Highlights
– Christopher Paul pleads guilty to conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction
– Paul was involved in various terrorist activities over a 20-year period, such as training at an al-Qaeda camp and plotting attacks against US interests
– Case highlights the ongoing threat posed to the US by homegrown extremists
On June 3, 2008, Christopher Paul, a United States citizen, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, i.e. explosive devices, in terrorist attacks against US interests at home and abroad. While the charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, as part of an agreement with prosecutors, Paul is expected to serve a 20-year term. While the US District Court in Columbus, Ohio has accepted the plea deal, final approval is not expected until later this year, following a judge’s review of the US government’s pre-sentencing report.
Paul, known by several aliases such as Abdul Malek Kenyatta, was detained in April 2007, after an investigation revealed his involvement in various terrorist activities during a 20 year time period, including training with al-Qaeda and assisting with plots targeting Americans both within the US and in Europe.
The case serves to highlight the ongoing threat posed by homegrown extremists against the homeland as well as against US interests overseas.
Terrorist Activities
As part of Paul’s guilty plea, he agreed to the accuracy of a three-page fact sheet presented by prosecutors detailing his involvement with al-Qaeda and other terror-related activities, to include:
• Paul traveled to Afghanistan in the early 1990s, where he attended an al-Qaeda training camp and received advanced instruction in battle techniques, explosives, map reading, small-unit tactics, and the use of other weaponry. Paul then fought with the mujahedeen in Afghanistan.
• Between 1993 and 1995, Paul fought in Bosnia, where he made additional radical Islamic contacts.
• After returning to the US, Paul worked to recruit individuals to form a jihadist cell in Columbus, Ohio, and trained others in martial arts at a local mosque. During a trip to Glouster, Ohio, Paul simulated the training he received at the al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan.
• Paul traveled to Germany in 1999 to meet with members of a radical Islamic cell who were planning to launch bomb attacks in the US, against Americans vacationing at foreign resorts, and against US facilities overseas such as embassies and military bases. Paul was asked to train the cell in explosives, specifically in constructing car bombs.
• Paul later returned to the US, where he purchased materials to be used by the German cell, including a laser range finder and night vision gear.
Connections to Nuradin Abdi and Iyman Faris
According to prosecutors, Paul was connected to two other convicted terrorists, Nuradin Abdi and Iyman Faris. Paul allegedly met with the two men in August 2002 at a coffee shop in Columbus to discuss potential terrorist attacks.
• Abdi, a Somali immigrant, was sentenced to 10 years is prison in November 2007 for planning to blow-up a shopping mall in the Columbus area.
• Faris, a naturalized US citizen born in Kashmir, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October 2003 for plotting to attack the Brooklyn Bridge and a passenger train in Washington D.C.
Future Outlook
The activities of Paul serve to highlight the potential threat posed by homegrown extremists attempting to carry out larger-scale plots against the homeland as well as US interests overseas. This case, in addition to other recent disrupted plots such as the November 2006 arrest of two Houston men planning to travel to the Middle East to conduct jihad against US troops and the February 2007 detainment of two Chicago men planning to attack US personnel overseas, indicate the ongoing threat posed by such individuals.
As stated previously, we believe that the US does not face the same level of threat in the near to mid-term from homegrown radicalization as many European and Asian countries, due to greater education opportunities and higher levels of integration in US society. Economic stability, employment, and educational opportunities will impact the success of the integration process in the homeland in the long-term.
Nevertheless, we maintain that small groups of homegrown extremists will continue to emerge and plan attacks against the homeland as well as interests overseas. While the majority of these groups are unlikely to possess a significant threat capability, they will continue to pose a challenge to authorities working to identify and disrupt their activities.
