A former US Navy sailor has pleaded guilty to plotting to attack a naval station in Chicago, Illinois, purportedly on behalf of Iran, the Department of Justice said on Thursday.
Xuanyu Harry Pang, 38, pleaded guilty on November 5, with the plea unsealed on Friday. He was accused of planning to carry out the attack on Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, “with the intent to injure, interfere with and obstruct the national defence of the United States”.
According to court records, in the summer of 2021 Pang communicated with a person in Colombia about assisting with a plan involving “Iranian actors” to conduct an attack against the US to avenge the death of Maj Gen Qassem Suleimani, the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force who was killed in a US air strike on Baghdad in 2020.
An FBI employee, posing as an affiliate of the Quds Force, communicated with the person in Colombia, who put the employee in touch with Pang, who at the time was stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes.
“The pair communicated online through an encrypted messaging application about possible targets for the attack, including Naval Station Great Lakes and other locations in the Chicago area,” the Department of Justice said.
On three occasions, Pang met another person working with the FBI who was posing as an associate of the other FBI employee pretending to be affiliated with the IRGC. During the meetings, Pang displayed photos and videos on his phone of locations inside the naval station and provided two US military uniforms for use in the attack, as well as a mobile phone that could be used as a test for a detonator.
He will be sentenced at a later date but faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The plea comes after a Pakistani man was in August charged with plotting to assassinate a US politician on behalf of the IRGC. Another Pakistani man was charged that same month with planning to engage in an attack in New York on the anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
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Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
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HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
