Man indicted for attempted bombing of Chicago bar

CHICAGO (Reuters) - An 18-year-old man his attorney described as a "misguided kid" was denied bail and indicted on Thursday for attempting to detonate what he thought was a car bomb outside a Chicago bar.

Adel Daoud was subdued in federal court, dressed in bright orange prison clothing with shackled legs, a mop of frizzy black hair and a sparse beard and mustache. He exchanged a few words with his attorney but said nothing during the hearing.

Daoud, a U.S. citizen who lives in the Chicago suburb of Hillside, was arrested on September 10 after trying to explode a fake bomb provided by an undercover FBI agent as part of an investigation lasting several months, authorities said.

A grand jury on Thursday indicted him on two counts of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and maliciously attempting to use an explosive to destroy a building. If convicted on the first count, Daoud faces up to life in prison.

Daoud's attorney Thomas Durkin argued before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys that Daoud had been entrapped by the FBI and "this kid couldn't build a bomb if his life depended on it."

But Assistant U.S. Attorney William Ridgway read through details of the charges against Daoud with evidence recorded over months, including alleged comments that Daoud said he would "only be satisfied of 100 were killed and 300 injured" in the attack. Daoud had repeatedly rejected suggestions to delay or halt plans for the attack, Ridgway said.

Ridgway described Daoud as deceptive, charismatic and knowledgeable, arguing that the defendant was dangerous and a flight risk. The judge agreed.

"The evidence shows he was predisposed to do it before the FBI" got involved, Judge Keys said of the bomb plot, adding that Daoud appeared to have "a strong desire to kill Americans, felt justified in doing so, and the more he could kill the better."

The judge ordered Daoud held without bail after the 20-minute hearing. Daoud shuffled out silently but glanced at his father, Ahmed, who was seated in the front row at court.

According to an FBI affidavit, Daoud used email accounts starting in about October 2011 to gather and send materials "relating to violent jihad and the killing of Americans."

Undercover FBI employees began corresponding with Daoud in May and later provided Daoud with a Jeep apparently full of explosives - but which was an inert device produced by undercover law enforcement, according to the affidavit. Daoud was arrested after trying to detonate it outside a downtown bar located near the Chicago Board of Trade building.

Durkin, who has experience as a defense lawyer in terrorist trials including representing detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, told reporters after the hearing that he was not surprised by the denial of bail.

"No judge in the world is going to let anybody out on a terrorism case," he said.

But he accused the FBI of coming down hard on Daoud because Islam and terrorism were involved and despite evidence that his father and two religious leaders had tried to dissuade Daoud from "ideas" like jihad.

"Anybody at 18 years old who was raised in America who would be seriously questioning those type of values I would think might have some mental issues, and I think the FBI would know that as well," Durkin told reporters.

The next hearing will be an arraignment before U.S. District Judge Sharon Coleman. No date was set.

(Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-indicted-attempted-bombing-chicago-bar-232230552.html

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