December 8 , 2006

American-Born Muslim Arrested for Plotting Jihad Outside Chicago

An American-born Muslim man was arrested today after plotting to set off hand grendades in a shopping mall outside Chicago. Authorities say 22-year-old Derrick Shareef told an FBI informant that he wanted to commit acts of "violent jihad" against civilians. An undercover agent arrested him after he reportedly tried to trade stereo speakers for four hand grenades and a handgun. Federal officials say he's a homegrown jihadist, with no links to al-Qaeda or any larger terror organization. Here's more, from AP:

Derrick Shareef, 22, of Rockford, was arrested Wednesday when he met with an undercover agent in a parking lot to trade a set of stereo speakers for four hand grenades and a handgun.

Shareef was acting alone and not in concert with any terrorist group, authorities said.

Officials said Shareef had been under investigation since September, when he told an acquaintance that "he wanted to commit acts of violent jihad against targets in the United States as well as commit other crimes."

The acquaintance immediately informed the FBI, officials said.

Federal officials said Shareef planned to set off four hand grenades in garbage cans at the CherryVale shopping mall in Rockford, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago.

He was charged with one count of attempting to damage or destroy a building by fire or explosion and one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.

"While these are very serious charges, at no time was the public in any imminent peril," U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a news release.

Other potential targets that Shareef allegedly discussed included government facilities such as courthouses and city hall, authorities said.

Read the affidavit for the case--which provides a fascinating glimpse into the jihadist mindset--here. A "lone wolf" like Shareef is, in my opinion, the most likely source of the next terrorist attack on U.S. soil. We've seen several of these homegrown, non-affiliated jihadists already, most notably North Carolina's Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar and Seattle's Naveed Haq.

It may only be a matter of time before one or several of them breaks through with a truly devastating attack on U.S. soil. Shareef's planned grenade attack on a suburban shopping mall could certainly have fit that bill, at the same time causing mass hysteria (and economic damage) during the busy Christmas shopping season.