A 22-year-old man named John Booker Jr. aka Muhammad Abdullah Hassan from Topeka, Kansas, has been jailed for 30 years for planning to detonate a car bomb at the Fort Riley Military Base in Manhattan, Kansas, on February 3, 2016.
Bookers court admissions
Booker had previously pleaded guilty to planning to kill American soldiers and assisting ISIS to fight against the United States. He also admitted to making a bomb that contained 1,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate. He intended to film a video of the explosion for Americans to see.
In a video seen by investigators, Booker was heard saying "Americans should not just sit at home and think the war in Iraq is over." He also stated in the video that "ISIS will come to American doorsteps."
Undercover FBI agents involvement
While constructing the bomb, Booker was unaware that an undercover FBI agent investigating him since March 2014 was providing him with fake chemical materials. He once informed the officer that he always dreamt of becoming a fighter in the Middle East and that he wanted to capture and kill an American soldier. Booker was then introduced to yet another undercover FBI agent in March 2015. He believed that the agent would help him with his attacks.
The FBI once stumbled upon a video Booker posted on his Facebook page where he stated that he wanted to commit jihad.
He also admitted in court that he wanted to join the U.S army so that he can conduct an attack on a military base. He was however denied entry to join the army. He once filmed a video at Freedom Park near Marshall Army Airfield at Fort Riley on March 10, 2015, where he pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. He also told investigators that he had rented a storage unit in Topeka where he assembled his bomb.
Investigators arrested Booker On March 10, 2015, after he drove an undercover FBI agent near Fort Riley where he attempted to activate his bomb.
Recent terrorist arrests
On July 24 this year, the La Times reported that a 22-year-old man from Oakland might be jailed for 47 years for planning to provide material support to the Islamic State.
The man by the name Amer Sinan Alhaggagi had at one time applied for a job as a police officer at the Oakland police department. Investigators found bomb making guidelines on his computer after his arrest.
On July 22 this year, the Irish Times reported that an Irish male citizen was extradited from Spain to the U.S by a federal court in Philadelphia for planning to support ISIS. The Irish citizen by the name Demache was arrested after he conspired with a Pennsylvanian woman by the name Jihad Jane to recruit people who will carry out terrorist attacks in Asia and Europe.
