Defendant was planning attack on a university; stabbed nurse
10 times while in custody
BOSTON – An Adams, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal
court in Springfield in connection with a plot to engage in terrorist activity
inspired by and in the name of ISIS.
Alexander Ciccolo, a/k/a Ali Al Amriki, 26, was sentenced by
U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 20 years in prison and a
lifetime of supervised release. In May 2018, Ciccolo pleaded guilty to one
count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist
organization, one count of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction, one
count of being a convicted person in possession of firearms, and one count of
assaulting a nurse during a jail intake process by use of a deadly weapon
causing bodily injury.
“Alexander Ciccolo planned to kill innocent civilians in the
United States on ISIS’s behalf,” said United States Attorney for the District
of Massachusetts Andrew E. Lelling. “Even though he was born and spent most of
his life in Massachusetts, Ciccolo decided to turn against his country and
plotted to attack his fellow Americans. Thanks to the tireless investigation
and swift response of our law enforcement partners, Ciccolo was unable to carry
out his violent plan. The sentence handed down today reflects our commitment to
bringing all those whose allegiance lies with terrorists to justice.”
“The National Security Division will not tolerate threats to
our country and its people,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers.
“Not only did Ciccolo admit to supporting ISIS — a well-known terrorist group —
but he also collected weapons and explosives in order to further their goal of
murdering innocent Americans. This
sentence holds him accountable for breaking our laws and putting American lives
at risk.”
“Make no mistake, Alexander Ciccolo was a committed soldier
of ISIS who wanted to kill innocent people at a United States university with
assault rifles and pressure cooker bombs, not an unwitting dupe who didn’t
understand the gravity of what he was doing,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special
Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “He repeatedly
expressed his desire to engage in acts of violent jihad against our country,
and with this sentencing, he will now pay the price for conspiring with a
foreign terrorist organization. I commend the hard work and collaboration of
all involved, specifically the Western Massachusetts Joint Terrorism Task Force
who successfully thwarted Ciccolo’s terroristic plot before any lives were
lost. We all play a role in safeguarding our country, and this case not only
highlights the importance of continued vigilance, but the significance that
family, friends, or by-standers can play in reporting threats or suspicious
activities.”
Alexander Ciccolo was a soldier of the Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Ciccolo heeded
the call of ISIS to commit terrorist attacks in the United States. He intended
to inflict maximum damage upon the United States and create mass casualties on
behalf of ISIS. At the time of his arrest in July 2015, Ciccolo was planning to
attack a university using firearms and improvised explosives, and attempted to
recruit others to assist him in his attack plan. Even after being arrested,
Ciccolo attacked a nurse who was merely trying to provide him medical care.
Until his arrest in July 2015, Ciccolo had spoken with a
person who was cooperating with law enforcement in recorded conversations about
his plans to commit acts of terrorism inspired by ISIS. The plans included
setting off improvised explosive devices, such as pressure cookers filled with
black powder, nails, ball bearings and glass, in places where large numbers of
people congregate, like college cafeterias. Prior to his arrest, agents had
observed Ciccolo purchase a pressure cooker similar to that used in the Boston
Marathon bombings.
On July 4, 2015, Ciccolo was arrested after he received four
firearms which he had ordered from a cooperating witness who had been
communicating with Ciccolo about his plans to engage in a terrorist act.
Ciccolo was arrested in possession of a Colt AR-15 .223 caliber rifle, a
SigArms Model SG550-1 556 rifle, a Glock 17-9 mm pistol, and a Glock 20-10 mm
pistol. Ciccolo had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by more
than a year in jail and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms.
In addition, several partially constructed “Molotov
cocktails” were found in Ciccolo’s apartment after he was arrested. These
incendiary devices contained what appeared to be shredded Styrofoam soaking in
motor oil. Ciccolo had previously stated that this mixture would cause the fire
from the exploded devices to stick to people’s skin and make it harder to put
the fire out.
Shortly after his arrest, while he at the Franklin County
Correctional Center, Ciccolo stabbed a nurse with a pen more than ten times,
leaving a bloody gash on the top of the nurse’s head.
U.S. Attorney Lelling, Assistant Attorney General Demers,
and FBI SAC Shaw made the announcement today. The investigation was conducted
by members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force including the Federal Bureau of
Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the
Springfield, Ludlow, Holyoke, West Springfield, Easthampton, and Pittsfield
Police Departments; the Massachusetts State Police; and Homeland Security
Investigations, with critical assistance from the Adams Police Department and
the Massachusetts State Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deepika Bains Shukla and Kevin
O’Regan of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office and Trial Attorney Andrew Sigler
of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section of the Department
of Justice prosecuted the case.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment