Tarek Mehanna a 27-year U.S. plotted to kill two prominent politicians, attack malls in the U.S. and kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq, said Wednesday, federal prosecutors in announcing his arrest.
Tarek Mehanna-requested but never received training in terrorist camps, and worked with others from 2001 to May 2008 in a conspiracy to “kill, kidnap, injure or harm” to people in other countries as well as politicians, officials say .
The politicians were members of the executive branch and does not support charge, said the officials, who refused to identify them.
Prosecutors said he conspired with two others Mehanna: Ahman Abousamra, which authorities say is now in Syria, and a third, which cooperates with the authorities in the investigation.
The three spoke of their desire to participate in a “violent jihad against U.S. interests” and “his desire to die on the battlefield,” according to prosecutors.
Mehanna had “numerous conversations on how to obtain automatic weapons and shoot at the mercy of people in malls,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Loucks. His plan failed because it did only handguns, not automatic weapons, he added. Prosecutors refused to identify the selected shopping centers.
Also, wanted to attack U.S. forces in Iraq.
Mehanna’s lawyer, J.W. Carney Jr., did not return phone calls.
Mehanna was arrested in November and accused of lying to the FBI in December 2006 when asked about the whereabouts of Daniel Maldonado, who is serving a 10 years by training members of al-Qaida to overthrow the Somali government.
Mehanna told the FBI that Maldonado lived in Egypt, where he worked on a website. Care, authorities said Maldonado called Mehanna from Somalia and asked him to accompany him “in training for jihad.”
Authorities said Wednesday that Mehanna and his accomplices were contacted Maldonado for automatic weapons with which to attack shopping malls.
Tarek Mehanna
