Illinois

A federal judge sentenced two men to prison for their roles in the 2017 bombing of the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. Two other defendants have pled guilty to their roles in the bombing.

During the summer of 2017, the defendants joined a terrorist militia group called “The White Rabbits” in Clarence, Illinois. On August 4th and 5th, the group drove a rented truck from Illinois to Minnesota to bomb the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center. The defendants selected the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center to terrorize Muslims into believing they are not welcome in the United States and should leave the country. On August 5, the group bombed the Islamic Center. At the time of the bombing, several worshipers were gathered in the mosque for morning prayers.

On November 7, 2017, the group also attempted to set fire to the Women’s Health Practice in Champaign, Illinois. They used a sledgehammer to break a window and placed a device in the building to start a fire. The device did not ignite and was found by a Women’s Health Practice employee.

The two men face between 14 and 16 years in prison for their crimes.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/federal-jury-convicts-illinois-man-bombing-dar-al-farooq-islamic-center

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/two-illinois-men-sentenced-prison-their-roles-bombing-dar-al-farooq-islamic-center

A federal grand jury charged two inmates at Thomson Penitentiary in Thompson, Illinois, with hate crimes and related charged in the beating death of a fellow inmate.

According to the indictment, the two men were members of a white supremacist group called the Valhalla Bound Skinheads. Allegedly, the men attacked the victim because he was Jewish. They beat him even after he was unable to defend himself.

Three of the charges, conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder, and hate crimes, carry sentences of up to life in prison.

An indictment is a serious accusation. But the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/federal-indictment-charges-two-thomson-penitentiary-inmates-murder-and-hate-crime

A federal jury returned guilty verdicts against the defendant for his role in bombing the Dar al-Farooq (“DAF”) Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, on August 5, 2017. Previously, two other defendants pleaded guilty to their roles in the bombing.

As proven at trial, during the summer of 2017, the defendant established a terrorist militia group called “The White Rabbits” in Clarence, Illinois. He recruited co-defendants to join the militia, which he outfitted with paramilitary equipment and assault rifles. On August 4 and 5, 2017, they drove a rented pickup truck from Illinois to Bloomington, Minnesota, to bomb the DAF Islamic Center. On August 5, 2017, at the defendant’s direction, the group bombed the DAF Islamic Center. At the time of the bombing, several worshipers were gathered in the mosque for morning prayers.

The defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years in prison. A sentencing date will be scheduled at a later time.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/federal-jury-convicts-illinois-man-bombing-dar-al-farooq-islamic-center

Two Illinois Men Pleaded Guilty To Bombing Of Islamic Center Two Illinois men, pleaded guilty to multiple charges in United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, including federal civil rights charges. The defendants attacked the Dar al-Farooq (DAF) Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota and engaged in a violent multi-state crime spree that threatened and intimidated entire communities.

According to their guilty pleas, during the summer of 2017 the men formed a militia group in central Illinois with a co-defendant and others that was eventually called the “White Rabbits.”

On the morning of August 5, 2017, one defendant broke a window at the DAF Islamic Center with a sledgehammer and threw a plastic container containing a diesel fuel and gasoline mixture into the building. The second defendant then lit the fuse on a pipe bomb and threw it through the broken window. At the time of the explosion congregants were in the mosque for morning prayers; however, the office in which the bomb was thrown was unoccupied and no fatalities or injuries occurred. The defendants stated the DAF Islamic Center was selected because it is an Islamic house of worship. They further admitted the bombing was an attempt to scare Muslims into believing they are not welcome in the United States.

The defendants also pleaded guilty to participating in an armed home invasion, conducting armed robberies of two Walmart stores, and attempting arson on the Women’s Health Practice in Champaign, Illinois.
 

Guilty Plea: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/two-illinois-men-plead-guilty-bombing-islamic-center