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November 29, 2010

Somali-Born Teen Arrested on Bomb Charges in Portland
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A 19-year-old Somali-born man is being arraigned in court today in
Portland, Oregon, on charges he plotted to set off a large bomb at the
city’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Mohamed Osman Mohamud
was arrested Friday after a longtime FBI sting operation. Undercover FBI
agents orchestrated much of the bomb plot—supplying Mohamud with money,
providing materials to construct the fake bomb and blocking Mohamud from
leaving the Portland area to take a job in Alaska. Portland police
officials said the general public was never at risk.

Sgt. Pete Simpson: "You know there was no real threat to the public last
night. No safety concerns whatsoever. The device was a fake. It looked
real, it was meant to be so that the suspect believed it was a real
device. In his mind, he detonated a device last night. He blew up an
explosive in downtown Portland. That was never going to happen."

Two days after the bomb plot was uncovered, an arsonist set a fire at
the Salman Alfarisi Islamic Center in Corvallis, Oregon, where Mohamed
Osman Mohamud had once prayed. No one was hurt but part of the center’s
office was burned. Officials believe it was arson.

Carla Pusateri, Corvallis Fire Department Fire Prevention Officer: "The
fire is still under investigation. We’ve concluded our scene
investigation and collected some evidence. The fire does appear to be
incendiary and intentionally set."



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