The Oregonian:
FBI thwarts terrorist bombing attempt at Portland holiday tree lighting, authorities say
The FBI thwarted an attempted terrorist bombing in Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square before the city's annual tree-lighting Friday night, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oregon.
A Corvallis man, thinking he was going to ignite a bomb, drove a van to the corner of the square at Southwest Yamhill Street and Sixth Avenue and attempted to detonate it.
However, the supposed explosive was a dummy that FBI operatives supplied to him, according to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint signed Friday night by U.S. Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta.
Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, a Somali-born U.S. citizen, was arrested at 5:42 p.m., 18 minutes before the tree lighting was to occur, on an accusation of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI began tracking Mohumad over a year ago, in August 2009, after he contacted a suspected terrorist in Pakistan by e-mail. During the course of the investigation, the FBI helped Mohumad plan his "attack," though they ensured that he never posed an immediate threat to anyone. They also say they encouraged Muhumad to consider whether he really wanted to be responsible for the murder of innocents and gave him several opportunities to back down from his plan.