Mo Mo made a martyr tape. Oh, yes, he did. While the would-be jihadi never said he wanted to be martyred, just ‘operational’ (see yesterday’s post here), the Oregon State University student, Mohamed Osman Mohamud made a tape to leave a message to his family and the world to bray about his clever plans to blow up thousands of Portlanders gathered to light “The Tree” on November 26th, 2010. His plan was to skip town after the mass murder.
The bomb didn’t go off, but Mo Mo’s plans did.
The tape was played in a sealed federal courtroom in downtown Portland this afternoon during testimony of an undercover FBI agent who was Mohamud’s “Al Qaeda” contact.
The undercover contact, “Youssef,” was asked about ways in which he and another undercover agent, “Hussein,” gave opportunity after opportunity for Mo Mo to back out, but he never did.
“We made every attempt to scare, give him a chance to contemplate, give him a way out. He didn’t take any of them.”
Federal prosecutor Ethan Knight led the FBI agent, “Youssef,” through a series of tasks they asked Mohamud to do to prove he was serious about bombing Pioneer Courthouse Square. From buying parts for the bomb, figuring out where to park for the bombing, finding a storage locker and hotel room, sending emails and initiating phone conversations about operational plans, Mohamud continued to surprise the agents with his zeal for the bombing plan. The fact that Mohamud was “very, very excited” to do the bombing made the agent “very worried.”
On the 2-1/2 hour trip to test the bomb with Mohamud and fellow FBI undercover agent, “Hussein,” “Youssef” broached the idea of making a tape. He asked Mohamud if he wanted to do it, whether he wanted to do it that day or right before the bombing and what he would say. He told him to pray to Allah for guidance because, “a bomb is a very serious matter.” “Youssef” also said he should include in the tape when Mohamud conceived of the plan and doing the tape must “come from the heart.” Youssef testified he wanted Mohamud to write down his thoughts to see if any of his answers–or his mind– would change.He agreed to do the tape.
Back at Mohamud’s apartment in Corvallis, agents “Youssef” and “Hussein” set up a camera. Mohamud put on an red Muslim headdress and, wearing a white robe, seated himself on a prayer rug in front of white wall. He brought with him two pieces of paper. He smiled and studied what he wanted to say for a minute or so. Then he raised his head and flawlessly recited what sounded like a remonstrance to the world.
Mohamud left a message to Americans and the west saying we would “not remain safe” because the west had “invade[d] a Muslim land.” He upbraided Muslims for “living among the kaffir (the unclean–you know, us) claiming “living here is a sin” because it’s “better to be with brothers than living with the enemy [in a place] where they stop children from jihad.”
Mo Mo’s parents weren’t spared. He accused them of “making an alliance with the enemy” telling them there was “nothing you can do to hold me back.”
He told his sister to follow Allah and assured his brother that he (Mohamud) was “on the right path.”
He finished with a poem he’d written for Jihad Recollections for the “mujahadeen across the globe.” It’s quite lovely if you don’t count the part about assassinating the kaffirs and exploding people.
Afterwards, agents told Mohamud to pray and ask Allah what he should do about the bombing. Mohamud slept on it, prayed about it and wrote in an email his dream was, “def a good sign for me,” affirming the plan was still on, the “traffic light is green 100%”
*Note to Portland media:
The bomb was not a ‘harmless’ fake. It was a weapon the bomber wanted to use to vaporize thousands of people. This was not a harmless crime.
The bomb was not a ‘harmless’ fake. It was a weapon the bomber wanted to use to vaporize thousands of people. This was not a harmless crime.
Tell ’em where you saw it. Http://www.victoriataft.com
