Arizonan Charged With ISIL Super Bowl Bomb Plot
An American alleged ISIL supporter, already associated with an attack on a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest in Texas, was indicted last week for a Super Bowl bomb plot last year, according to CNN.
Court documents reveal that Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, also known as Decarus Thomas, is charged with providing material support to a terror organization. He allegedly gave the Islamic State In the Levant (ISIL, also called ISIS to the dismay of some) addresses of US service members. Kareem was also charged with transporting firearms and ammunition across state lines, as well as making false statements to authorities.
Cartoon Contest Attack
Kareem was already indicted for providing arms and guidance to the two men, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, who were killed on May 3 attempting to attack a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest in Garland, Texas. ISIL took responsibility for the attack, which was stopped by a traffic officer working museum security during the art contest.
The trio -- Kareem, Simpson, and Noofi -- began conspiring to support ISIL around June 2014, according to the court filings. Their alleged target list included military bases, US service members, shopping malls, Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona, and the aforementioned cartoon contest.
Arizona Beginnings
Kareem and his co-conspirators met in Phoenix, Arizona, and it is in this unlikely place that they supposedly began to plan attacks for ISIL on American soil. The men allegedly traveled to remote desert areas near Phoenix for target practice during the first half of 2015.
The group also gathered at Kareem's house to watch jihadist videos, filings state. "While watching the videos, Kareem exhorted and encouraged Simpson and Soofi to engage in violent activity in the United States ... and impose retribution for United States military actions in the Middle East," the indictment said.
Kareem was detained in Phoenix last June. His attorney would not respond to reporter requests for comment on the latest set of charges.
Related Resources:
- Antiquities Trading Tied to Terrorism (FindLaw Blotter)
- What Is a Criminal Indictment? (FindLaw Blotter)
- What happens When You're Charged With a Crime? (FindLaw Blotter)