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| charge = I. Attempted Use of [[weapon of mass destruction|Weapon of Mass Destruction]] <br /> II. Attempted [[Homicide]] <br />III. Placing an [[explosive device|Explosive Device]] on Aircraft <br /> IV. Attempted [[Murder]]<br /> V. Interference with Flight Crew and Attendants<br /> VI. Attempted Destruction of an Aircraft <br />VII. Using a Destructive Device During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence<br />VIII. Attempted Wrecking of a Mass Transportation Vehicle<ref name="indictment"/>
| charge = I. Attempted Use of [[weapon of mass destruction|Weapon of Mass Destruction]] <br /> II. Attempted [[Homicide]] <br />III. Placing an [[explosive device|Explosive Device]] on Aircraft <br /> IV. Attempted [[Murder]]<br /> V. Interference with Flight Crew and Attendants<br /> VI. Attempted Destruction of an Aircraft <br />VII. Using a Destructive Device During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence<br />VIII. Attempted Wrecking of a Mass Transportation Vehicle<ref name="indictment"/>
| conviction = Guilty of all charges
| conviction = Guilty of all charges
| conviction_penalty = Life sentence, super maximum security
| penalty = Life sentence, super maximum security
| conviction_status = Incarcerated at [[ADX Florence]], Colorado
| status = Incarcerated at [[ADX Florence]], Colorado
| occupation =
| occupation =
| spouse =
| spouse =
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Upon his release from prison in 1996<ref name="guardian 02-28-02"/> he joined the [[Brixton Mosque]].<ref name="time 01-14-02"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1729022.stm|title=Shoe bomb suspect 'one of many'|date=December 26, 2001|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> He later began attending the [[North London Central Mosque|Finsbury Park Mosque]] in [[North London]] headed at that time by the anti-American cleric [[Abu Hamza al-Masri]] and described as "the heart of the extremist Islamic culture" in Britain.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/><ref name="time 01-14-02"/> By 1998 Reid was voicing extremist views,<ref name="time 02-12-02"/> and may have fallen under the sway of "terrorist talent spotters and handlers" allied with Al Qaeda.<ref name="time 01-14-02"/>
Upon his release from prison in 1996<ref name="guardian 02-28-02"/> he joined the [[Brixton Mosque]].<ref name="time 01-14-02"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1729022.stm|title=Shoe bomb suspect 'one of many'|date=December 26, 2001|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> He later began attending the [[North London Central Mosque|Finsbury Park Mosque]] in [[North London]] headed at that time by the anti-American cleric [[Abu Hamza al-Masri]] and described as "the heart of the extremist Islamic culture" in Britain.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/><ref name="time 01-14-02"/> By 1998 Reid was voicing extremist views,<ref name="time 02-12-02"/> and may have fallen under the sway of "terrorist talent spotters and handlers" allied with Al Qaeda.<ref name="time 01-14-02"/>


He spent 1999 and 2000 in Pakistan and trained at a terrorist camp in Afghanistan, according to several informants.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/> He may also have attended an anti-American religious training center in [[Lahore]], Pakistan as a follower of [[Mubarak Ali Gilani]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://search.boston.com/local/Search.do?s.sm.query=bomb+probe&s.author=farah+stockman&s.si(simplesearchinput).sortBy=-articleprintpublicationdate&docType=&s.collections=bostonGlobe%3A&date=&s.startDate=2001-01-05&s.endDate=2002-01-10 |title=Bomb Probe Eyes Pakistan Links |last=Stockman |first=Farah |date=January 6, 2002 |publisher=Boston Globe}}</ref> During this time he met [[Saajid Badat]].



After his return Reid set about obtaining duplicate passports from British consulates. Reid then lived in numerous locales in Europe, communicating with an address in [[Peshawar, Pakistan]], a city known for its Al Qaeda connections.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/> In July 2001 he flew to Israel, passing through [[El Al]]'s security, possibly a test of his ability to pass through an intensive security screening.<ref name="time 01-14-02"/> He then moved to Amsterdam, living there from August 2001 through November 2001, working as a dishwasher.
After his return Reid set about obtaining duplicate passports from British consulates. Reid then lived in numerous locales in Europe, communicating with an address in [[Peshawar, Pakistan]], a city known for its Al Qaeda connections.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/> In July 2001 he flew to Israel, passing through [[El Al]]'s security, possibly a test of his ability to pass through an intensive security screening.<ref name="time 01-14-02"/> He then moved to Amsterdam, living there from August 2001 through November 2001, working as a dishwasher.

Revision as of 06:44, 8 April 2010

Richard C. Reid
File:Richard reid 1.jpg
Born
Richard Colvin Reid
StatusIncarcerated at ADX Florence, Colorado
NationalityAmerican
Other namesTariq Raja (طارق راجا) and
Abdel Rahim (عبدالرحیم)
Abu Ibrahim
MotiveTerrorism[1]
Conviction(s)Guilty of all charges
Criminal chargeI. Attempted Use of Weapon of Mass Destruction
II. Attempted Homicide
III. Placing an Explosive Device on Aircraft
IV. Attempted Murder
V. Interference with Flight Crew and Attendants
VI. Attempted Destruction of an Aircraft
VII. Using a Destructive Device During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence
VIII. Attempted Wrecking of a Mass Transportation Vehicle[2]
PenaltyLife sentence, super maximum security

Richard Colvin Reid (born August 12, 1973), commonly known as the shoe bomber, is a self-admitted member of Al Qaeda who was convicted by a U.S. federal court of attempting to destroy a commercial aircraft in-flight by detonating explosives hidden in his shoes. His motive was terrorism. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole in a super maximum security prison in the United States. His crime led to the new requirement of U.S. airline passengers having to remove their shoes for inspection before boarding.

Background

Reid, also known as Abdul Raheem and Tariq Raja, was born in Bromley, South London,[1] to Leslie Hughes, who was of white English descent, and Colvin Robin Reid, whose father was a Jamaican immigrant of African descent.[3] When Reid was born, his father, a career criminal, was in jail for stealing a car.[3] Reid left school at age 16, becoming a petty crook who was in and out of jail himself; the first time for assaulting an elderly woman.[3]. He began writing graffiti under the name Enrol with FRF crew,[4][5] and ultimately accumulated more than 10 convictions for crimes against persons and property,[6] serving sentences at the Feltham Young Offenders Institution [7] and at the Blundeston Prison.[8] According to his father, Reid became depressed and blamed racism for some of his problems. His father advised him to convert to Islam, telling him that Muslims were more egalitarian and they got better food in prison. The next time Reid was incarcerated (in 1995 for petty theft), he converted.[3][9][10]

Upon his release from prison in 1996[8] he joined the Brixton Mosque.[9][11] He later began attending the Finsbury Park Mosque in North London headed at that time by the anti-American cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri and described as "the heart of the extremist Islamic culture" in Britain.[3][9] By 1998 Reid was voicing extremist views,[3] and may have fallen under the sway of "terrorist talent spotters and handlers" allied with Al Qaeda.[9]

He spent 1999 and 2000 in Pakistan and trained at a terrorist camp in Afghanistan, according to several informants.[3] He may also have attended an anti-American religious training center in Lahore, Pakistan as a follower of Mubarak Ali Gilani.[12] During this time he met Saajid Badat.

After his return Reid set about obtaining duplicate passports from British consulates. Reid then lived in numerous locales in Europe, communicating with an address in Peshawar, Pakistan, a city known for its Al Qaeda connections.[3] In July 2001 he flew to Israel, passing through El Al's security, possibly a test of his ability to pass through an intensive security screening.[9] He then moved to Amsterdam, living there from August 2001 through November 2001, working as a dishwasher.

Reid and Badat returned to Pakistan in November 2001, and reportedly travelled overland to Afghanistan. They were given "shoe bombs", casual footwear adapted to be covertly smuggled onto aircraft before being used to destroy them. Later forensic analysis of both bombs showed that they contained the same plastic explosive and that the respective lengths of detonator cord had come from the same batch: indeed, the cut mark on Badat's cord matches exactly that on Reid's. The pair returned separately to the UK in early December 2001. Reid went to Belgium for 10 days before catching a train to Paris on December 16.[6]

On December 21, 2001, he attempted to board a flight from Paris to Miami, but his boarding was delayed because his disheveled physical appearance was suspicious to screeners. He also did not answer all of their questions, and had not checked any luggage for the transatlantic flight. Additional screening by the French National Police resulted in his being re-issued a ticket for a flight on the following day.[13] He returned to the airport on December 22, 2001 and boarded American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami, wearing his special shoes packed with plastic explosives in the hollowed-out bottoms.

Bombing attempt on American Airlines 63

Main article: 2001 shoe bomb plot
One of Reid's shoes

On December 22, 2001 passengers on Flight 63 complained of a smoke smell in the cabin shortly after a meal service. One flight attendant, Hermis Moutardier, thinking she smelled a burnt match, walked the aisles of the plane, trying to assess the source. A passenger pointed to Reid, who was sitting alone near a window and attempting to light a match. Moutardier warned him that smoking was not allowed on the airplane; Reid promised to stop.

A few minutes later, Moutardier found Reid leaned over in his seat; her attempts to get his attention failed. After asking "What are you doing?" Reid grabbed at her, revealing one shoe in his lap, a fuse which led into the shoe, and a lit match. She tried grabbing Reid twice, but he pushed her to the floor each time, and she yelled for help, and then ran to get water. When another flight attendant, Cristina Jones, arrived to try to subdue him, he fought her and bit her thumb and Moutardier threw water in his face. The 6 foot 4 inch (193 cm), 200+ pound Reid was eventually subdued by passengers on the airliner, using plastic handcuffs, seatbelt extensions, and headphone cords. A doctor administered valium found in the flight kit of the aircraft.[14] The flight was diverted to Boston's Logan International Airport.[15]

The device apparently did not explode due to the one day delay of his flight. The shoes had been worn for more than a day, and Reid's perspiration caused the fuse to be too damp to ignite properly.[16]

File:ADX Florence.jpg
Reid is incarcerated at USP Florence ADMAX, pictured here

Reid was immediately taken into custody after the incident. Two days later he was charged in U.S. federal court at Boston, Massachusetts in a criminal complaint with "interfering with the performance of duties of flight crew members by assault or intimidation". The crime was reported as carrying a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The judge ordered Reid to be held in jail pending trial due to the seriousness of the charges and the high risk that Reid would attempt to flee.[13] At that time, forensic results indicated Reid's shoes contained 10 ounces of C-4 plastic explosives, enough to blow a hole in the plane and cause it to crash.[13] During a preliminary hearing which was held on December 28, an FBI agent testified that forensic analysis had identified the chemicals as PETN, the primary explosive, and TATP (triacetone triperoxide), a chemical needed to detonate the bomb.[6]

The prosecutor proceeded to obtain a grand jury indictment and on January 16, 2002, Reid was charged with eight criminal counts related to his acts of terrorism, namely: attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted homicide, placing an explosive device on an aircraft, attempted murder, interference with flight crew members and attendants, attempted destruction of an aircraft, using a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence and attempted wrecking of a mass transportation vehicle.[2]

Reid pled guilty to all eight counts on October 4, 2002.[17] On January 31, 2003, he was sentenced by Judge William Young to life in prison with no possibility of parole with three life sentences to be served consecutively.[18] Eight fines of $250,000 each were also imposed.[18][19] During the sentencing hearing Reid stated that he was an enemy of the United States and in league with Al-Qaeda.[20] Though Reid proclaimed he was a soldier of Allah under the command of Osama Bin Laden, Judge Young declared:

'You are not an enemy combatant, you are a terrorist' ... 'You are not a soldier in any army, you are a terrorist. To call you a soldier gives you far too much stature.'[18]

Reid also showed a lack of remorse and a combative nature during the hearing.[18][19] He is serving his sentences in the ADX Florence, a Supermax prison in Fremont County, Colorado.[21]

Co-conspirators

Main article: Saajid Badat

Although Reid had insisted that he had acted alone and had built the bombs himself, a palm print and a strand of hair not belonging to Reid were found in the bomb materials.[18] Later, a British born man, Saajid Badat from Gloucester, admitted that he had conspired with Richard Reid and a Belgian man, Nizar Trabelsi, in a plot to simultaneously blow up two airliners bound for the U.S. using shoe bombs.[22] Badat said he had been instructed to board a flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands to the U.S.. Badat never took the flight, withdrawing from his part of the conspiracy, though he did not warn the authorities about Reid. Badat confessed immediately after being picked up by the British police. The detonator cord on Badat's bomb matched the cord on Reid's exactly,[23] and the explosive chemicals were essentially identical.[22] Badat said he had received the bomb materials from an Arab in Afghanistan. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison by a British judge.[23]

Effects on airline security

Concern about bombs possibly concealed in shoes led to the new requirement of all airline passengers departing from an airport within the USA having to pass through security in socks or bare feet while their shoes were scanned for bombs.[24] However, scanners do not find PETN in shoes or strapped to a person. A chemical test is needed.[citation needed][25]

Role in 9/11 attacks

9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui stated at his sentencing hearing in 2006 that Reid was a co-conspirator in the September 11 attacks and that he and Reid had intended to hijack a fifth aircraft and crash it into the White House as part of the attacks that took place that day. However, even U.S. government investigators and prosecutors were skeptical of Moussaoui's claim that Reid was involved in the 9/11 plot.[26]

Prison restrictions

Reid filed a lawsuit against the restrictions placed on him in prison which controlled his communications with lawyers and other non-prisoners, limited his access to Muslim clerics, and prevented him from joining in group prayer at the prison. In 2009, Reid went on a hunger strike and was force-fed and hydrated for several weeks. It was unknown whether Reid's hunger strike was related to his lawsuit.[27] The Justice Department, after consulting with its Counterterrorism Section, the prosecuting U.S. Attorney's office and the FBI, allowed the restrictions to expire in the summer of 2009.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Profile". NNDB. In an email sent to his mother, Reid stated he was part of the war "against unbelief" and was sacrificing his life to "help remove the oppressive american forces from the muslim lands"
  2. ^ a b "United States v. Richard Colvin Reid Indictment" (PDF). U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. January 16, 2002. p. 11.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Elliott, Michael (February 12, 2002). "The Shoe Bomber's World". Time.
  4. ^ Millbank, James (December 30, 2001). "Loner Vowed to Make His Evil Mark". News of the World. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ^ Syal, Rajeev (January 11, 2001). "Islamists target teen crime gangs in London". The Observer. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c "Judge denies bail to accused shoe bomber". CNN. December 28, 2001.
  7. ^ "Timeline: The shoe bomber case". CNN. January 7, 2002.
  8. ^ a b Nzerem, Keme (February 28, 2002). "At school with the shoe bomber". Guardian.
  9. ^ a b c d e Gibson, Helen (January 14, 2002). "Looking for Trouble". Time.
  10. ^ It has been reported that Reid followed a fundamentalist form of Islam known as Salafi, which seeks a return to the roots of the religion and which is the predominant form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia "Wahhabism: A deadly scripture". The Independent. November 1, 2007. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  11. ^ "Shoe bomb suspect 'one of many'". BBC News. December 26, 2001.
  12. ^ Stockman, Farah (January 6, 2002). "Bomb Probe Eyes Pakistan Links". Boston Globe.
  13. ^ a b c "Shoe bomb suspect to remain in custody". CNN. December 25, 2001. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  14. ^ Thomas, Cathy Booth (September 1, 2002). "11 Lives — The Flight Attendants". Time. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  15. ^ nefafoundation.org
  16. ^ Monday (2005-07-25). "TERRORIST USE OF TATP EXPLOSIVE - News - All the information you need! Anytime, anywhere! - Crime, Intelligence, Terrorism, Drugs, Technology, Defense & Security". Opensourcesinfo.org. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
  17. ^ "Terrorism 2002-2005". U.S. Department of Justice, FBI. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  18. ^ a b c d e Belluck, Pam (January 31, 2003). "Threats and Responses: The Bomb Plot: Unrepentant Shoe Bomber Is Given a Life Sentence". New York Times.
  19. ^ a b "Reid: 'I am at war with your country'". Partial transcript of court hearing. CNN. January 31, 2002.
  20. ^ Reid's membership in Al Qaeda was corroborated later in 2003 by informant Mohammed Mansour Jabarah during an interrogation at a U.S. military base. Jabarah said Reid was a member of Al Qaeda who had trained in Afghanistan under the direction of accused terrorist Khalid Shaikh Mohammed Ressa, Maria (December 6, 2003). "Sources:Reid is al Qaeda operative". CNN. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  21. ^ "Inmate Locator, Richard Reid". Federal Bureau of Prisons.
  22. ^ a b Booth, Jenny (April 22, 2005). "Gloucester shoebomber jailed for 13 years". Times Online.
  23. ^ a b Associated Press (April 22, 2005). "U.K. shoe-bomb conspirator sentenced to 13 years". USA Today. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) archived by WebCite.
  24. ^ Gathright, Alan (July 12, 2003). "No small feat, tightening up shoe inspections". San Francisco Chronicle. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  25. ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David (December 27, 2009). "FBI Identifies Explosive PETA As Part of Delta A330 Attack". Flight Global. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  26. ^ Lewis, Neil A. (April 21, 2006). "Prosecutors Concede Doubts About Moussaoui's Story". New York Times.
  27. ^ "'Shoe bomber' is on hunger strike". BBC News. June 11, 2009. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  28. ^ McConnell, Dugald (September 22, 2009). "Experts wary of 'shoe bomber' communication with family". CNN. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
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