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U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation


In Reply, Please Refer to Release No. 219 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, Illinois 60604

 

 

January 12, 2004

Chicago Man Arrested Following Terrorist Threat Hoax

Thomas J. Kneir, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced today the arrest of ABDUL RAUF NOORMOHAMED , age 59, of 3525 West Carmen Avenue in Chicago. NOORMOHAMED was arrested earlier today, without incident, by members of the Chicago FBI's Joint Terrorist Task Force (JTTF) at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport as he was preparing to board a Swiss Air flight with an eventual destination of Cairo, Egypt.

NOORMOHAMED was charged in a criminal complaint filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count of making false statements to representatives of the United States government, which is a felony offense. According to the complaint, beginning in mid-December of last year and continuing through January 5th, NOORMOHAMED made numerous telephone calls to various state and federal agencies, claiming that several individuals residing in the Chicago area were members of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization and were planning to launch a series of attacks against numerous targets in Chicago.

Although NOORMOHAMED, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Indian descent, refused to provide his name when calling and took steps to conceal his identity, he was eventually determined to be the caller. Furthermore, investigation into his allegations determined that the individuals he claimed were members of a terrorist cell, were in fact relatives with whom NOORMOHAMED was having a dispute and were in no way connected to any terrorist plots.

In announcing this arrest, Mr. Kneir said "We have been asking for the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity and individuals for over two years. Given our heightened state of alert, it's unconscionable for someone to exploit the situation to settle a personal vendetta." Hundreds of man hours were expended by JTTF members investigating these allegations during the past four weeks. NOORMOHAMED will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ian H. Levin, sometime tomorrow, at which time he will be formally charged. If convicted of the charge against him, NOORMOHAMED faces up to 5 years incarceration.

The FBI's JTTF is comprised of Special Agents from the FBI, U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF); Inspectors from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau (ICE); Deputy U.S. Marshals, U.S. Postal Inspectors, Officers from the Illinois State Police (ISP) and Chicago Police Department (CPD), and representatives from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Transportation Safety Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Administration (USEPA), and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

EDITOR's NOTE: A copy of the complaint filed against NOORMOHAMED will be available from the Chicago FBI Press Office at (312) 786-2645.




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