CHICAGO—A Chicago man pleaded guilty
today to federal charges for placing a backpack that he thought contained a
powerful explosive device into a curbside trash container on a crowded North
Side street near Wrigley Field in September 2010. The defendant, Sami Samir
Hassoun, pleaded guilty to one count each of attempted use of a weapon of mass
destruction and attempted use of an explosive device, resolving charges that
have been pending since he was arrested during the very early morning on
September 19, 2010. The purported bomb was actually an inert device that was
provided by undercover FBI agents who were investigating and monitoring
Hassoun’s proclaimed determination to commit acts of violence in Chicago for
monetary gain and to cause local political instability.
As a result of the undercover
investigation, Hassoun never posed any actual imminent danger, but his plea
agreement makes clear that he intended to cause mass casualties and had
rejected opportunities to walk away from the plot. He chose the particular
location, in the 3500 block of North Clark Street, because it presented the
opportunity to inflict a greater number of casualties than other locations he considered.
There was a concert at Wrigley Field on Saturday night, September 18, 2010,
just before he was arrested.
Hassoun, 24, formerly of the city’s
North Side, remains in federal custody while awaiting sentencing, which U.S.
District Judge Robert Gettleman scheduled for 10 a.m. on August 15, 2012.
Hassoun is a Lebanese citizen and permanent resident alien. Under the plea
agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of 30 years in prison, and
the court must impose a sentence of at least 20 years and no more than 30 years
or reject the plea agreement. The agreement also requires Hassoun to cooperate
with the government in any matter in which he is called upon to assist.
The guilty plea was announced by Patrick
J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois;
and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation was conducted by the Chicago
FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of FBI special agents, Chicago
police officers, and representatives from 20 federal, state, and local law
enforcement agencies.
According to the plea agreement, Hassoun
told a law enforcement cooperating source (CS) in early June 2010 that he
wanted to commit acts of violence in Chicago and suggested bombing the
commercial area surrounding Wrigley Field as one option. Hassoun said that an
attack against such an entertainment center could “paralyze” Chicago commerce.
The CS told Hassoun that he/she had friends who might be willing to pay Hassoun
to perpetrate such an attack. Hassoun and the CS continued to discuss Hassoun’s
terrorist attack ideas during the following weeks, and Hassoun indicated that
he wanted to meet the CS’s contacts and was anxious to act against Chicago.
On July 8, 2010, the CS introduced
Hassoun to an undercover FBI task force officer posing as one of the CS’s
purported contacts, and Hassoun said that he believed that a series of
escalating violent acts could be used to undermine the city’s political
establishment. When asked what he was personally willing to do, Hassoun
indicated that he was willing to facilitate a car bombing or the assassination
of Chicago police officers. When asked if he was concerned about the victims of
such violence, Hassoun said that casualties were the inevitable result of what
he termed “revolution.”
On July 21, 2010, an undercover FBI
agent was introduced to Hassoun as a “good friend” and “brother,” and Hassoun
discussed his idea of a series of escalating violent attacks to damage
Chicago’s sense of security, its economy, and trust in leadership. He
identified Chicago entertainment establishments, civic buildings, commercial
high-rises, and transportation infrastructure as potential targets, the plea
agreement states.
During this meeting, the undercover
agents gave Hassoun a digital camcorder to videotape potential targets. Hassoun
traveled to the area around Wrigley Field and filmed potential targets on
August 8, 12, and 14, 2010, focusing on the bars, restaurants, and potential
security in the area. As he filmed, Hassoun commented on the potential tactical
advantages and risks of perpetrating at attack at the various locations he
observed. Also during the July 21 meeting, Hassoun asked the undercover agents
effectively to employ him planning the bombing, and from July 21 to September
18, 2010, they paid Hassoun $2,700.
On August 16, 2010, Hassoun met with the
agents and debriefed them on his reconnaissance efforts. He gave them the
camcorder and after reviewing the videos, they all discussed the areas that
could be targeted to cause maximum casualties with minimum operational
difficulty and risk. On August 31, 2010, Hassoun and the undercover agents
traveled to Hassoun’s chosen location, which Hassoun said would be crowded with
bar patrons.
At a prearranged meeting on the night of
September 18, 2010, at a hotel in Rosemont, the undercover agents provided
Hassoun with a shopping bag and a backpack that contained the purported bomb.
While driving together to the target area, one of the agents explained to
Hassoun that the bomb was surrounded by ball-bearings and that its blast could
destroy up to half a city block. As they approached the area, an agent told
Hassoun that he was setting the bomb’s timer for 30 minutes, but Hassoun said
that was too long. The agent then set the timer for approximately 20 minutes
and activated the purported bomb’s arming mechanism in Hassoun’s presence. They
arrived near the target location at approximately 12:10 a.m. on Sunday,
September 19 and parked about a block away. As planned, Hassoun exited the
vehicle with the shopping bag containing the backpack and purported explosive
device, walked a short distance, and deposited what he thought was the armed
bomb into the trash container on the crowded sidewalk.
The government is being represented by
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel Hammerman and Tinos Diamantatos.
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