2000 millennium attack plots
Encyclopedia
The Year 2000 attack plots were terrorist
attacks planned to occur on or near January 1, 2000: the bombing of four sites in Jordan
, the bombing of Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX), and the bombing of the USS The Sullivans
. The first two plots were foiled by law enforcement agencies; the third was aborted after a mistake occurred. While the various attacks were planned to occur around the same date, there is no evidence that the three plots were coordinated in any way.
, members of the group planned to bomb four sites: a fully booked Radisson
hotel in Amman
, Jordan
; the border between Jordan and Israel
; Mount Nebo
, a Christian
holy site; and a site on the Jordan River where John the Baptist
is said to have baptized
Jesus
. These locations were chosen to target tourists from the United States and Israel
. The most active participant was a Boston
taxi
driver named Raed Hijazi
.
On November 30, 1999, Jordanian intelligence intercepted a call between Abu Zubaydah
, the leader of the plot, and Khadr Abu Hoshar, a Palestinian
militant. In the conversation, Zubaydah stated, "The time for training is over." Sensing that the attack was imminent, Jordanian police arrested Hoshar and fifteen others on December 12, 1999.
The authorities put twenty eight suspects on trial. Twenty two of them were quickly found guilty. Six of them, including Hijazi, were sentenced to death. Abu Zubaydah was sentenced to death in absentia
. Loa'i Mohammad Haj Bakr al-Saqa and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
, were sentenced in absentia in 2002, for their part in the plot which included using poison gas during the bombing.
, an Algeria
n citizen living in Montreal, Canada planned to bomb Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX) on New Year's Eve
1999/2000. He was arrested at Port Angeles
, Washington, the U.S. port of entry, on December 14, 1999. Customs officials then found a cache of explosives that could have produced "a blast forty times greater than that of a devastating car bomb
" and four timing devices hidden in the spare tire well in the trunk of the rented car in which he had traveled from Canada. He and three other Algerians stood trial for the crime. Ressam began cooperating with investigators in 2001. He was initially sentenced to 22 years in prison, but in February 2010 an appellate court ordered that his sentence be extended.
, members of the group planned to bomb the USS The Sullivans
with a boat laden with explosives. Militants deployed a bomb-laden boat on January 3, 2000, but the over-loaded bomb boat sank before detonating. Richard A. Clarke
, in his book Against All Enemies
, says that at the time, no law enforcement agency in the world knew about this plot.
the USS Cole
on October 12, 2000.
The Radisson SAS hotel in Amman was successfully bombed by terrorists in 2005.
While in prison, Ressam revealed that al-Qaeda sleeper cells
existed within the United States. This information was included in the famous President's Daily Brief
delivered to President George W. Bush
on August 6, 2001, entitled Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US.
A 2011 NPR
report claimed some of the people associated with this plot were imprisoned in a highly restrictive Communication Management Unit
.
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
attacks planned to occur on or near January 1, 2000: the bombing of four sites in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, the bombing of Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
(LAX), and the bombing of the USS The Sullivans
USS The Sullivans (DDG-68)
USS The Sullivans , an Arleigh Burke-class "Aegis" guided missile destroyer, is the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the five Sullivan brothers — George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert Sullivan, aged 20 to 27 — who lost their lives when their ship, USS...
. The first two plots were foiled by law enforcement agencies; the third was aborted after a mistake occurred. While the various attacks were planned to occur around the same date, there is no evidence that the three plots were coordinated in any way.
The Jordan bombing plot
In JordanJordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, members of the group planned to bomb four sites: a fully booked Radisson
Radisson Hotels
Radisson Hotels is one of the leading, full-service global hotel companies with more than 420 locations in 73 countries. The first Radisson Hotel was built in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1909, and was named after the 17th-century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson...
hotel in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
; the border between Jordan and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
; Mount Nebo
Mount Nebo (Jordan)
Mount Nebo is an elevated ridge that is approximately 817 meters above sea level, in what is now western Jordan. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north, a more limited one of the valley of the River Jordan...
, a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
holy site; and a site on the Jordan River where John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
is said to have baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. These locations were chosen to target tourists from the United States and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The most active participant was a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver named Raed Hijazi
Raed Hijazi
Born in California, Raed Hijazi was one of four men, Mohamad Elzahabi, Nabil al-Marabh, Bassam Kanj and Hijazi, who met each other at the Khalden training camp where they met during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan...
.
On November 30, 1999, Jordanian intelligence intercepted a call between Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah is a Saudi Arabian citizen, sentenced to death in Jordan and currently held in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Not neutral: Arrested in Pakistan in March 2002, he has been in US custody for more than eight years, four-and-a-half of them spent incommunicado in solitary confinement...
, the leader of the plot, and Khadr Abu Hoshar, a Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
militant. In the conversation, Zubaydah stated, "The time for training is over." Sensing that the attack was imminent, Jordanian police arrested Hoshar and fifteen others on December 12, 1999.
The authorities put twenty eight suspects on trial. Twenty two of them were quickly found guilty. Six of them, including Hijazi, were sentenced to death. Abu Zubaydah was sentenced to death in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
. Loa'i Mohammad Haj Bakr al-Saqa and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
, were sentenced in absentia in 2002, for their part in the plot which included using poison gas during the bombing.
LAX bombing plot
Ahmed RessamAhmed Ressam
Ahmed Ressam is an Algerian al-Qaeda member who lived in Montreal, Canada.He was convicted of attempting to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve 1999, as part of the foiled 2000 millennium attack plots...
, an Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n citizen living in Montreal, Canada planned to bomb Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
(LAX) on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
1999/2000. He was arrested at Port Angeles
Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...
, Washington, the U.S. port of entry, on December 14, 1999. Customs officials then found a cache of explosives that could have produced "a blast forty times greater than that of a devastating car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
" and four timing devices hidden in the spare tire well in the trunk of the rented car in which he had traveled from Canada. He and three other Algerians stood trial for the crime. Ressam began cooperating with investigators in 2001. He was initially sentenced to 22 years in prison, but in February 2010 an appellate court ordered that his sentence be extended.
USS The Sullivans attack plot
In YemenYemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, members of the group planned to bomb the USS The Sullivans
USS The Sullivans (DDG-68)
USS The Sullivans , an Arleigh Burke-class "Aegis" guided missile destroyer, is the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the five Sullivan brothers — George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert Sullivan, aged 20 to 27 — who lost their lives when their ship, USS...
with a boat laden with explosives. Militants deployed a bomb-laden boat on January 3, 2000, but the over-loaded bomb boat sank before detonating. Richard A. Clarke
Richard A. Clarke
Richard Alan Clarke was a U.S. government employee for 30 years, 1973–2003. He worked for the State Department during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush appointed him to chair the Counter-terrorism Security Group and to a seat on the United States National...
, in his book Against All Enemies
Against All Enemies
Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror is a 2004 book by former U.S. chief counter-terrorism advisor Richard A. Clarke, criticizing past and present presidential administrations for the way they handled the War on Terrorism. The book focused much of its criticism on President George W...
, says that at the time, no law enforcement agency in the world knew about this plot.
Aftermath
After the attack on The Sullivans failed, al-Qaeda tried the same type of attack a second time. They successfully bombedUSS Cole bombing
The USS Cole Bombing, or the USS Cole Incident, was a suicide attack against the United States Navy destroyer on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored and refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed, and 39 were injured...
the USS Cole
USS Cole (DDG-67)
The second USS Cole is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer homeported in NS Norfolk, Virginia. The Cole is named in honor of Marine Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, a machine-gunner killed in action on Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945, during World War II...
on October 12, 2000.
The Radisson SAS hotel in Amman was successfully bombed by terrorists in 2005.
While in prison, Ressam revealed that al-Qaeda sleeper cells
Clandestine cell system
A clandestine cell structure is a method for organizing a group of people in such a way that it can more effectively resist penetration by an opposing organization. Depending on the group's philosophy, its operational area, the communications technologies available, and the nature of the mission,...
existed within the United States. This information was included in the famous President's Daily Brief
President's Daily Brief
The President's Daily Brief , sometimes incorrectly referred to as the President's Daily Briefing or the President's Daily Bulletin, is a top-secret document produced each morning for the President of the United States...
delivered to President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on August 6, 2001, entitled Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US.
A 2011 NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
report claimed some of the people associated with this plot were imprisoned in a highly restrictive Communication Management Unit
Communication Management Unit
Communication Management Unit is a recent designation for a self-contained group within a facility in the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons that severely restricts, manages and monitors all outside communication of inmates in the unit.-Origins:As part of the Bush Administration's War on...
.
See also
- Christmas Eve 2000 Indonesia bombings
- Rizal Day bombingsRizal Day bombingsThe Rizal Day bombings, also referred to as the December 30 bombings, were a series of bombings that occurred around Metro Manila in the Philippines on December 30, 2000. The explosions occurred in close succession within a span of a few hours...
- Strasbourg cathedral bombing plotStrasbourg cathedral bombing plotThe Strasbourg Cathedral bombing plot was an al-Qaeda plan to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas market at the feet of Strasbourg Cathedral during the Christmas celebrations of 2000...
(Christmas 2000)