Terrorism In Ohio: Years Of Planned Attacks

CLEVELAND, OH — When law enforcement gathered on Monday to announce the arrest of Demetrius Pitts, the man accused of planning a terrorist attack on downtown Cleveland on Independence Day, there was no talk of the planned Valley View bridge bombing in 2012 or the Ohio State University attack in 2016.

Pitts allegedly wanted to plant vans filled with explosives around downtown Cleveland, specifically planning to target Voinovich Park, a U.S. Coast Guard Station and St. John's Cathedral.

“This defendant plotted and scouted locations in downtown Cleveland for an attack on July 4th, when he knew it would be packed with people celebrating our nation’s birthday," U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. "We will continue to do all we can to identify, arrest and prosecute those threats while working to keep our communities safe and secure."

Pitts isn't the first person accused of planning an attack in Ohio. Over the past 10 years, multiple terrorist plots have either been foiled or carried out in the Buckeye State. The most recent being the attacks at Ohio State University, where 11 people were injured by a radicalized college student.

The Ohio State Attack

In November 2016, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, an 18-year-old OSU student and Somalia-born refugee, drove a car into pedestrians and got out and began attacking people with a butcher's knife before he was shot dead by a campus police officer. The attack lasted just under a minute. Eleven people were injured.

The teenager had made frequent social media posts denouncing the treatment of Muslims in the U.S. prior to the attacks. Law enforcement noted that his social media posts made reference to lone wolf terror attacks and praised a radical al-Qaida cleric.

Artan wrote that America should stop interfering in the affairs of other countries, particularly the "Muslim Ummah," or community. He then cautioned, "We are not weak. We are not weak. Remember that."

Despite these posts, law enforcement cautioned the public to not assume what Ali Artan's motives were. It wasn't until June 2017 that a note was discovered that indicated the teenager was carrying out the attack as a way to show support to ISIS, the Associated Press reported last year.

The 'Perfect Recruit for ISIS'

In April 2017, Laith Waleed Alebbini, 26, was arrested before he could get on a plane to Syria and join ISIS fighters, the Department of Justice said at the time. He allegedly claimed he was the "perfect recruit for ISIS."

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force began monitoring his activities after he was arrested in January 2017 for illegal entry at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C. The charges were dismissed, but he revealed his plans to join ISIS to a confidential source on March 3, according to the complaint.

In a Jan. 23 interview with the FBI and U.S. Secret Service, he admitted to posting pro-ISIS videos on his Facebook page, which has since been disabled, the Dayton Daily News reported. Noting the lax security at the embassy, he told the investigators: "(If) I had a bomb on me, I swear to God, three embassies would have gone down," according to court documents.

According to court documents, Alebbini made multiple plans to travel to Syria before he was detained last month. Believing he was living among apostates who kill Muslims, he said he would discard his permanent green card because it might be used against him on judgment day, according to the complaint.

The Plot to Attack U.S. Military Bases

Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud was sentenced to more than two decades in prison in early 2018. He reportedly had plans to attack U.S. military bases and carry out executions.

Court documents said that Mohamud is a Somali-born naturalized U.S. citizen. In 2014, he got a U.S. passport and a one-way ticket to Greece. During a layover in Istanbul, Turkey, he decided not to board his connecting flight to Athens, Greece. Instead, he completed plans to cross the border into Syria.

Once he got into Syria, he started training with al-Nusrah Front, a terrorist cell affiliated with al-Qaeda. His older brother was also training with the group. While there, he worked on the use of weapons, tactics and fitness. He also took part in a firefight and said he wanted to die while fighting in Syria, according to a statement of facts from his guilty plea. But then his brother was killed fighting for al-Nusrah Front.

"He then returned to the United States with a plan to do grievous harm, recruited others to help him in his homeland plot, and then planned and prepared for attacks in the United States. Once caught, he orchestrated a cover-up beginning with his material misstatements to the FBI," said U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman for the Southern District of Ohio.

Mohamud reportedly wanted to attack a U.S. military base or prison and carry out three or four executions, NBC News reported.

He was arrested after an investigation led by the FBI. He pleaded guilty to attempting to provide and providing material support to terrorists, one count of attempting to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization – namely, al-Nusrah Front – and one count of making false statements to the FBI involving international terrorism.

The Valley View Bridge Plot

In 2012, five self-proclaimed anarchists were arrested after they attempted to blow up the Valley View Bridge on I-480. The five men eventually took plea agreements with the state: Douglas Wright, Connor Stevens, Joshua Stafford, Brandon Baxter, and Anthony Hayne.

The group landed on the FBI's radar after they tried to provoke a peaceful rally into violence, cleveland.com reported. Wright exchanged numbers with an undercover agent at the rally. For six months, the group of five plotted an attack on the bridge and communicated with the undercover agent.

Originally interested in making their own bombs, the group was guided toward another undercover FBI agent, this one posing as an arms dealer. The faux arms dealer sold the five men 10 pounds of phony explosives.

When the five men went to detonate their explosives, they were instead arrested by a swarm of law enforcement agents and officers.

Moving Forward

Ohioans may be on high alert for a few weeks, particularly at large public gatherings, but law enforcement is confident Independence Day will be safe. Cleveland Police are urging citizens to remain vigilant and cautious, but are also encouraging people to go out and enjoy the holidays.

“Together with our law enforcement partners on FBI Cleveland's Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI disrupted plans to attack innocent citizens – including on July 4th, a day our citizens should be able to celebrate our freedom without fear of violence," said FBI Director Christopher Wray in a statement. "This arrest shows the determination of the men and women of the FBI and our partner agencies to protect our communities from harm. I extend my thanks not just to those who worked on this case, but to all those who safeguard our nation every day.”

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