombs and detonate them in a restaurant where Fort Hood soldiers eat, according to documents filed in the case.

"I think the charges speak for themselves," U.S. attorney spokesman Daryl Fields said when asked why prosecutors asked for the new charges.

Abdo's attorney has said the materials are common items and that he did not posses a fully assembled bomb.
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Police were tipped off to Abdo on July 26, when a Killeen gun shop clerk noticed that the soldier acted oddly while purchasing gunpowder, shotgun ammunition and a semiautomatic pistol magazine, prosecutors have said.

The clerk, a retired police officer, told police that Abdo arrived at the gun shop in a taxi and bought 6 pounds of smokeless gunpowder, though he asked what it was. Abdo paid in cash and didn't bother to collect his change or a receipt before returning to the taxi, prosecutors have said.

Abdo was arrested the next day after police searched his motel room just blocks from Fort Hood.

A day after his arrest, Abdo shouted "Nidal Hasan Fort Hood 2009!" as he was led out of a federal courtroom, an apparent homage to the suspect in the worst mass shooting on a U.S. military installation. Abdo condemned that attack less than a year ago.

Abdo was initially indicted Aug. 9 and charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition by a fugitive from justice; each charge had a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Those charges remain in effect, but prosecutors will first proceed on charges in Tuesday 's indictment, called a superceding indictment.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/FtHood-bomb-suspect-back-in-court-134030508.html
Ft. Hood bomb suspect back in court
November 17, 2011

FORT HOOD, Texas -- The soldier accused of plotting to bomb a restaurant frequented by soldiers is set to return to federal court Thursday.

Private First Class Naser Abdo is being arraigned on six new charges, including trying to use a weapon of mass destruction. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
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Video at link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/fort-hood-bomb-suspect-gets-new-lawyer
Fort Hood bomb suspect gets new lawyer
Had disagreement with first appointed attorney
December 22, 2011

WACO, Texas (AP) — A federal judge has appointed a new attorney for the soldier charged with planning to blow up a restaurant filled with Fort Hood troops.

Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo told the judge Thursday that he disagreed with his court-appointed attorneys over trial strategies.
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He said his request shouldn't delay his Jan. 23 trial. But the judge in Waco said he'd decide that later.
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[MuffyBee]

Listed on "Worst Crimes of 2011" by the FBI:

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/273146/20111227/fbi-releases-worst-crimes-2011.htm
FBI Releases Worst Crimes of 2011
By Michael Billera
December 27, 2011

In a press release, the FBI released its top terrorism cases this year.
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Texas bomb plot: A 21-year-old soldier who was absent without leave was charged in July with planning to detonate a bomb inside a restaurant frequented by soldiers from Fort Hood. When he was arrested, the individual was in possession of a variety of bomb-making components. In November he was charged with additional crimes including attempted murder. Details at link:

http://www.fbi.gov/sanantonio/press-releases/2011/federal-grand-jury-returns-superseding-indictment-against-naser-jason-abdo-in-connection-with-bomb-plot

[MuffyBee]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/04/us-usa-security-napolitano-idUSBRE83318H20120404
French militant attack underscores need for U.S. vigilance: U.S. official
April 5, 2012


(Reuters) - Recent attacks by an al Qaeda-inspired gunman in France highlight the need for enhanced cooperation between U.S. federal and local police to thwart domestic attacks, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Wednesday.
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"What we see now is a conscious effort by terrorists to recruit persons who are already in the United States and who may be unknown to the law enforcement and intelligence communities," Napolitano said.

"Because we are in an environment where it's not the megaplot hatched overseas with people who fly into the United States as we saw in the attacks of 9/11 ... but it can be people who are right here and who we don't have much knowledge about.

"That means that local law enforcement is often in the best position to notice ... signs of potential terrorist activity, and this has a profound impact on how we approach homeland security," she added.

Napolitano spoke at a training event for National Fusion Centers, which bring together federal, state and local authorities to investigate leads and share information on militancy, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Napolitano highlighted recent collaborative efforts between U.S. federal and local authorities in thwarting potential attacks in New York and Texas in the past two years.

A Pakistani-born U.S. citizen, Faisal Shahzad, drove a sport utility vehicle packed with a crude bomb into the heart of Times Square in New York in May 2010. The bomb was spotted by an alert passerby, and Shahzad was caught days later as he tried to fly to Dubai.

U.S. Army soldier Naser Jason Abdo, was arrested near Fort Hood in Texas last July after materials that authorities said could have made a bomb were discovered in his motel room in Killeen.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/146404205.html
Lawyers For Soldier Accused Of Plotting Local Attack Want Case Tossed
April 6, 2012

WACO (April 6, 2012)—Attorneys for the AWOL soldier who is accused of plotting to blow up restaurants in Killeen where soldiers frequented say his confession should be thrown out.

Defense attorneys late Thursday afternoon filed a motion in federal court asking Judge Walter S. Smith to deny prosecutors from presenting a confession made by PFC Naser Jason Abdo because they say FBI agents who obtained the confession had denied Abdo his right to legal counsel before the confession was made.

The motion also seeks dismissal of any evidence obtained as a result of Abdo’s July 27, 2011 arrest because defense attorneys claim Abdo was not read his Miranda rights when he was arrested.

Zachary Boyd, a Copperas Cove attorney who is representing Abdo, filed a series of motions Thursday in federal district court in Waco, the last day Judge Smith had set aside for motions to be filed.

Smith also set an April 20 hearing date for motions.

The trial date is May 21.

Abdo initially was indicted on three charges in August 2011.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/judge-wont-toss-confession-1423091.html
Judge won't toss confession in Fort Hood bomb plot
By ANGELA K. BROWN - The Associated Press
April 20, 2012

WACO, Texas — A federal judge on Friday rejected a defense motion to throw out a confession from the soldier accused of planning to bomb a Texas restaurant filled with Fort Hood troops.
Lawyers for Army Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo say authorities did not read his Miranda rights or grant his request for a lawyer before he told them of plans to blow up the building and shoot survivors. They also asked the judge to suppress evidence obtained after Abdo was detained in July at a Killeen motel near the Texas Army post.

U.S. District Judge Walter Smith rejected the motions Friday after a four-hour hearing in Waco.

Abdo, 22, faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and eight other charges. His trial is set for May.

In a muffled recording played in court Friday, a Killeen police detective, Sgt. Eric Bradley, is heard saying he saw footage of Abdo in area stores and asking if the soldier knew about events in Killeen, including the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood in which an Army psychiatrist is charged.

Abdo tells the detective in the recording that he applied for conscientious objector status but it was put on hold after he was charged with having child pornography.

"So I'm AWOL ... and I was planning an attack here in the Fort Hood community," Abdo says in the recording.

Another Killeen detective testified that he read Abdo his Miranda rights shortly after placing him in a police car, but said the audio did not record because of a delay and no other officers were present. Bradley talked to Abdo in the police car after that.
C. Michael Owens, an FBI special agent, testified that he read Miranda rights to Abdo twice — before interviews with him on July 27 and 28. Prosecutors showed documents signed by Abdo agreeing to talk to investigators and waiving his rights to an attorney. During the first six-hour interview, Abdo said he was in Killeen to make things right with Allah because he had sinned against Allah, Owens testified.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/149228465.html
Accused Killeen Bomb Plotter Charged For Attacking A County Jailer
April 27, 2012

WACO (April 27, 2012)—Accused Killeen terrorist plotter Naser Jason Abdo now faces a new charge for assault on a public servant.

McLennan County Jail records show Abdo was charged through a document filed in McLennan County Justice of the Peace Billy Martin’s court.

The bond set on the state charge is $10,000.

The charge was brought by the McLennan County Sheriff’s office after a county jailer reported Abdo scratched him while in jail custody.

A complaint issued against Abdo states on April 26 the suspect admitted he scratched jailer Joseph Stewart’s arm deeply enough to make it bleed.

The assault, according to the affidavit, happened outside a housing unit at the jail on Highway 6.

Abdo, who's accused of plotting to set off a bomb in a restaurant frequented by Fort Hood soldiers, attacked a U.S. marshal and a deputy sheriff who were escorting him back to jail last Friday evening after a pretrial hearing in U.S. District Court in Waco.

Abdo and the two officers were in an elevator in the Waco Federal Building when he bit completely through his lip and then spat what one source said was a significant amount of blood on the two officers.

The incident happened after U.S. District Judge Walter Smith ruled that Abdo's confession is admissible.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/284867/trial-starting-for-fort-hood-bomb-plot-suspect
Trial starting for Fort Hood bomb plot suspect
May 21, 2012

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of a soldier accused of planning to bomb a Texas restaurant filled with Fort Hood troops last summer.

Twenty-two-year-old Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and other charges. His trial is in federal court in Waco.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/awol-soldier-planned-to-bomb-killeen-restaurant-then-2370745.html
AWOL soldier planned to bomb Killeen restaurant, then shoot survivors, FBI agent testifies
By Jeremy Schwartz
May 23, 2012

WACO — Pfc. Naser Abdo told investigators he came to Killeen last year to "martyr himself" and "remind people" of Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, according to testimony Tuesday in Abdo's federal trial.

Austin-based FBI Special Agent Charles Michael Owens testified that Abdo told him he planned to disguise a bomb in a gift box and leave it at a Chinese restaurant popular with Fort Hood soldiers. He then planned to shoot the survivors, Owens testified.

Abdo, who was arrested July 27 in Killeen, faces life in prison on numerous charges, including possession of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder.

Owens, who said he interrogated Abdo for about 11 hours over two days, testified that Abdo referred to potential civilian casualties in the planned attack as "collateral damage." The agent said Abdo told him he was carrying out the bombing for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan who had been wronged by American troops or suffered atrocities.

Federal prosecutor Gregg Sofer told jurors during opening statements that Abdo was "only hours away from finishing construction" of a homemade bomb when he was arrested. Sofer referred to the planned bomb as an improvised explosive device, or IED, employing language commonly used by the U.S. military to describe bombs used by insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan against American troops.

Abdo's attorney, Zachary Boyd of Copperas Cove, told jurors that his client never built a bomb. "What the evidence is going to show is that things were purchased, lawful things," he said during opening statements. "There was no bomb. ... The government will not be able to get around that fact."

Police found pressure cookers, clocks and electrical wire in Abdo's backpack and room when he was arrested at a Killeen motel just outside Fort Hood, along with a bomb-building article from an al Qaeda magazine.
More....

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/Testimony-ending-in-Fort-Hood-suspects-trial-153590485.html
Testimony ending in Fort Hood suspect's trial
May 24, 2012