Suspected terrorist accused of trying to kill fellow inmate in Chicago

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Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Terror suspect tried to kill inmate
A man accused of trying to set off a car bomb outside a Chicago bar is accused of trying to kill another inmate.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A man accused of trying to set off a car bomb outside a Chicago bar faces new charges. Adel Daoud, 21, of Hillside, Ill., allegedly tried to kill a fellow inmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in May.

"My case is a hoax. My trial is a hoax," Daoud said Tuesday during a two- to three- minute rant while at court for a hearing status on the terror charges stemming from his 2012 arrest. "The world is united against Islam."

The judge stopped Daoud from speaking by ordering his attorney to talk with him briefly in private. However, Daoud continued with a rambling speech about Islam and said, "the jury are Freemasons hired by the judge."

Judge Sharon Coleman ordered Daoud to undergo a psychological examination next week. His attorney, Tom Durkin, said his client got no mental health treatment when he was locked up as a "immature, misguided, 18-year old."

"This incident raises a serious question in my mind about what's happened to him. Maybe the doctors will say he's OK. I don't know," Durkin said.

In 2012, Daoud was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction to blow up a bar in the 400-block of South Wells Street. Then 18 years old, he allegedly parked a Jeep Cherokee in front of Cal's Liquors in the Loop, walked to a nearby alley and tried to set off a bomb he believed was inside the vehicle via remote control.

Daoud was under surveillance by the FBI at the time. Undercover agents provided him with the Jeep and fake bomb after Daoud allegedly discussed wanting to commit a jihadist attack.

Daoud has been in federal lockup ever since. On May 23, 2015, he allegedly tried to kill another inmate, identified as Victim A, with a homemade shank.

Victim A was seriously injured, officials said, but recovered. There's no motive listed in the attack, but Daoud's attorney said it stems from an argument last December when Victim A drew a cartoon mocking the prophet Mohammed.

"It's one of those unfortunate cultural incidents that bigoted people seem to involve themselves in," Durkin said.

In that case, he is charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, possession of an object intended to be used as a weapon in prison and assault within maritime or territorial jurisdiction.

His next status hearing on the terror charges is set for October 5. Trial in that case is scheduled for January 5, 2016.