A West Philadelphia teenager accused of testing explosives to be used in terrorist plots targeting the Philadelphia area was convicted of several charges Wednesday, but acquitted of the leading charge against him.
Muhyyee-Ud-din Abdul-Rahman, 19, was convicted of attempting to possess weapons of mass destruction, possession of explosive or incendiary materials, risking catastrophe and recklessly endangering another person after a weeklong trial. But the jury found him not guilty of possessing a weapon of mass destruction and a secondary count of possessing an instrument of crime.
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Prosecutors said Abdul-Rahman had aspirations for being a bomb-maker for terrorist organizations, and he had researched the formula to create an explosive device known as TATP, or "the mother of satan." They argued he planned to carry out an attack on Lincoln University, Valley Forge Military Academy, local nuclear power plants or Philadelphia's Pride parade.
Abdul-Rahman had been held on $5 million bail since being arrested in August 2023. Common Pleas Court Judge Michele Hangley said Abdul-Rahman could be released on house arrest while awaiting sentencing, because he had been held behind bars for two years while awaiting trial.
Prosecutors said they planned to appeal Hangley's decision, arguing that he poses a threat to the public.
"This individual had a grievance against homosexuality," District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a press conference Wednesday. "His desire to be a bomb-maker for terrorists resulted in multiple tests for bombs, a search for potential targets for what we believe was a terrorist bombing in the Philadelphia area or United States. ...We're not writing fiction here."
Abdul-Rahman's attorneys argued Abdul-Rahman never had the capability to make the devices, the Inquirer reported.
"They want to make him out to be this genius," Donald Chisholm, one of his lawyers, told the newspaper on Tuesday. "We don't know if he was really ever successful."
At the time of Abdul-Rahman's arrest, prosecutors said he had been in contact with members of Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad, an organization designated as a global terrorist group by the U.S. Department of State. The group has ties to Al-Qaeda and primarily operates in Syria.
Federal investigators said 14 international shipments of military and tactical gear had been sent to Abdul-Rahman's home address. They accused him of trying to build improvised explosive devices with the materials, and testing them near his family's Wynnefield home.