Man Arrested at Big U.S. Mosque With Explosives
DETROIT - A 63-year-old U.S. man who had explosives in his vehicle was arrested outside one of America's largest mosques in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, authorities said.
Police said Roger Stockham was arraigned Wednesday on one count of making a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of possessing explosives with an unlawful intent. Stockham had a large but undisclosed quantity of class-C fireworks including M-80s, which are outlawed in Michigan, Chief Ronald Haddad said.
"I was comfortable with the fact that we had taken him off the street - he isn't going anywhere," Haddad told The Associated Press Sunday afternoon. "I think the society he wanted to impact is safe."
Haddad said Stockham was arrested Monday evening without incident in the parking lot of Islamic Center of America, while a large group was gathered inside. He said police received an emergency call from a resident.
Haddad said authorities believe Stockham was acting alone but still take him "very seriously." He said Stockham has "a long history of anti-government activities," though he declined to elaborate.
The chief said he called the mosque leader, Imam Hassan al-Qazwini, early Tuesday to let him know of the arrest, and later met with Qazwini and mosque board members. He said members shared concerns about copycat crimes if the arrest was publicized, and Haddad said he understood.
"We never want to put something out there that gives someone the 'how-to,'" Haddad said.
Qazwini informed worshippers about the incident during his sermon on Friday. The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter issued a news release Saturday night and the police followed Sunday morning.
Stockham remained jailed Sunday on a $500,000 bond. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Friday.
Police didn't know whether Stockham had an attorney. A public records search did not turn up a listed number for Stockham, though Haddad said he lives in Imperial Beach, near San Diego.
Dearborn, located about 10 miles west of Detroit, is the capital of the Detroit area's Arab-American community, which is one of the largest in the U.S.
AP Police said Roger Stockham was arraigned Wednesday on one count of making a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of possessing explosives with an unlawful intent. Stockham had a large but undisclosed quantity of class-C fireworks including M-80s, which are outlawed in Michigan, Chief Ronald Haddad said.
"I was comfortable with the fact that we had taken him off the street - he isn't going anywhere," Haddad told The Associated Press Sunday afternoon. "I think the society he wanted to impact is safe."
Haddad said Stockham was arrested Monday evening without incident in the parking lot of Islamic Center of America, while a large group was gathered inside. He said police received an emergency call from a resident.
Haddad said authorities believe Stockham was acting alone but still take him "very seriously." He said Stockham has "a long history of anti-government activities," though he declined to elaborate.
The chief said he called the mosque leader, Imam Hassan al-Qazwini, early Tuesday to let him know of the arrest, and later met with Qazwini and mosque board members. He said members shared concerns about copycat crimes if the arrest was publicized, and Haddad said he understood.
"We never want to put something out there that gives someone the 'how-to,'" Haddad said.
Qazwini informed worshippers about the incident during his sermon on Friday. The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter issued a news release Saturday night and the police followed Sunday morning.
Stockham remained jailed Sunday on a $500,000 bond. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Friday.
Police didn't know whether Stockham had an attorney. A public records search did not turn up a listed number for Stockham, though Haddad said he lives in Imperial Beach, near San Diego.
Dearborn, located about 10 miles west of Detroit, is the capital of the Detroit area's Arab-American community, which is one of the largest in the U.S.
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Man Arrested at Big U.S. Mosque With Explosives
In some ways, spreading one religious belief system or other, has had just about the opposite results from those originally meant or planned ... for achieving peace, happiness, and harmony.
Time and time again, it continues to be demonstrated, that when one's objective is to recruit new members by membership drive, do it with the 'appeal' of religion, by "opiating the people" who very often become subject victims of one's important cause.
Religion is one of the most seriously-destructive forces of mankind. Many faithful followers become convinced that they must fight fire with fire, and to murder and die for religion, to either pay back or to survive, and to please some God or other.
PROMISE THEM ETERNAL BLISS
...and a few other sophisticated, fraudulent twisted, rewards in the end, and you'll have their attention.
Yes, fellow earthlings, if there is something that ensures continuing strife, divisiveness, destruction, death and mass-murder, it's religion
... unless of course everybody follows my religion and my beliefs, which is the only real, true and God-approved system.
Secondly, extremism in any form (conservative, liberal, christian, jewish, or muslim) is a bad thing. It leads to people who refuse to listen to logic or resonable arguements from the other side (see American politics).
Third, terrorists are terrorists. Whether they attack the WTC or a mosque in Michigan. Muslim terrorists, Klan memebers, neo-nazis, black panthers, and now angry old white guys are all one in the same.
In reading this story and the hateful replies of a number of people on this blog, I can't help wondering if Egypt is indeed ahead of the USA.
The Tea Party, the GOP, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Glen Beck, Michelle Bachman, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter have been launching an infamous anti-Muslim crusade, accusing Obama and every one who supports Obama of being an Islamo-Fascist-Communist, a label which makes no kind of sense.
An attempted mosque bombing is the result. This incident is a disgrace to the principles of our country. We must hold the Tea Party, the conservative pundits, and the GOP accountable for this attempted attack.
Mindless leaders and mindless follwers work well together to do some very mindles things. Another chapter in Fox News hysteria gone wild!