Feds Nab Man In Alleged Mall Bomb Plot

22-Year-Old Charged With Planning Dec. 22 Grenade Attack On Rockford, Ill. Mall

(CBS/AP)  A Muslim convert who talked about his desire to wage jihad against civilians was charged Friday in a plot to set off hand grenades at a shopping mall during the Christmas rush, authorities said.

Investigators said Derrick Shareef, 22, an American citizen from Rockford, was acting alone and never actually obtained any grenades. He 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 gun, authorities said.

“He fixed on a day of December 22nd on Friday ... because it was the Friday before Christmas and thought that would be the highest concentration of shoppers that he could kill and injure,” said Robert Grant, the agent in charge of the Chicago FBI office.

Shareef is a lone operator with no ties to any known terrorist organization, CBS News reports.

Authorities 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.

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

Law enforcement officials added that the alleged plot was not on the level of 9/11, and even "three rungs below" the recent Miami plot that was disrupted. That plot involved alleged plans to blow up Chicago's Sears Tower, CBS station WBBM-TV in Chicago reports.

“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 statement.

Shareef, who was born in the United States, 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.

Shareef and his acquaintance cased the mall on Nov. 30, discussing the layout and spots where they might set off several grenades simultaneously to create more pandemonium, according to an FBI affidavit.

A spokeswoman for the mall said officials were cooperating with the investigation but referred all other questions to the U.S. attorney's office.

[randalds]

The man is obviously just a random lunatic. A wannbe and a nobody. He has about as much connection with terrorism as Bozo the Clown. Glad they caught him, but he's hardly bin Laden or even anyone who works for him. He's a nut.

[cbgb31]

Teaching jihad should be illegal and anyone doing it should be prosecuted for promoting hate. It could be considered race based hate, treason or enemy of the state.

[sandycat2]

Christians did not attack the US on 9/11. Wake up and smell the coffee. Muslims don't want to be Americans. They want to be muslims.

[flolake]

"A Muslim convert" should speak volumes about intent & rationale for this story. This guy is just another wannabe extremist/terrorist, under the guise of a Muslim. I suspect the perp is lacking in self esteem & poor judgement as well as a myriad of other psycological deficits.

I'd bet without looking, that KKK members were heavily tied to Christianity. There is nothing new in going to church on Sunday and beating your wife on Tuesday. It seems to be all about extremism. Much as it is with the Muslim faith.

Law enforcement is being forced to operate in clandestine ways that are for the most part new to most of us. Now that extremists are surfacing from religious groups (as they always have) on U.S. soil, the "law" has to be proactive or the U.S. public will quickly demand that they (the law) should have been to start with.

It goes without saying that Muslim extremists far outnumber Muslims in general. Ditto for most other religions...

[siddin-2009]

Because, solitary confinement, confinement of any type actually, goes against the Universal Declarations of Human Rights.

[alamo81]

Sadly the problem lies in how we deal with crime itself---can someone be convicted of a crime because they tell someone that they are going to do something?---yes at times----you tell someone you are going to blow up a mall, then are caught trying to get the tools to do so--tools which you have already explained in your your plan to someone--this is different then convicting someone because they say they are going to do something----i think the problem lies in the punishment that is givin in the past
to others----the prison system doesnt scare some people---me yes--but not a lot of people---i think that if people were put into a cell for say
10 years alone--that is much better than 30 in the system as it is now----why give someone 130 years when 30 years with VERY limited contact would do the same, and sadly, yes I think that capital punishment is a deterrent---people must know the punishment and fear it----i see this case as a lawyers dream--on the defence side---and yes --from what i have read--i think this person would have commited this crime---I also think that this case is typical of how criminals are trying to undermine the U.S.

[sandycat2]

Well we caught another muslim before he blew Americans up. How long before we can't stop them before they act. More attacks will happen. Will you still think it's okay just to arrest. And if they were suicide bombers, you won't have anyone to arrest. And if they use nuclear materials, then how will you feel?

[redveg]

We don't have to go through history. Look around and you will see it still happening. Only in this country most try to force it on us through the law, which is how Hitler started. They want it taught in schools and they openly campaign that people who are different do not have rights. Whether Christian or Muslim (or many others) people have always used religion that way; but that doesn't make the religion itself bad. If you can restrict one religion, you can restrict any. I personally want to keep my freedom of religion and stick to prosecuting people for what they do and not what they worship.

[bellal-2009]

The crusades, and when was that. Do you want to go back throughout all documented history and refight every war.

[bellal-2009]

Duffy stop with the bomb stuff it's immature. We do have troops in Iraq fighting for the future of Iraq.
We need to hold Muslim teachings accountable and try to rid this country of their hate. If they want to practice hate they can go back to that frigging desert they came from. Deport now.

[redveg]

Then we must restrict Christianity too. They were responsible for the Crusades and persecuting Jews throughout history, and lets not forget the hate they teach openly every day... The problem is that it isn't the religion, it is the people. The religion is simply the tool that bad people use to control stupid people in perpetrating their hatred and these horrific crimes.

[duffyn]

Holding Muslim teachers accountable is a great idea that was promoted shortly after 9/11. I believe many children are still being taught to hate Americans from birth on. Inexcusable in most cases and should be stopped. What chance do we have for peace if it is not?

If, however, one of our bombs just killed somebody's husband, wife, etc. I could see it would be hard to stop.

[bellal-2009]

Isn't it time we examine the Muslim religion and possibly restict some of it's teachings. We took the Arian Nation to court and held them accountable why not hold extremist Muslim teachers accountable.

[duffyn]

My thoughts are. In the case of people ploting to kill people or destroy infrastructure, they have to be removed from society. Unfortunately, this situation is full of moral dilemmas. In a way, he was attempting to damage or destroy, he just hadn't gotten very far along, thank you to whoever caught him. But you can't just let someone bent on blowing things up go free. Unless his name is bush, of course. J/Joking! heh heh

[aeasus]

I agree with a charge of the illegal purchase of weapons. (but I would think a "9" and 4 pineapples are worth more then a set of speakers)

I can't agree with ... 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. ... Simply put, he attempted stupidity by purchasing illegal weapons. That is the only thing he actually attempted. How can you be guilty of precrime?? This does not mean other charges don't apply.