Philip Agee, 72, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative, has died in Cuba. Agee exposed the crimes committed by the government unit in his classic diary published during the 1970s.
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chicagotribune.com
Arrest made in plot to blow up Baltimore-area military recruiting center
Suspect to appear in court this afternoon after Catonsville incident
By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun
1:03 PM CST, December 8, 2010
A Baltimore man has been arrested for attempting to blow up a military recruitment center in Catonsville with a fake bomb supplied by federal agents.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Baltimore said the man, identified as Antonio Martinez and also known as Muhammad Hussain, attempted to detonate what he believed to be a vehicle bomb this morning at the Armed Forces Career Center in the 5400 block of Baltimore National Pike.
According to court records, Martinez praised Nidal Hassan, the U.S. Army major who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, and made public postings on his Facebook page discussing how the "reign of oppression is about 2 cease." He communicated through the social networking site with an FBI informant, saying he wanted to go to Pakistan or Afghanistan and join the ranks of the "mujahideen."
"He hoped Allah would open a door for him because all he thinks about is jihad," agents wrote in court papers.
In discussions with the FBI's confidential source, he said that if the military continued to kill Muslims, "they would need to expand their operation by killing U.S. Army personnel where they live," records show. They discussed attacking military installations and the possibility of using gas or propane tanks.
On Oct. 29, their discussion focused on the military recruiting center on Route 40. Martinez said he knew of someone who could provide weapons and detailed how he could enter the facility from the roof and then "shoot everybody in the place."
Burning the building, he said, would "instill fear" and send a message that "whoever joins the military, they will be killed."
Court records show Martinez attempted to recruit multiple individuals, all who declined to participate.
Officials said no one was in danger because the FBI was monitoring Martinez.
"There was no danger to the public as the explosives were inert, and the suspect had been carefully monitored by law enforcement for months," the office said in a statement.
There was no evidence that the plot was tied to recent shootings at military recruiting centers in the Washington D.C. area, officials said.
Martinez is scheduled to make an initial appearance at 2 p.m. in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge James K. Bredar.
The case appeared similar to a recent bomb plot in Portland, Ore. The day after Thanksgiving, a Somali-born teenager was arrested there after using a cell phone to try to detonate what he thought were explosives in a van, authorities said. He thought he was going to bomb a crowded downtown Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.
Like the Baltimore County case, it turned out to be a dummy bomb plot put together by FBI agents. Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, was arrested after authorities said he planned the details of the plot, including where to park the van filled with explosives to hurt the most people. Mohamud allegedly believed he was receiving help from a larger ring of jihadists as he communicated with undercover agents.
In Baltimore County, Will Eckenrode, manager of Car Quest Auto Parts, which is in the same Catonsville shopping plaza as the recruiting center, said he heard a loud bang, then saw FBI agents in technical gear in the parking lot this morning between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.
"It's scary," he said. "This is close to home."
justin.fenton@baltsun.com
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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