Son of Boston Police Captain Held in Connection to Terror Plot

An alleged supporter of the ISIL supporter, and son of a Boston Police captain, is being held without bail after being formally charged in connection to a terror plot to bomb college dining halls.

Alexander Ciccolo, 23, of Adams, MA, was charged by a grand jury Friday with one count of being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and one count of assault with a deadly weapon and causing bodily injury to a person assisting an officer, the Boston’s U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.

He is also charged with stabbing a nurse after his arrest.

Ciccolo allegedly took delivery of four firearms which he had ordered from a person who was cooperating with members of the Western Massachusetts Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to court documents revealed at a prior detention hearing. That official had been communicating with Ciccolo about his plans to engage in a terrorist act.

Ciccolo was immediately arrested after allegedly accepting the firearms. He was in illegal possession of the weapons because he had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than year in jail, according to the charges.

Prosecutors also allege Ciccolo is a supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

In recorded conversations, Ciccolo reportedly spoke with an undercover witness about his plans to carry out acts of terror on behalf of the terrorist group. His plans included setting of explosive devices filled with black powder, nails, ball bearings and glass, in crowded places such as college dinning halls.

Prior to his arrest, Ciccolo was seen purchasing a pressure cooker similar to that used in the Boston Marathon bombings, investigators say.

Following his arrest, Ciccolo stabbed a nurse with a pen while he was being processed at a correctional center, resulting in a second charge on top of the firearms charge.

During a July 14 detention hearing, a judge ordered Ciccolo held without bail until trial.

Photo Credit: WHDH