Amriki/Ciccolo was previously arrested June 18, 2014 by Mass. state police, was
charged with possession of open container in a motor vehicle and
carrying a dangerous weapon. "But the charges were dropped on Feb. 15,
2015 at the request of the state."
7/13/15, "Officials: Son of Boston Police Officer Plotted Terror Attack at College Campuses," necn.com, Marc Fortier
"Alexander Ciccolo allegedly told a cooperating witness his attack would include executions of students broadcast live via the internet"
"The son of a Boston police captain has been arrested for allegedly plotting to attack college campuses on behalf of ISIS.
A
criminal complaint charging Alexander Ciccolo, aka Ali Al Amriki, 23,
of Adams, Massachusetts, with being a felon in possession of firearms
was unsealed Monday by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI. A
pretrial detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in
Springfield. Ciccolo is being held in custody pending that hearing.
Officials
say Ciccolo is the son of Boston Police Capt. Robert Ciccolo. Sources
say Alexander has been in and out of mental health facilities since the
age of 7, but when he turned 18 he refused care and went out on his own.
His father reported his instability and terrorism threats to the FBI.
According
to the complaint affidavit, on July 4, Ciccolo took delivery of four
firearms - including two rifles with large ammunition magazines - which
he had ordered from a person who was cooperating with members of the
FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. The supplier had been communicating
with Ciccolo about Ciccolo's plans to engage in a terrorist act.
............
Ciccolo was arrested immediately after taking delivery of the firearms, which included a Colt AR-15 .223 caliber rifle, a SigArms Model SG550-1 5.56 caliber rifle, a Glock 17 9mm pistol, and a Glock 20 10 mm pistol. Ciccolo was convicted of drunken driving in February and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms."...
[Ed. note: "But the charges were dropped on Feb. 15, 2015 at the request of the state."]
Ciccolo was arrested immediately after taking delivery of the firearms, which included a Colt AR-15 .223 caliber rifle, a SigArms Model SG550-1 5.56 caliber rifle, a Glock 17 9mm pistol, and a Glock 20 10 mm pistol. Ciccolo was convicted of drunken driving in February and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms."...
[Ed. note: "But the charges were dropped on Feb. 15, 2015 at the request of the state."]
(continuing): "Prosecutors
allege that Ciccolo is a supporter of ISIS and had spoken with the
cooperating witness about his plans to commit acts of terrorism inspired
by the terrorist organization, including setting off explosive devices,
such as pressure cookers filled with black powder, nails, ball bearings
and glass. He reportedly planned to set them off in places where large
numbers of people congregate, such as college cafeterias. Prior to his
arrest, agents also saw him purchasing a pressure cooker similar to
those used in the Boston Marathon bombings.
After
Ciccolo was arrested, agents searched his apartment and found several
partially constructed Molotov cocktails. The incendiary devices
contained what appeared to be shredded Styrofoam soaking in motor oil.
Ciccolo had previously stated that this mixture would cause the fire
from the exploded devices to stick to people’s skin and make it more
difficult to extinguish. Agents also found two machetes and a long
curved knife in his apartment.
According
to court documents, the FBI became aware in the fall of 2014 that
Ciccolo had expressed a desire to go overseas to fight for ISIS. A close
acquaintance told the FBI that Ciccolo had a long history of mental
illness and in the last 18 months had become obsessed with Islam. The
acquaintance also said Ciccolo had recently said that he believed that
the "faith is under attack" and that he was "not afraid to die for the
cause." The acquaintance also reportedly received text messages from
Ciccolo saying that America is "Satan."
In October of 2014, the FBI found a
Facebook profile under the name "Ali Al Amriki" that contained
information indicating that the user was interested in martyrdom for the
sake of Islam and was living in the United States. Subsequent
investigation identified the defendant as Ciccolo.
The
FBI arranged for a cooperating witness to meet Ciccolo, who told the
witness that he had a plan to engage in violence in support of ISIS.
During one meeting on June 24, Ciccolo met with the witness in person
and said that he would attack two different bars and a police station.
He said he planned to use improvised explosive devices during the
attack, including pressure cooker and portable microwave bombs. Ciccolo
reportedly said:
"you put uhm, take a pressure cooker
Uhm, fill it up with ah, black powder
eah, you fill it up with ball bearings, nails glass, rocks ... you know."
On
June 30, Ciccolo again met with the cooperating witness. During that
conversation, the witness asked Ciccolo if he had heard what happened in
Tunisia. Ciccolo responded:
"Awesome.
Awesome, you know that ah, that brother in Tunisia was impressive ...
he got like 38, 39 people ... one guy ... that is a huge accomplishment I
think."
Ciccolo
also reportedly told the witness he wanted to conduct an attack at a
state university using assault rifles and improvised explosives. He said
the attack would be concentrated in the college dorms and cafeteria and
would include executions of students broadcast live via the internet.
After he was arrested, Ciccolo was
taken to the Franklin County House of Correction. While meeting with a
nurse for a routine medical screening, authorities say he stabbed her in
the head with a pen, leaving a bloody hole in the nurse's skin and
causing the pen to break in half.
Previously,
Ciccolo was arrested on June 18, 2014 by state police in North Adams,
Massachusetts, according to the North Berkshire District Court. He was
charged with possession of an open container in a motor vehicle and
carrying a dangerous weapon, but the charges were dropped on Feb. 15,
2015 at the request of the state.
The
Ciccolo family released the following statement addressing Monday's
arrest: “While we were saddened and disappointed to learn of our son’s
intentions, we are grateful that authorities were able to prevent any
loss of life or harm to others. At this time, we would ask that the
public and the media recognize our grief and respect our desire for
privacy.”
The
investigation is being conducted by the Joint Terrorism Task Force and
member agencies including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives, Springfield Police, Ludlow Police, Holyoke
Police, West Springfield Police, Easthampton Police, Pittsfield Police,
Massachusetts State Police and Homeland Security Investigations, with
assistance from Adams Police and the Massachusetts State Regional
Hazardous Materials Response Team."
......................
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