Two Men Indicted in Plot to Attack Seattle Military Processing Center
Grand Jury Returns Nine-Count Indictment for Conspiracy, Weapons Crimes
| U.S. Attorney’s Office July 07, 2011 |
SEATTLE—Two men were indicted today by a federal grand jury on nine criminal counts related to their plot to attack a military installation in Seattle. The indictment charges Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, a/k/a Joseph Anthony Davis, 33, of Seattle, and Walli Mujahidh, a/k/a Frederick Domingue, Jr., 32, of Los Angeles, with conspiracy to murder officers and agents of the United States, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. Abdul-Latif is charged with solicitation of a crime of violence, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, and two counts of possession of firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence. Walli Mujahidh, a/k/a Frederick Domingue, Jr. is also charged with possession of firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence and unlawful possession of a firearm. Both men have prior convictions that prohibit them from possessing firearms. Under close monitoring by federal agents the men took possession of high powered assault rifles they planned to use in an attack on the Military Entrance Processing Station (“MEPS”) located on East Marginal Way, Seattle. The weapons had been disabled.
“This serves as a stark reminder that we must remain vigilant against those that would seek to carry out attacks here at home,” said Jenny A. Durkan, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington.
Law enforcement first became aware of the plot when a citizen alerted them that he/she had been approached about participating in the attack and supplying firearms to the conspirators. The person then agreed to work with law enforcement authorities who began monitoring Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh. Since early June the conspirators were captured on audio and videotape discussing a violent assault on the Military Entrance Processing Station. The MEPS is where each branch of the military screens and processes enlistees. In addition to housing many civilian and military employees, the building houses a federal daycare center.
The defendants will be arraigned on the indictment at 3:15 p.m. today, 12th floor of the U.S. Courthouse in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Donohue.
Both Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh face potential sentences of life in prison if convicted of the charges.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which has investigators from federal, state and local law enforcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) contributed significant expertise to this investigation.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.