FBI Sting Snares Man Allegedly Trying to Detonate Car Bomb at Maryland Military Center

Dec. 8, 2010— -- An FBI sting snared a Baltimore man who allegedly was willing to detonate a car bomb outside a military recruitment center in Catonsville, Maryland.

The suspect, Antonio Martinez, used the name "Muhammad Hussain" and was arrested as he tried to set off what he thought was a bomb, the FBI said Wednesday. But the so-called "bomb" was rendered harmless by FBI undercover agents who were in constant contact with Martinez.

The FBI says Martinez believed that the U.S. was at war against Muslims, and tried to recruit others to join him in the plot. Authorities say Martinez was offered several opportunities to back out of the plan by undercover agents, but chose to continue. Prosecutors say Martinez was inspired by the radical cleric Anwar Alawaki of Yemen.

"There was no actual danger to the public as the explosives were inert and the suspect had been carefully monitored by law enforcement for months," Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said. There was no evidence the plot was linked to recent shootings at military installations in the Washington area, authorities said.

"Stings are part and parcel of the toolbox law enforcement must have and must employ particularly in this kind of a terrorist environment," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said today. "There are rules that govern them and they are done very carefully and the FBI abides by those rules, law enforcement abides by those rules but they are an important tool to have."

This time, the FBI was tipped off by a citizen who was concerned about Martinez' Facebook postings.

Just in the past two months, he wrote, "The sword is cumin (sic) the reign of oppression is about 2 cease."

In another post, he wrote, "any 1 who opposes ALLAH and HIS Prophet...I hate you with all my heart."

Authorities say that Martinez seemed obsessed with the military recruitment center, hoping to send a threat to anyone who might want to join the military. This morning, they say he meticulously checked over the bomb components before driving to the center, only to discover it was all part of a sting.

The FBI has used stings to try to head off "homegrown terror" incidents before they happen. Using tips from the community or intelligence developed from jihadist Internet sites, the bureau has closed in on would-be jihadists if they show a willingness to move forward and commit an overt act of terrorism.

The Maryland case was similar in many ways 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 believed he was going to bomb a crowded downtown Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.

As in the Maryland case, it turned out to be a dummy bomb 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.

There have been similar FBI stings in the past few months, including one targeting subway sites near the Pentagon outside Washington.

Secretary Napolitano said today that the terror threat from domestic radicals is a growing problem.

"My assessment is the threat environment is increasingly active," she said. "It is not restricted to plots that are hatched overseas and then flown into the United States but that it also now includes an increasing amount of hometown or homegrown terrorist activity particularly by individuals who have become radicalized and associated with Al Qaeda or Islamist terrorism beliefs and techniques and tactics."