FBI — Maryland Man Sentenced to 25 Yrs for Attempted Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction in Plot to Attack Armed Forces
BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Antonio Martinez, a/k/a Muhammad Hussain, age 22, of Baltimore, Maryland, a U.S. citizen, today to 25 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against federal property, in connection with a scheme to attack an Armed Forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Maryland. Martinez was arrested on December 8, 2010 after he attempted to detonate what he believed to be explosives at the Armed Forces recruiting station.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“We are catching dangerous suspects before they strike, and we are investigating them in a way that maximizes the liberty and security of law-abiding citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “That is what the American people expect of the Justice Department and that is what we aim to deliver.”
“This is an example of another successful prosecution that resulted from outstanding partnerships between the Muslim community and law enforcement,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely. “As the threat from homegrown violent extremists remains high, the FBI and our police partners rely on a two-way flow of information with the Muslim community at large. Together, we are working to stop those that have perverted the Islamic faith into something it is not.”
According to his plea agreement, on October 22, 2010, Martinez raised the subject of attacking military targets with an FBI confidential source (CS). During the recorded conversations that followed between Martinez, the CS, and later an FBI undercover agent, Martinez identified his target—an Armed Forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Maryland—and spoke about his anger toward America, his belief that Muslims were being unjustly targeted and killed by the American military, and his desire to commit jihad to send a message that American soldiers would be killed unless the country stopped its “war” against Islam.