Seattle Terror Plot: Terrorist Pleads Guilty to Avoid Life Imprisonment
One of two alleged plotters of an attack on a military recruiting station in Seattle has pleaded guilty on Thursday to avoid life imprisonment.
Walli Mujahidh, also known as Frederick Domingue Jr., could face up to 32 years in prison for conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, unlawful possession of a firearm and conspiracy to kill officers of the United States.
"Walli is very ashamed of his behavior and has wanted to accept responsibility for his participation. He had a fundamental misunderstanding of Islam," said Mujahidh’s attorney, Michele Shaw, in a statement to AP.
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According to Shaw’s statement to the press, Mujahidh also has a history of “chronic, relentless” mental illness. The would-be terrorist has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder with bipolar tendencies.
Authorities said Mujahidh, 32, and his partner Khalid Abdul-Latif, 33, were inspired by both the Fort Hood Texas shooting spree in 2009 that left 13 people dead and the recent prosecution of U.S soldiers for the killing of three Afghan civilians.
“Abdul-Latif said that ‘jihad’ in America should be a ‘physical jihad,’ and not just ‘media jihad,’ expressing his view that it was necessary to take action rather than just talk,” an FBI agent said in court.
Investigators discovered the terrorism plot when one of Abdul Latif’s recruits went to Seattle police and became a paid informant.
The two men were arrested during an FBI sting when they arrived at a warehouse in Washington to pick up machine guns. Mujahidh and Abdul-Latif had also purchased grenades for the attack.
Both men have a criminal history.
Abdul-Latif will face trial next May.
