Jose Pimentel

Jose Pimentel is a New York resident who was convicted on terrorism-related charges in February 2014.James C. McKinley Jr., “Man Pleads Guilty to Reduced Charge in Terrorism Case,” New York Times, February 29, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/nyregion/manhattan-man-pleads-guilty-to-reduced-charges-in-terror-case.html;
Suman Varandani, “Jose Pimentel, US Citizen And Al Qaeda Sympathizer, Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison In New York City Pipe Bomb Case,” International Business Times, March 26, 2014, http://www.ibtimes.com/jose-pimentel-us-citizen-al-qaeda-sympathizer-sentenced-16-years-prison-new-york-city-pipe-bomb-case.
Pimentel—a convert to Islam who ran extremist website trueislam1.com—had told a police informant of his intention to kill Americans in retaliation for the murder of al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.James C. McKinley Jr., “Man Pleads Guilty to Reduced Charge in Terrorism Case,” New York Times, February 29, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/nyregion/manhattan-man-pleads-guilty-to-reduced-charges-in-terror-case.html. Pimentel was arrested in his Bronx home in November 2011 while in possession of a homemade explosive device that, by Pimentel’s account, was one hour away from completion.“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 3, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf.

Before his arrest in November 2011, Pimentel owned and maintained an extremist website known as True Islam (trueislam1.com, formerly TrueIslam12.blogspot.com). Pimentel had also interacted online with other American extremists. In early April 2011, Pimentel emailed extremist Jesse Morton, saying that he was a “big fan” of Morton’s extremist websites RevolutionMuslim.com and IslamPolicy.com, according to court documents.“United States of America v. Jesse Curtis Morton: Statement of Facts,” accessed September 2, 2016, 24, http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/case_docs/1905.pdf. In the email, Pimentel also inquired whether Morton thought that an unnamed individual known to the two of them was trustworthy. Morton replied to Pimentel’s email later that day urging him to stay away from the individual in question, and said that there was a “high probability that [the individual] is working for the FBI.”“United States of America v. Jesse Curtis Morton: Statement of Facts,” accessed September 2, 2016, 24, http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/case_docs/1905.pdf.

Like Morton’s RevolutionMuslim.com website, Pimentel’s True Islam website hosted al-Qaeda’s official propaganda materials, including the group’s English-language Inspire magazine, which contained instructions on how to create a bomb. The website also hosted a series of articles that praised and eulogized known terrorist figures.“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 3, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf.

One such True Islam article, in support of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, openly called for the murder of U.S. citizens. The article—titled “Why Usama Ibn Laden is the Leader of the Believers”—asserted that America and its allies are “legitimate targets in warfare.” The article went on to describe potential locations that readers could target. Among the locations listed in the article were “facilities such as army bases, police stations, political facilities, embassies, CIA and FBI buildings, private and public airports” as well as “all kinds of buildings where money is being made to help fund the war[s in Afghanistan and Iraq].”“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 3, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf.

In September 2011, Pimentel told a police informant that he was himself interested in creating bombs to target “government establishments, police establishments, and banks,” according to the criminal complaint filed against him.“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 3, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf. On October 18, 2011, Pimentel expressed his desire to use an explosive device to kill U.S. soldiers returning from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the criminal complaint.“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 3-4, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf.

Days later, Pimentel went to a 99-cent store and Home Depot to purchase the bomb-making materials outlined in al-Qaeda’s online Inspire magazine. Among other materials, Pimentel purchased a clock, elbow piping, matches, Christmas lights, batteries, and drill bits, according to the criminal complaint.“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 4, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf. Pimentel was nearly complete with his bomb by mid-November, according to an assessment by the New York Police Department (NYPD) Bomb Squad. He was arrested in his home in the Bronx on November 19, 2011.“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 4-5, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf.

Upon his arrest, Pimentel acknowledged that he had purchased the bomb-related materials in question, and was approximately one hour from finishing the bomb.“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 1, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf. Pimentel stated to police his belief that Islamic law obligates him and all true Muslims to wage war in the United States to avenge the United States’ invasion of Muslim lands.“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 1, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf. Pimentel was subsequently charged with three counts of terrorism-related offenses, including soliciting or providing support for an act of terrorism, and the possession of a weapon as a crime of terrorism.“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 1, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf. Pimentel was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and conspiracy in the fourth degree.“People of the State of New York v. Jose Pimentel a.k.a. Muhammad Yusuf,” Official Website of the City of New York, November 20, 2011, 1, http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/jose_pimentel_complaint.pdf.

On February 19, 2014, Pimentel accepted a deal with prosecutors and pled guilty to a single charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the first degree as a crime of terrorism.James C. McKinley Jr., “Man Pleads Guilty to Reduced Charge in Terrorism Case,” New York Times, February 29, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/nyregion/manhattan-man-pleads-guilty-to-reduced-charges-in-terror-case.html. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison on March 25, 2014.James C. McKinley Jr., “Judge Imposes 16-Year Term for Manhattan Man in Pipe Bomb Case,” New York Times, March 25, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/nyregion/judge-imposes-16-year-term-for-manhattan-man-in-pipe-bomb-case.html.

Also Known As

Extremist entity
Al-Qaeda
Type(s) of Organization:
Non-state actor, religious, terrorist, transnational, violent
Ideologies and Affiliations:
Jihadist, pan-Islamist, Qutbist, Salafist, Sunni, takfiri
Position(s):
Attempted domestic terrorist

Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks was the deadliest ever on American soil, killing nearly 3,000 people. Since the fall of the Taliban, al-Qaeda has established operations worldwide, including in Syria, the Gulf, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, and the Indian subcontinent.

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Abu Ali al-Askari, Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) Security Official Mar. 2023
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