| Richard Reid (terrorist) |
Article Index for Richard Reid |
Website Links For Richard |
Information AboutRichard Reid (terrorist) |
|
Richard Colvin Reid (born August 12 , 1973 ), also known as the '''shoe bomber''', is a convicted Terrorist serving prison time in the United States . A British citizen born in Bromley , South London and educated at Thomas Tallis School in Kidbrooke , London , he is the son of an English mother and a Jamaica n father, who spent most of Richard's childhood years in prison. Reid became involved in street crime and spent time in a number of prisons, including Feltham Young Offenders' Institution where he converted to Islam . He visited Israel in June 2001 and onboard the El-Al flight to Tel Aviv was accompanied seated close to an armed air-marshall. He was arrested on December 22 , 2001 for attempting to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes. According to the FBI he has used the aliases Tariq Raja and '''Abdel Rahim'''. The flight was American Airlines Flight 63 going from Paris ' Charles De Gaulle International Airport to Miami International Airport . He was caught when a flight attendant saw him attempting to light a match on the tongue of his shoe. She tried grabbing his shoes, but he pushed her to the floor, and she screamed for help. When another flight attendant tried to stop him, he fought her and bit her thumb. The 6 foot 4 inch (193 cm) Reid was eventually subdued by other passengers on the airliner, two of whom were doctors who injected him with sedative drugs. Authorities later found PETN Plastic Explosive s with a Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) detonator, hidden in the lining of his shoes. On January 30 , 2003 , he was found guilty on Terrorism charges at a federal court in Boston, Massachusetts . During the sentencing hearing he openly stated that he was an Islam ic fundamentalist and declared himself an enemy of the United States and in league with Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden . He was sentenced to life imprisonment on each of the 3 charges, 20 years imprisonment on 4 other charges, and 30 years on 4 other counts, to be served consecutively, followed by five years of supervised release. Eight fines of $250,000, restitution of $298.17 and $5,784, $800 special assessment were imposed. He is serving his sentences in the ADX Florence , a Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado . ROLE IN 9/11 ATTACKS Zacarias Moussaoui stated on March 27 , 2006 at his sentencing hearing that on September 11, 2001 he and Reid had intended to Hijack a fifth aircraft and crash it into the White House as part of the attacks that took place that day. However, through his lawyers Mr. Reid has denied his involment with Moussaoui. Moussaoui's own defense lawyers dismissed this as fantasy on the part of their client, saying that he was not an operative in Al-Qaeda, but only a "hanger-on". {Link without Title} SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|