Green Energy
Muckraker:
Feds Say Va. Man Threatened Metro System On Facebook
Ryan J. Reilly
A 26-year-old Virginia man is being held in federal custody after he allegedly threatened to set off bombs on the D.C. Metro system. The FBI was alerted to the threats, allegedly sent on Facebook's instant messaging system, by an informant before any plot was developed.
Awais Younis, who also goes by the names Sundullah "Sunny" Ghilzai and Mohhanme Khan, was arrested on Dec. 7. According to federal authorities, he described how to build a pipe bomb and said he'd place bombs on the third and fifth cars of Metro trains since those trains had the highest number of commuters on them.
The nature of the messages Younis allegedly sent to the FBI's complainant indicates they had a close relationship. The complainant, who is a woman according to Younis' Facebook messages, contacted the FBI's New Orleans Office in late November.
Joseph Lesinski, a special agent with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, wrote in an affidavit that the Afghanistan-born Younis said he could put a bomb underneath a sewer head in Georgetown during rush hour.
The woman told authorities she was worried because her father works in D.C. and rides the Metro to work. It was the second potential threat against the Metro system in recent months. In a sting operation that unfolded in October, the FBI arrested a 34-year-old man who thought he was working with members of al Qaeda to attack Metro stations.
According an an affidavit, Younis wrote to the woman on Dec. 5:
Another photo posted on Dec. 1 shows a hand holding rifle rounds for a machine gun with the caption reading "bullet behind every rock." The complainant to the FBI that Younis recently stated on Facebook that "Christmas trees were going to go boom," a possible reference to the plot against a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Oregon.
The FBI sent a preservation request to Facebook for Ghilzai's profile on Dec. 2. His Facebook profile says he attended George Mason University where he studied biology and chemistry.
Late Update: "Younis has not been charged with any federal terrorism violation," Peter Carr of the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia told TPM in a statement. "Younis has a detention hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia scheduled for Dec. 21. The public should be reassured that his activities prior to his arrest were carefully monitored and that there is no threat against Metrorail or the general public in the Washington, D.C., area."
While the Facebook profile associated with Younis indicates he was born in 1984, federal records indicate Younis was born in 1985 and is 25-years-old, said Carr.
- Muslim "refugee" And Isis Follower Arrested After Planning Bomb Attacks At Houston Malls
From Reuters: A Palestinian born in Iraq who entered the United States as a refugee was an Islamic State sympathizer planning to set off bombs at two Houston malls, a federal investigator was quoted as telling a U.S. court on Wednesday. U.S. investigators...
- Disgrace: Joe Sacco's Gaza Propaganda Wins Award In Oregon
The Oregonian says: Joe Sacco's "Footnotes in Gaza," the presumptive favorite, won the first Graphic Literature Award Monday night at the 25th annual Oregon Book Awards at the Gerding Theater. Better late than never.Ugh, and they even make their own...
-
Fox: Exclusive: Feds arrest man allegedly heading to U.S. Capitol for suicide mission after sting investigation By Mike Levine Authorities have arrested a man allegedly on his way to the U.S. Capitol for what he thought would be a suicide attack on one...
-
Breaking: Feds Arrest Somali-Born Teen in Car Bomb Plot at Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony How come the Feds only nail them in sting operations and leave it to civilians to stop the active real plots? Huh? This is the kind of attack I've...
- Yet Another Gormless Shahid Wannabe Arrested In Virginia
Breaking report on the latest al Qaeda groupie and shahid wannabe's ineptitude exposed by an FB of I sting. VA. Man Arrested For Plotting DC Attacks October 27, 2010 - 1:33 PM by: Mike Levine A Virginia man has been arrested for allegedly trying...
Green Energy
Muckraker:
Feds Say Va. Man Threatened Metro System On Facebook
Ryan J. Reilly
A 26-year-old Virginia man is being held in federal custody after he allegedly threatened to set off bombs on the D.C. Metro system. The FBI was alerted to the threats, allegedly sent on Facebook's instant messaging system, by an informant before any plot was developed.
Awais Younis, who also goes by the names Sundullah "Sunny" Ghilzai and Mohhanme Khan, was arrested on Dec. 7. According to federal authorities, he described how to build a pipe bomb and said he'd place bombs on the third and fifth cars of Metro trains since those trains had the highest number of commuters on them.
The nature of the messages Younis allegedly sent to the FBI's complainant indicates they had a close relationship. The complainant, who is a woman according to Younis' Facebook messages, contacted the FBI's New Orleans Office in late November.
Joseph Lesinski, a special agent with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, wrote in an affidavit that the Afghanistan-born Younis said he could put a bomb underneath a sewer head in Georgetown during rush hour.
The woman told authorities she was worried because her father works in D.C. and rides the Metro to work. It was the second potential threat against the Metro system in recent months. In a sting operation that unfolded in October, the FBI arrested a 34-year-old man who thought he was working with members of al Qaeda to attack Metro stations.
According an an affidavit, Younis wrote to the woman on Dec. 5:
"you are sticking your nose where it doesn't belong into something bigger then
you and I. that is the problem with Americans they cant leave well enough alone
until something happends then they sit there wondering why we dropped the twin
towers like a bad habit hahaha. im telling you right now you are going to regret
doing what you did. for your peace i hope what i am hearing is all lies."The
affidavit states that a photograph on Facebook shows Younis "in Afghanistan
holding an AK-47 rifle with his uncle standing in front of a tent with
explosives in the tent. The caption for the photograph read, 'My family
business'."
Another photo posted on Dec. 1 shows a hand holding rifle rounds for a machine gun with the caption reading "bullet behind every rock." The complainant to the FBI that Younis recently stated on Facebook that "Christmas trees were going to go boom," a possible reference to the plot against a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Oregon.
The FBI sent a preservation request to Facebook for Ghilzai's profile on Dec. 2. His Facebook profile says he attended George Mason University where he studied biology and chemistry.
Late Update: "Younis has not been charged with any federal terrorism violation," Peter Carr of the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia told TPM in a statement. "Younis has a detention hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia scheduled for Dec. 21. The public should be reassured that his activities prior to his arrest were carefully monitored and that there is no threat against Metrorail or the general public in the Washington, D.C., area."
While the Facebook profile associated with Younis indicates he was born in 1984, federal records indicate Younis was born in 1985 and is 25-years-old, said Carr.
- Muslim "refugee" And Isis Follower Arrested After Planning Bomb Attacks At Houston Malls
From Reuters: A Palestinian born in Iraq who entered the United States as a refugee was an Islamic State sympathizer planning to set off bombs at two Houston malls, a federal investigator was quoted as telling a U.S. court on Wednesday. U.S. investigators...
- Disgrace: Joe Sacco's Gaza Propaganda Wins Award In Oregon
The Oregonian says: Joe Sacco's "Footnotes in Gaza," the presumptive favorite, won the first Graphic Literature Award Monday night at the 25th annual Oregon Book Awards at the Gerding Theater. Better late than never.Ugh, and they even make their own...
-
Fox: Exclusive: Feds arrest man allegedly heading to U.S. Capitol for suicide mission after sting investigation By Mike Levine Authorities have arrested a man allegedly on his way to the U.S. Capitol for what he thought would be a suicide attack on one...
-
Breaking: Feds Arrest Somali-Born Teen in Car Bomb Plot at Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony How come the Feds only nail them in sting operations and leave it to civilians to stop the active real plots? Huh? This is the kind of attack I've...
- Yet Another Gormless Shahid Wannabe Arrested In Virginia
Breaking report on the latest al Qaeda groupie and shahid wannabe's ineptitude exposed by an FB of I sting. VA. Man Arrested For Plotting DC Attacks October 27, 2010 - 1:33 PM by: Mike Levine A Virginia man has been arrested for allegedly trying...