Trial set for Christmas tree-lighting bomb plot - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Trial set for Christmas tree-lighting bomb plot

Posted: Updated:

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The trial of a man accused of attempting to detonate an 1,800-pound bomb at a Portland Christmas tree-lighting ceremony begins this week.

Mohamed Mohamud is accused of attempting to detonate a weapon of mass destruction in November 2010. The bomb was a fake provided by law enforcement.

His defense says they will argue Mohamud was entrapped by the FBI. The 21-year-old Mohamud is one of the youngest defendants ensnared by the Justice Department's terror stings. The operations and the FBI's informant network were ramped up after Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Mohamud's attorneys say his youth made him a vulnerable target.

Prosecutors argue that Mohamud was predisposed to committing terrorism before the operation began. They say Mohamud was offered the option of peaceful resistance, but chose a path of violence.

  • Top Stories

  • Wednesday, May 22 2013 3:53 PM EDT2013-05-22 19:53:47 GMT
    COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio state lawmakers moved boldly Tuesday against storefront sweepstakes parlors they have come to view as illegal gambling operations, advancing separate bills effectively banning
    An effective ban on Internet cafes targeted as illegal gambling operations has cleared the Ohio Legislature after more than two years of wrangling.
  • Wednesday, May 22 2013 4:46 PM EDT2013-05-22 20:46:42 GMT
    A grandma in Fostoria fights off a man who tried to kidnap her grandson. 13 ABC's Christine Long spoke with the grandmother who battled for the boy kicking and screaming. Anyone you talk to in town
    "I'm grateful that God gave me the strength to fight the man off," says Paulette Barchus who kicked and screamed on Wednesday to protect her grandson.
  • Wednesday, May 22 2013 4:45 PM EDT2013-05-22 20:45:11 GMT
    A Lucas County sheriff's deputy was in court Wednesday morning. Deputy Paul Little is accused of giving a firearm to a convicted felon and filing a false report that the gun was stolen. The 15-year veteran
    A Lucas County sheriff's deputy was in court Wednesday morning. Deputy Paul Little is accused of giving a firearm to a convicted felon and filing a false report that the gun was stolen.

Area Events Calendar

See It, Shoot It, Send It!