Adel Daoud, Car Bomb Attempt, Illinois 2012

Adel Daoud, 25, of Hillside, Ill., was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for attempting to detonate what he believed was a 1,000-pound car bomb outside a popular bar in downtown Chicago’s Loop neighborhood on September 14, 2012. The device, constructed by FBI bomb technicians, was inert — a fact Daoud didn’t discover until he triggered the detonator twice and nothing exploded.

Before the failed attack, Daoud had preached violent jihad and expressed a desire to work with operational terrorists. He compiled a list of potential targets across the Chicago area, including movie theaters, nightclubs, a suburban mall, and military recruiting centers. His plan unraveled the moment he arrived at the Loop bar, where undercover agents were waiting. He was arrested on the scene and has remained in federal custody ever since.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman handed down the 16-year sentence in federal court in Chicago. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barry Jonas and Tiffany Ardam of the Northern District of Illinois, with support from Trial Attorney Bridget Behling of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

“Protecting our national security is the Department of Justice’s top priority,” said U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operations before they occur.”

FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Jeffrey S. Sallet emphasized the agency’s vigilance. “The conviction and sentencing of Adel Daoud are evidence of the FBI’s commitment to working vigilantly with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to prevent violent attacks before they occur,” Sallet said. “Our message to terrorists is clear: We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will bring you to justice.”

The sentencing also resolved two additional federal cases against Daoud. While jailed, he attempted to solicit his cellmate to arrange the murder of an FBI agent who had posed as a terrorist during the investigation. That plot failed. The third case stemmed from a 2015 assault at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Daoud attacked an inmate who had drawn a picture of the prophet Mohammad that Daoud deemed offensive. The victim suffered head lacerations and a bite wound to the arm.

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