Islamic Terrorist Tries to Blow Up Building in Dallas

Right next to the building in which I used to work, in fact:

DALLAS - Police arrested a man Thursday after he allegedly placed an inactive car bomb near Fountain Place at 1445 Ross Avenue in downtown Dallas.

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian citizen who has been living and working in Italy, Texas illegally, was charged with "attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction," authorities said.

Smadi allegedly drove a truck down into the parking garage below Fountain Plaza Thursday believing it was packed with ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which was the same material used to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City.

He left the site in a vehicle driven by an undercover FBI agent. They then drove several blocks away, which was where Smadi used a cell phone that he thought would remotely activate the bomb, authorities said. However, that call went directly to the FBI.

Authorities said Smadi had been under FBI surveillance for some time after expressing "his desire to commit violent Jihad" numerous times while talking with a group of extremists online. Authorities said he stood out because he wanted to serve osama bin laden and al-Qaeda.

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Smadi planned on using a vehicle improvised explosive device (VBIED) to bomb Fountain Place at the end of Ramadan, which is September 20, authorities said. However, authorities said agents worked to ensure "the VBIED contained only an inert/inactive explosive device, which contained no explosive materials." The FBI said the public was never in danger.

With 60 floors, Fountain Place is the fifth tallest building in Dallas and the 15th tallest building in Texas. The building was designed by I.M. Pei and Partners and completed in 1986.