2011 Manhattan terrorism plot: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:07, 26 February 2017

Revision as of 03:15, 13 March 2017

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The '''2011 Manhattan terrorism plot''' was a conspiracy by two [[Islam in the United States|Muslim]] [[Arab-Americans]] to bomb various targets in the [[Manhattan]] borough of [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], USA. They had planned to attack an unspecified [[synagogue]] and one of them expressed interest in blowing up a church and the [[Empire State Building]]. New York City law enforcement arrested the two suspects, 26-year-old Ahmed Ferhani and 20-year-old Mohamed Mamdouh, in a [[sting operation]] on May 11, 2011. Their plot was motivated primarily by "hatred of infidels and [[Antisemitism|anti-semitism]]" according to the authorities.<ref name="wsj">{{cite news |title=Terror Suspect Details Emerge |author1=Sean Gardiner |author2=Pervaiz Shallwani |author3=Michael Howard Shaul |url=httphttps://onlinewww.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703730804576321582267763512.html |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=May 14, 2011 |accessdate=May 14, 2011}}</ref>

==Plot==

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==Trial==

On the evening of May 12, 2011, the two suspects were [[Arraignment|arraigned]] in a Manhattan courtroom on terrorism charges. Prosecutor Margaret Gandy listed the charges and evidence, and the two were detained without bail. According to ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', "The arrests mark the first time New York state terrorism charges, rather than federal, will be used against individuals suspected in a terror plot." According to a source quoted by ''The Wall Street Journal'', NYPD detectives brought the case to the [[Joint Terrorism Task Force]], which decided not to take part due to concerns that the case was not strong enough to secure a conviction.<ref name="wsj1">{{cite news |title=Grenade Attack Suspects Charged |author1=Sean Gardiner |author2=Pervaiz Shallwani |author3=Devlin Barrett |url=httphttps://onlinewww.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703864204576319230734186512.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLE_Video_Top |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=May 13, 2011 |accessdate=May 14, 2011}}</ref> A New York State [[grand jury]] decided to indict the suspects on lesser charges, and declined to indict them on the more serious charges such as second-degree conspiracy.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Moynihan, Colin |author2=Rashbaum, William K. |title=Most Serious Charges Are Rejected in Terror Case|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/nyregion/most-serious-charges-rejected-in-synagogue-bomb-plot.html|accessdate=July 5, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 15, 2011}}</ref>

At trial in March 2012, one of Ferhani's attorneys, [[Elizabeth Fink]], argued that he had been entrapped by law enforcement authorities.<ref>[http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/lawyers-for-man-accused-in-terrorism-plot-make-case-for-dismissal/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 Lawyers for Man Accused in Terrorism Plot Make Case for Dismissal] [[New York Times]], March 13, 2012</ref><ref>[http://www.thenation.com/article/173201/did-nypd-entrap-ahmed-ferhani# Did the NYPD Entrap Ahmed Ferhani?][[The Nation]], March 5, 2013</ref>