Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, Attempted Use of Weapon of Mass Destruction, Texas 2011

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Table of Contents

Alleged Terror Plot Foiled in Lubbock

A 20-year-old Texas resident has been taken into custody on a federal charge of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and resident of Lubbock, Texas, was arrested by FBI agents in Texas on Thursday.

According to a federal complaint, Aldawsari has been researching online how to construct an improvised explosive device (IED) using several chemicals as ingredients. He has also acquired or taken a substantial step toward acquiring most of the ingredients and equipment necessary to construct an IED and has conducted online research of several potential U.S. targets, the affidavit alleges.

Aldawsari, who was lawfully admitted into the United States in 2008 on a student visa and is enrolled at South Plains College near Lubbock, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

The arrest and the criminal complaint were announced by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; James T. Jacks, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas; and Robert E. Casey Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Field Division.

“As alleged in the complaint, Aldawsari purchased ingredients to construct an explosive device and was actively researching potential targets in the United States. Thanks to the efforts of many agents, analysts and prosecutors, this plot was thwarted before it could advance further,” said Assistant Attorney General Kris.

Aldawsari’s plot was uncovered after a chemical supplier reported a suspicious attempted purchase of concentrated phenol by a man identifying himself as Khalid Aldawsari on February 1, 2011. Phenol is a toxic chemical with legitimate uses, but can also be used to make the explosive trinitrophenol, also known as T.N.P., or picric acid.

Aldawsari is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court in Lubbock at 9:00 a.m. on Friday morning. The case serves as a reminder of the need for continued vigilance both at home and abroad.

The FBI’s counterterrorism strategy, which involves detecting, penetrating, and disrupting terrorist plots in the United States and against U.S. interests abroad, has been successful in thwarting this alleged terror plot.

“This arrest and criminal charge is a result of the success of the FBI’s counterterrorism strategy,” said Special Agent in Charge Casey. “The public can be justifiably proud of the national security expertise shown by the FBI in this investigation.”