1993 New York City landmark bomb plot

Foiled terror plot in New York City June 2025 June 2026 1993 New York City landmark bomb plot New York City, New York Egypt President Hosni MubarakUS Senator Al D'Amato United Nations headquartersGeorge Washington BridgeSt. RegisMillennium UN PlazaJacob K. Javits Federal Building 1993 Planned assassination, bombing, terrorist attack Omar Abdel-Rahman, Siddig Ali, and 8 co-conspirators Support of Israel and secular Arab governments The 1993 New York City landmark bomb plot was a planned attack on well-known landmark targets throughout New York City, with one goal of causing a distraction that would create an opportunity to assassinate the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The attack was foiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation before it could be carried out. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had a confidential informant, Emad Salem, infiltrate the group of plotters.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/31/nyregion/bomb-informer-s-tapes-give-rare-glimpse-of-fbi-dealings.html Bomb Informer's Tapes Give Rare Glimpse of F.B.I. Dealings The New York Times October 31, 1993 Federal officers arrested the main suspects in June 1993, and in 1995, ten defendants, including Omar Abdel-Rahman were convicted of 48 charges related to the plot. Planned attacks The conspirators planned to assassinate Mubarak in a "suicide mission" during an April visit to the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Mubarak arrived in the United States on April 4, 1993, but did not travel to New York City. The plotters believed they had an informant inside their group who leaked their plans, but in reality the FBI did not have their informant in place until late June. The group decided to try again in September 1993 during the opening of the General Assembly of the United Nations. They intended to infiltrate hotels by masquerading as employees to get close to Mubarak. The other attacks in the city were used as distractions and to inflict chaos throughout the city. Bombs would be used on the bridge and tunnels while the other terrorists would raid the hotels with guns. The six targets to be attacked were the UN headquarters, the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, the George Washington Bridge, the St. Regis and the UN Plaza hotels, and the FBI's main New York office at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building. http://edition.cnn.com/2001/LAW/05/10/embassy.bombings.01/index.html Jury gets embassy bombings case and goes home May 10, 2001 Phil Hirschkorn CNN The plotters also discussed planting a total of 12 bombs around the city targeting Jews and Jewish organization that would be detonated simultaneously.McKinley James C. Jr. Trade Center Defendants Plotted to Bomb 12 Jewish Targets, Informer Says The New York Times March 14, 1995 https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/14/nyregion/trade-center-defendants-plotted-to-bomb-12-jewish-targets-informer-says.html April 13, 2018 The group also planned to assassinate US Senator Al D'Amato and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.Myers Steven Lee Man In New Jersey Is Charged In Plot To Kill Mubarak The New York Times July 18, 1993 https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/18/nyregion/man-in-new-jersey-is-charged-in-plot-to-kill-mubarak.html April 14, 2018 Nosair also proposed other targets, including New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a Jewish politician, and Alvin Schlesinger, a judge who had tried him in a previous case. The hotels were known to host prestigious guests such as the US ambassador to the United Nations and the US secretary of state, who stayed at the Waldorf during UN sessions. The hotels are also known to host several prominent business leaders. Attacking the locations would thus create chaos in the financial and diplomatic aspects of New York. The planned attacks on the Holland and Lincoln tunnels and the George Washington Bridge would create transportation chaos, as these were the only three direct vehicular crossings of the Hudson River between New Jersey and Manhattan. If the attacks were successful, police, civilians, and other respondents would have faced major challenges entering and leaving the city to and from New Jersey. Co-conspirators indicated that they intended to drive bomb-laden cars into the tunnels, stall the cars in the middle, and detonate them three minutes after leaving the cars.https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/18/nyregion/stalled-cars-were-to-destroy-tunnels-tapes-indicate.html 'Stalled' Cars Were to Destroy Tunnels, Tapes Indicate Fried Joseph P. June 18, 1995 The New York Times April 12, 2018 In tape-recorded conversations, the attackers also discussed attacks on the Diamond District in Manhattan, an area heavily represented by Jewish businesspeople who participate in a local one-block industry that accounted for 95% of the diamonds imported into the country.Goldman, John J.; and Serrano, Richard A. "Extremists Plotted Against Jews, Prosecutors Say", The Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1993. Accessed May 14, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "Plotters who planned to blow up the United Nations and other prominent targets also discussed exploding a powerful bomb in mid-town Manhattan's crowded diamond district to inflict heavy casualties on Jewish businessmen, federal prosecutors charged Tuesday. Government lawyers said the scheme was revealed when some of the alleged terrorists were secretly tape-recorded in a car as they scouted potential targets.... The diamond district, a single block crowded with retail shops and merchants between 5th and 6th avenues, is the center of America's $5.6-billion trade in gems, where 95% of stones entering the country are sold, cut or polished." The plotter said that attacking the neighborhood would be similar to "hitting Israel itself."https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/30/nyregion/us-says-bomb-plot-suspects-talked-of-blowing-up-manhattan-jewelry-district.html U.S. Says Bomb-Plot Suspects Talked of Blowing Up Manhattan Jewelry District Blumenthal Ralph June 30, 1993 The New York Times April 12, 2018 Investigation FBI surveillance The FBI had been closely monitoring the plan throughout 1992 and 1993 but intensified its investigation after the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993, which killed six people. The FBI obtained warrants to listen to phone calls to and from Abdel-Rahmen's Sudanese driver, a confidential informant. Emad Salem, a former Egyptian army officer was an informant who was recruited to infiltrate the close circle of Abdel-Rahman. Around May 7, 1993, Salem started meeting regularly with the defendants. He recorded 150 hours of conversations over five months. The FBI had also been monitoring the plotters through video surveillance hidden in their safe house, where bombs were being developed. Combined, the video surveillance and the use of an inside man greatly contributed into foiling the plot. In the final weeks of the investigation, the FBI monitored the plot almost constantly. At one point, when Senator D'Amato and Assemblyman Hikind received bodyguards, agents mistakenly feared that their investigation had been exposed.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/25/nyregion/specter-of-terror-the-investigation-as-plot-built-agents-watched-and-waited.html SPECTER OF TERROR: The Investigation; As Plot Built, Agents Watched and Waited Blumenthal Ralph June 25, 1993 The New York Times April 12, 2018 Arrests On June 16, 1993, Egyptian immigrant Abdo Mohammed Haggag was charged for conspiring to assassinate Mubarak. Eight conspirators were arrested in raids on June 24, 1993, after Salem had observed the group for five months. Five of those arrested on June 24 were mixing chemicals for the bombs when they were arrested.Goldman John J. Jackson Robert L. Eight Suspects Seized in Plot to Bomb U.N., Other N.Y. Targets : Terrorism: Alleged attack plans also focused on commuter tunnels and political figures. Two of those held may be linked to the trade center blast. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-25-mn-7023-story.html May 16, 2026 Los Angeles Times June 25, 1993https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/25/nyregion/specter-terror-overview-8-seized-suspects-plot-bomb-new-york-targets-kill.html Specter Of Terror: The Overview; 8 Seized As Suspects In Plot To Bomb New York Targets And Kill Political Figures McFadden Robert D. June 25, 1993 The New York Times April 12, 2018 It was revealed that the conspirators had also conducted test bombings before the World Trade Center bombing. They had also made preparations for a quick escape, which led the FBI to conclude that the suspects needed to be arrested quickly. A ninth suspect was arrested on June 30.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/01/nyregion/9th-held-in-bomb-plot-as-tie-is-made-to-a-1991-murder.html 9th Held in Bomb Plot as Tie Is Made to a 1991 Murder Tabor Mary B. W. April 12, 2018 When Nosair was arrested, a search of his apartment revealed "formulas for the construction of bombs" as well as video and audio tapes advocating the destruction of tall buildings. Abdel-Rahman turned himself into the police on July 2. The government announced the indictment of a tenth suspect on July 8.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/08/nyregion/court-says-tapes-in-bomb-plot-fail-to-support-some-charges.html Court Says Tapes in Bomb Plot Fail to Support Some Charges Blumenthal Ralph July 8, 1993 The New York Times April 12, 2018 After the arrests were made, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey increased security on its six river crossings between New York and New Jersey, which included the three crossings targeted in the bombing plot.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/20/nyregion/security-strengthened-at-hudson-river-crossings.html Security Strengthened at Hudson River Crossings Bernstein Emily M. July 20, 1993 The New York Times April 12, 2018 Trials The government sought RICO charges including the 1993 planned assassinations and landmark bombings, as well as the 1990 assassination of Meir Kahane. Using this strategy, the government would not need to prove that Abdel-Rahman directly ordered his followers to blow up any targets, and would also get a second chance to prosecute Nosair, this time with federal charges to avoid double jeopardy. The prosecution maintained that the 1993 World Trade Center bombing was also part of the conspiracy, but neither Abdel-Rahman nor any co-defendants were formally accused of any role in that attack.The mastermind of numerous bomb plots in New York in the early 1990s has died in prison in the US, his family says. https://www.bbc.com/news/39017259 May 17, 2026 BBC February 18, 2017 William Kunstler agreed to represent three of the suspects, including Abdel-Rahman and Nosair.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/06/nyregion/still-radical-after-all-these-years-74-william-kunstler-defends-clients-most.html Still Radical After All These Years; At 74, William Kunstler Defends Clients Most Lawyers Avoid Margolick David July 6, 1993 The New York Times April 12, 2018 However, Federal Judge Michael Mukasey later ruled that Abdel-Rahman and the two other suspects would have to be represented separately and that Kunstler and Ronald L. Kuby would have to choose which defendants to represent.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/11/nyregion/judge-rules-that-sheik-and-two-other-defendants-cannot-share-lawyers.html Judge Rules That Sheik and Two Other Defendants Cannot Share Lawyers Blumenthal Ralph November 11, 1993 The New York Times April 13, 2018 Abdel-Rahman later offered to represent himself after the two lawyers could not agree on who would represent him.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/02/nyregion/sheik-in-bomb-case-to-discuss-defense.html Sheik in Bomb Case To Discuss Defense December 2, 1993 The New York Times April 13, 2018 A bail hearing for one of the suspects, Clement Rodney Hampton-El, was held at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on July 8. The court found that Salem's tapes supported only some of the charges against Hampton-El. The federal government wanted to try the suspects in New York because of the severity of the charges. Complicating matters, some of the suspects were also being arraigned on drug charges.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/20/nyregion/some-cited-in-bomb-plot-are-linked-to-drug-sales.html Some Cited in Bomb Plot Are Linked to Drug Sales Blumenthal Ralph July 20, 1993 The New York Times April 12, 2018 On August 25, 1993, Attorney General Janet Reno announced that she would prosecute the bombing case because of more evidence. That was a reversal from her position two months earlier, when she had said that there was insufficient evidence for prosecution.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/26/nyregion/the-cleric-s-indictment-reno-sees-growing-evidence-and-makes-call.html The Cleric's Indictment; Reno Sees Growing Evidence and Makes Call Johnston David August 26, 1993 The New York Times April 12, 2018 The same day, Abdel-Rahman was formally indicted in connection with three crimes: the landmark bombing plot, the World Trade Center bombing, and the 1990 assassination of Meir Kahane.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/26/nyregion/specter-terror-us-indicts-egyptian-cleric-head-group-plotting-war-urban.html Specter Of Terror; U.S. Indicts Egyptian Cleric As Head Of Group Plotting 'War Of Urban Terrorism' Tabor Mary B. W. August 26, 1993 The New York Times April 12, 2018 The case against the defendants was prosecuted by lead prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy. One of the defendants, Siddig Ali, changed his plea to guilty, and began cooperating with the prosecution, including allowing prosecutors to view his notes.John Christopher The Man Who Wasn't There https://time.com/archive/6726891/the-man-who-wasnt-there-2/ May 17, 2026 Time February 20, 1995Tabor Mary B. W. Defection Means New Tactics, Lawyers in Bomb Case Say The New York Times June 29, 1994 https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/29/nyregion/defection-means-new-tactics-lawyers-in-bomb-case-say.html April 13, 2018 Salem ultimately testified against Abdel-Rahman and other terrorists despite earlier refusing to do so.https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/02/nyregion/terror-conspiracy-overview-sheik-9-followers-guilty-conspiracy-terrorism.html The Terror Conspiracy: The Overview; Sheik And 9 Followers Guilty Of A Conspiracy Of Terrorism Fried Joseph P. October 2, 1995 The New York Times May 26, 2016 0362-4331 Salem had recorded tapes in which the defendants sought to prevent Abdel-Rahman from being directly involved in the terror plot so that he would not be implicated.Blumenthal Ralph Tapes Hint at Bid to Distance Cleric From Any Terror Plots The New York Times March 8, 1994 https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/08/nyregion/tapes-hint-at-bid-to-distance-cleric-from-any-terror-plots.html April 13, 2018 The defense lawyers unsuccessfully attempted to have all 13 defendants tried separately.Judge Won't Sever 13 Terrorist Cases The New York Times June 8, 1994 https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/08/nyregion/judge-won-t-sever-13-terrorist-cases.html April 13, 2018 New defense counsel were hired, and in September 1994, Judge Mukasey postponed the trial's opening date to December so that defense counsel could craft new arguments.Bernstein Richard Opening Date Of Bomb Trial Is Postponed Till December The New York Times September 1, 1994 https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/01/nyregion/opening-date-of-bomb-trial-is-postponed-till-december.html April 13, 2018 In November 1994, Mukasey rescheduled the date to January 1995 because Abdel-Rahman had contracted pneumonia.Terror Conspiracy Trial Delayed The New York Times November 22, 1994 https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/22/nyregion/terror-conspiracy-trial-delayed.html April 13, 2018 In February 1995, Siddig Ali pled guilty to the terror plot and also named some of the co-defendants as complicit in the plot.Bernstein Richard Bomb Plot Defendant Shifts Plea To Guilty and Implicates Others The New York Times February 7, 1995 https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/07/nyregion/bomb-plot-defendant-shifts-plea-to-guilty-and-implicates-others.html April 13, 2018 In 1999 Siddig Ali pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy as well as other charges and received 11 years in prison after U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White wrote a letter to Judge Michael B. Mukasey describing his extensive cooperation.Weiser Benjamin Remorseful Terror Conspirator Gets an 11-Year Sentence https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/16/nyregion/remorseful-terror-conspirator-gets-an-11-year-sentence.html May 16, 2026 New York Times October 16, 1999 Once the trial started, Salem testified about the details of the bomb plot. Defense lawyers cross-examining Salem argued that he was not credible because he had lied several times in the past, including when he was gaining his US citizenship. However, Salem testified that the defendants had confided the details of the plot to him.Fried Joseph P. Top Informer Denies Faking Conspiracy For Bombings The New York Times April 4, 1995 https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/04/nyregion/top-informer-denies-faking-conspiracy-for-bombings.html April 13, 2018 In May 1995, one of the defendants, Abdo Mohammed Haggag, agreed to testify against the other 11 defendants in exchange for all his charges being dropped.Fried Joseph P. In Plea Deal, Jerseyan to Testify in Terror Trial The New York Times May 2, 1995 https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/02/nyregion/in-plea-deal-jerseyan-to-testify-in-terror-trial.html April 13, 2018 Salem testified that Abdel-Rahman, during a 13-hour-long bus ride from New Jersey to Detroit, had directed him to kill Mubarak. Adam Hamawy was called by the defense and testified that he had been a passenger on that van trip and had not heard Abdel-Rahman call for the assassination of the Egyptian president. Hamawy was not charged or accused of wrong-doing.Neumeister, Larry, via Associated Press. "Sheik gave no death order, trial told", The Jersey Journal, July 26, 1995. Accessed May 14, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "A medical student who was with Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman when he allegedly told an FBI informant to kill Egypt's president testified yesterday at the sheik's terrorism trial that he never heard such a command. The student, Adam Hishan Hamawy, 26, of Old Bridge, N.J., said he was seated directly behind the sheik during the 13-hour journey in a minivan from Avenel, N.J., to Detroit during Thanksgiving weekend in 1991."Fried, Joseph P. "Defense Witness Says Sheik Never Urged Assassination", The New York Times, July 26, 1995. Accessed May 14, 2026. "Contradicting testimony by the Government's chief informer, a supporter of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman testified yesterday that the militant Muslim cleric had not urged the informer to murder President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.... The informer, Emad Salem, testified earlier in the seven-month-old trial that Mr. Abdel Rahman, during a 13-hour drive from New Jersey to Detroit in 1991, urged him to kill Mr. Mubarak. But yesterday's witness, Adam Hisham Hamawy, said that he had sat immediately behind Mr. Abdel Rahman and the informer in the small van and had not heard the cleric make any such statement during the long ride." The defense of Abdel-Rahman and several other defendants centered around a first amendment claim. His lawyers argued that the seditious conspiracy statute is an unconstitutional burden on free speech and the free exercise of religion. They argued that the statute is overbroad and unconstitutionally vague, and that the convictions violated the First Amendment because it rested solely on their political views and religious practices.Schulz Jacob When Extremists Stormed the Capitol and Got Convicted of Seditious Conspiracy https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/when-extremists-stormed-capitol-and-got-convicted-seditious-conspiracy May 17, 2026 Lawfare January 20, 2021 On October 1, 1995, Abdel-Rahman and nine others were convicted by a New York jury on 48 of 50 charges, including seditious conspiracy, solicitation to murder Mubarak, conspiracy to murder Mubarak, solicitation to attack a US military installation, and conspiracy to conduct bombings. In January 1996, Mukasey sentenced Abdel-Rahman and nine other defendants to terms that ranged from 25 years to life in prison.Gladwell, Malcolm. N.Y. Bomb Plotters Sentenced to Long Terms. January 18, 1996, Washington Post. Accessed December 4, 2008.Kennedy Randy Pleas for Mercy, Statements of Defiance The New York Times January 18, 1996 https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/18/nyregion/pleas-for-mercy-statements-of-defiance.html April 14, 2018 Abdel-Rahman received life in prison.Esposito Richard Exclusive: Mole Who Met Bin Laden Killed by Al Qaeda in Bosnia https://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/exclusive-mole-who-met-bin-laden-killed-al-qaeda-bosnia-n39306 May 16, 2026 ABC News February 27, 2014 After the trial, Salem received a large sum of money and was put onto a witness protection program. Appeals Abdel-Rahman's appeal on the grounds that his first amendment rights were violated was denied in 1999 by the Second Circuit. The court ruled "[t]o be convicted under [the seditious conspiracy statute], one must conspire to use force, not just to advocate the use of force. We have no doubt that this passes the test of constitutionality." This upheld the previous rulings in United States v. Lebron (1955) and Dennis v. United States (1951). Aftermath United States-Sudan relations United States-Sudan relations In August 1993, US government accused Sudan of state-sponsored terrorism. Though they provided no evidence, they claimed that Sudan played a role in the plot. Many of people arrested carried Sudanese passports and Abdel-Rahman, received his visa for his trip to the United States in Sudan. FBI translations of the wire taps between Siddig Ali and Salem included Siddig Ali speaking of contacts inside the Sudanese government, and the two men discussed using a van from the Sudanese mission to carry the car bomb into the United Nations complex.https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/17/nyregion/us-expected-to-place-sudan-on-terrorist-list.html U.S. Expected to Place Sudan on Terrorist List Molotsky Irvin August 17, 1993 The New York Times April 12, 2018 The Sudanese government denied any role in the plot.Prial Frank J. Sudanese Deny Any Tie To Bomb Plot http://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/18/nyregion/sudanese-deny-any-tie-to-bomb-plot.html May 17, 2026 New York Times August 18, 1993 In 1996, the United States expelled two Sudanese diplomats, accusing them of providing the conspirators with details about the United Nations and about a planned visit by Hosni Mubarak to New York City in 1993. The United States pressed for diplomatic sanctions and a ban on airline flights to Sudan, but received insufficient support from the United Nations Security Council for economic or military sanctions for lack of sufficient support. By 1996, the United States still had not provided any evidence for a connection.Wren Christopher U.S. Expels Sudan Envoy Suspected In Bomb Plot http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/11/world/us-expels-sudan-envoy-suspected-in-bomb-plot.html May 16, 2026 New York Times April 11, 1996 https://web.archive.org/web/20121112133133/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/11/world/us-expels-sudan-envoy-suspected-in-bomb-plot.html November 12, 2012 Domestic investigations Up until the September 11 terrorist attacks, the handling of the NYC landmark bomb plot was the typical way for the FBI to investigate terror plots, namely using informants and wiretaps, sometimes for years, before making any arrests. As the Washington Post reported in 2001, "The theory was that only such long-term investigations reveal useful information about potential plots." Attorney General John Ashcroft started making arrests earlier, before plots could develop, and this led to public criticism from former FBI officers. James Kallstrom said "You obviously want to play things out so you can fully identify the breadth and scope of the conspiracy. Obviously, the most efficient and effective way to do that is to bring it down to the last stage."https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/11/28/ex-fbi-officials-criticize-tactics-on-terrorism/51b59615-12bd-4c72-97dc-859183d12640/ Ex-FBI Officials Criticize Tactics On Terrorism Washington Post May 23, 2016 Conspirators According to Stratfor in 2008, the organizers had links to al-Qaeda.Burton Fred West Ben From the New York Landmarks Plot to the Mumbai Attack Read more: From the New York Landmarks Plot to the Mumbai Attack http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20081203_new_york_landmarks_plot_mumbai_attack May 17, 2026 Stratfor December 3, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20140718041805/http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20081203_new_york_landmarks_plot_mumbai_attack July 18, 2014 dead Siddig Ibrahim Siddig Ali Though he would later aid the prosecution in trying the case, Siddig Ibrahim Siddig Ali, a 32 year old Sudanese immigrant, "masterminded" the plot. He later admitted to helping select some of the targets for the attacks. He had previously raised funds and participated in tests for the 1993 World Trade Center bombingTERROR SUSPECT'S LIFE NOT SO SECRET https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1993/rt9306/930626/06260146.htm May 16, 2026 Associated Press June 26, 1993 He was a follower of Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind radical Muslim sheikh. Abdel-Rahman Siddig Ali and Abdel-Rahman lived next door to each other in New Jersey. El Sayyid Nosair One of Abdel-Rahman's other followers, El Sayyid Nosair, had been acquitted in 1991 for state-level murder charges of Meir Kahane in 1990 and was also linked to the World Trade Center bombing.McKinley James C. Jr. Bomb Trial Told of Idea to Kidnap a Judge The New York Times March 9, 1995 https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/09/nyregion/bomb-trial-told-of-idea-to-kidnap-a-judge.html April 13, 2018Not guilty verdict issued in the killing of Rabbi Meir Kahane https://www.foxnews.com/video/6384570615112 May 17, 2026 Fox News These connections later became the justification for the FBI to argue that the plots were all connected, leading to a re-trial and eventual federal conviction for Nosair, as well as conviction of Abdel-Rahman as the leader of a seditious conspiracy using RICO.Church George J. Snared in the Terrorist Web https://time.com/archive/6723807/snared-in-the-terrorist-web/ May 16, 2026 Time September 6, 1993Serrano Richard A. Early terrorist in U.S. condemns today's jihad https://www.latimes.com/local/great-reads/la-na-first-terrorist-20130516-dto-htmlstory.html May 17, 2026 LA Times May 16, 2013 Clement Rodney Hampton-El Clement Rodney Hampton-El, also known as Rasheed Hampton, Abdul Rashid Abdullah, and Dr. Rashid (1938 – June 30, 2014) was one of those convicted in the bomb plot. He was a member of the Moorish Science Temple of America. Hampton-El was born in the United States in 1938. He lived in an apartment in the Midwood section of Brooklyn for 25 years. His neighbors described him as quiet, but nice - he used to buy candy for the neighborhood children. He worked as a laboratory technician in a Brooklyn hospital.SPECTER OF TERROR: The Suspects; Arrested in Yesterday's Raid https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/25/nyregion/specter-of-terror-the-suspects-arrested-in-yesterday-s-raid.html June 4, 2016 New York Times June 6, 2016 He testified that in 1988 he went to Afghanistan to help the Muslims there during Soviet–Afghan War. During his trial in 1995, he admitted that he trained volunteer soldiers planning a mission to defend Bosnian Muslims against Serbian aggression - "Project Bosnia". In 1992 and 1993 he made several trips to Europe and Asia, raising over $150,000 to start the volunteer Muslim-militia project.Defendant describes 'Project Bosnia'. upi.com August 2, 1995 He was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in New York bomb plot.Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11, Random House-, 2003http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=moorish62606%2Ehtm Terror Ties Of Miami, Florida Muslim Group Go Deep dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061013080454/http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=moorish62606%2Ehtm October 13, 2006 Beila Rabinowitz William A. Mayer Pipeline News June 26, 2006United States v. Omar Ahmad Ali Abdel Rahman Ibrahim A. El-Gabrowny El Sayyid Nosair Tarig..., 189 F.3d 88 – CourtListener.com https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/765858/united-states-v-omar-ahmad-ali-abdel-rahman-ibrahim-a-el-gabrowny-el/ August 6, 2023 CourtListener en-us Hampton-El died in prison on June 30, 2014, aged 76.https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ Inmate Locator Alternative theories Laurie Mylroie, an American author and analyst who has written extensively on Iraq and the war on terror, put forward an alternative theory on the events. Laurie_Mylroie#Mylroie–McCarthy debate See also 2009 Bronx terrorism plot 2008 Mumbai attacks - Mumbai attacks were primarily based upon the New York City landmark bomb plot Bojinka plot Dennis v. United States - the legal precedent that the defense challenged during trial References Category:Terrorist incidents in the United States in 1993 Category:Failed terrorist attempts in New York City Category:Islamic terrorism in New York (state) Category:1993 in New York City