Man charged in suspected ISIL plot
Federal prosecutors unsealed charges Monday against the 23-year-old son of a Boston police captain, who was arrested July 4 in connection with alleged Islamic State-inspired plots to detonate improvised explosives at large gatherings, including college cafeterias.
Alexander Ciccolo, who authorities said has a long history of mental illness, had allegedly purchased a pressure cooker as part of a plan to assemble a device similar to the two explosives detonated at the 2013 Boston Marathon.
Investigators said that during a search of his apartment in Adams, Mass., they recovered several partially constructed Molotov cocktails. The devices appeared to contain a mixture of shredded Styrofoam soaked in motor oil, designed to stick to human skin.
Ciccolo, also known as Ali Al Amriki, was arrested after obtaining four firearms, including two rifles. As a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing firearms. The weapons were obtained from a cooperating witness in the FBI’s probe.
A detention hearing was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Springfield, Mass.
According to court records, Ciccolo is an avowed supporter of ISIL, an acronym for the Islamic State, and discussed plans to detonate pressure cookers filled with black powder, nails, ball bearings and glass in “places where large numbers of people congregate, such as college cafeterias.”
Before his arrest, investigators allegedly observed Ciccolo buy a pressure cooker.
It wasn’t immediately clear when or if the suspect had settled on a specific target or date of attack.
Ciccolo’s arrest on the July Fourth holiday came as law enforcement authorities had been placed on high alert for possible attacks inspired by ISIL.
Last week, FBI Director James Comey said the FBI had thwarted suspected deadly attacks timed for the holiday but declined to elaborate on the nature of the plots or identify those arrested.
The weapons charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.