Jose Padilla

In August, 2007, Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen hailing from Puerto Rico was convicted by a United States jury of conspiracy to murder, kidnap, and maim individuals overseas. Originally arrested at O'Hare Airport in 2005 on the suspicion that he was plotting to create and detonate a dirty bomb inside the United States, Padilla was held for three and a half years in a federal prison as an enemy combatant.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: October 18, 1970
2. Arrested: May 8, 2002
3. Designated as an enemy combatant June 9, 2002
4. Indicted in Florida on criminal conspiracy charges November 22, 2005
5. Trial began May 15, 2007
6. Convicted of federal terrorism support charges on August 16, 2007
7. Held for 3 1/2 years as enemy combatant
8. Also known as Abdullah al-Muhajir or Muhajir Abdullah

Background

Padilla was born in Brooklyn in 1970 and his early life included a series of run-ins with the law, partly as an outgrowth of his membership in the Latin Kings gang in Chicago where his family later moved. Authorities believe he may have converted to Islam while in prison for gang-related crime and that he visited Afghanistan in 1998. In 2001, authorities allege that Padilla made contact with Abu Zubaydah, a senior Al Qaeda operative in Pakistan, and that he filled out an Al Qaeda application form. While authorities also allege that during his time in Pakistan he received training on how to create a dirty bomb, he was not tried on that specific charge, but instead on charges of conspiracy.

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