Former Air Force Airman Charged with Terrorism
Sohiel Omar Kabir is a former US Air Force Airman who has been arrested in Afghanistan for recruiting and plotting terrorist attacks against US interests, including US military facilities in Afghanistan.
Kabir, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan, served in the Air Force from 2000 to 2001. He spent some time at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz., pulling aircraft or vehicle parts from a supply store. He was administratively separated for unknown reasons and was given an honorable discharge, the military said.
“It was a standard enlistment that ended early but not for reasons of misconduct,” said Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek.
The timing of the unusual end of his service — 2001 — combined with his current goals is interesting.
Kabir’s recruiting effort joins 12 other attempted or successful attacks on the US military by those apparently motivated by their Islamic faith, four of whom were actually members of the US military:
- Fort Hood attack thwarted, PFC Abdo, two life sentences (2011)
- Shots fired at Pentagon, other military bldgs (Marine Reservist Yonathan Melaku, 2010)
- Fort Hood massacre kills 14 (Army Maj Hasan, 2009)
- Fragging in Kuwait by Army Sgt Hasan Akbar (2003) (death sentence on appeal)
And:
- Pipe bomb attack thwarted (Jose Pimentel, 2011)
- Remote control airplane Pentagon attack thwarted (Rezwan Ferdaus, 2011, 17 years)
- Seattle recruiting station attack thwarted (2011)
- Frankfurt airport attack kills 2 US Airmen (Arid Uka, 2011, life sentence)
- Baltimore recruiting center bomb thwarted (Antonio Martinez, 2010, 25-year sentence)
- Quantico attack by Raleigh jihadists thwarted (6 multi-decade prison sentences, 2009)
- Arkansas recruiting station attack by Abdulhakim Muhammad (2009, life without parole)
- Fort Dix attack thwarted (2007) (6 convictions, 4 life sentences)