Tweet
Plot to blow up Dearborn mosque foiled by tip to police
Man arrested in Dearborn served time for threats against Bush
Jennifer Chambers and Francis X. Donnelly / The Detroit News
Dearborn — A decorated Army veteran accused of plotting to blow up a Metro Detroit mosque served time in federal prison for threatening to kill President George W. Bush and bomb a Vermont veterans' clinic in 2002.
Roger Stockham, 63, who flew 600 combat helicopter missions in Vietnam, is behind bars in Michigan after he drove from his home in California last week and parked a car with a trunk full of explosives outside the Islamic Center of America, authorities said.
Acting on a tip, Dearborn police thwarted the alleged plot by arresting Stockham outside the sprawling religious center, one of the largest mosques in North America. At the time, 500 members were attending a funeral at the mosque.
Stockham had high-end fireworks outside the 70,000-square-foot mosque, which has a 150-foot dome height and 10-story-tall minarets, said Dearborn Mayor John B. O'Reilly Jr.
"The kind that are illegal here and if used in a building would cause tremendous harm," O'Reilly said Sunday.
Stockham, who lives in Imperial Beach, Calif., is charged with one count of a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of explosives/possession of bombs with unlawful intent.
He is being held on a $500,000 cash bond. He will be in court Friday for a hearing on the charges before 19th District Judge Mark Somers.
Police said Stockham was in possession of class C fireworks, a 15-year felony. The terrorism charge carries a 20-year felony.
FBI special agent Sandra Berchtold confirmed Sunday the FBI is investigating the incident, which was referred to the federal agency by Dearborn police.
According to federal records, Stockham pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to federal charges stemming from the case in Vermont in 2004. That included threatening the president, mailing threatening communications, threatening by use of the telephone to use explosives, and threatening witnesses.
A psychiatric examination found that Stockham suffered from bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and personality disorder with anti-social features.
In the Vermont incident, he told authorities at the time of his arrest at a Veterans Affairs Department complex in Colchester that his minivan was full of explosives. A search found no explosives.
Before the arrest, Stockham called a local paper twice to say he was going to explode bombs in the neighborhood. In one call, he identified himself as "Hem Ahadin," saying he was "a local Muslim terrorist on a roll."
He ranted against the VA, the FBI and Bush, largely because of the things the president had said about Iraq in a speech earlier in the week.
According to affidavit filed in U.S. District Court, Stockham threatened to carry out "jihad," or holy war, against the VA office in White River, Vt.
Released in 2005
In May 2005, a federal order of conditional release was issued for Stockham. It said the warden of the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Miss., certified that Stockham had recovered from his mental disease and that his conditioned release under a regimen of treatments would not create a risk of bodily injury or harm to others.
He left federal lockup in September 2005.
Just two weeks ago, Stockham was on Facebook, posting a rambling statement in which he again refers to himself as "Hem Ahadin," calling it his Muslim name.
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter, said he learned from police that Stockham had been drinking at a Detroit bar on Monday when he threatened to do harm to a mosque in Dearborn.
A bar employee followed the man outside and wrote down his license plate number and called Detroit police, who in turn contacted authorities in Dearborn, Walid said.
Dearborn police began searching around mosques in the city and found Stockham inside his vehicle outside the Islamic Center of America, Walid said, with a load of M-80s and other explosives in his trunk.
"We thank law enforcement authorities for their quick and professional actions in this troubling incident," Walid said. "The increased number of bias incidents targeting American Muslim institutions must be addressed by local, state and national officials and law enforcement authorities."
Investigators chose to keep the arrest quiet during the week while detectives determined whether Stockham was acting alone or with others, O'Reilly said. Police worked with the mosque's imam during the investigation, he said.
O'Reilly said it appears Stockham was acting alone.
"People asked why they didn't know about this earlier. Why is because it's based on who needs to know. There was no threat to anyone else and no one else was in danger," O'Reilly said.
Problems at VFW post
Stockham used the Internet to post comments about his life and current events. On a MySpace page, Stockham said he was "proud of my kids. Happy with how much I've lived. Ready for it to be over, but have a policy I contend with often: So long as I am alive, I can't play dead."
According to a VFW website, Stockham joined the U.S. Army in 1965 and served in Vietnam in 1968.
Stockham said he flew with an assault helicopter company. He says he has two children and a grandchild.
In recent weeks, a California VFW post was in the process of removing Stockham as a member after several recent incidents, said a post official.
Four months ago, Stockham was suspended for 60 days for smoking marijuana at Post 5477 in Imperial Beach, said Richard Schmitz, co-chairman of the post's house committee.
After he returned from suspension, Stockham referred to the black post commander with a racial slur, said Schmitz.
Schmitz, who has known Stockham for four years, described him as a loner who, though he appeared at the post frequently, rarely socialized with other members.
"He's a nut," said Schmitz. "He flipped out lately."
From The Detroit News: Plot to blow up Dearborn mosque foiled by tip to police | detnews.com | The Detroit News
From The Detroit News: Plot to blow up Dearborn mosque foiled by tip to police | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Man arrested in Dearborn served time for threats against Bush
Jennifer Chambers and Francis X. Donnelly / The Detroit News
Dearborn — A decorated Army veteran accused of plotting to blow up a Metro Detroit mosque served time in federal prison for threatening to kill President George W. Bush and bomb a Vermont veterans' clinic in 2002.
Roger Stockham, 63, who flew 600 combat helicopter missions in Vietnam, is behind bars in Michigan after he drove from his home in California last week and parked a car with a trunk full of explosives outside the Islamic Center of America, authorities said.
Acting on a tip, Dearborn police thwarted the alleged plot by arresting Stockham outside the sprawling religious center, one of the largest mosques in North America. At the time, 500 members were attending a funeral at the mosque.
Stockham had high-end fireworks outside the 70,000-square-foot mosque, which has a 150-foot dome height and 10-story-tall minarets, said Dearborn Mayor John B. O'Reilly Jr.
"The kind that are illegal here and if used in a building would cause tremendous harm," O'Reilly said Sunday.
Stockham, who lives in Imperial Beach, Calif., is charged with one count of a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of explosives/possession of bombs with unlawful intent.
He is being held on a $500,000 cash bond. He will be in court Friday for a hearing on the charges before 19th District Judge Mark Somers.
Police said Stockham was in possession of class C fireworks, a 15-year felony. The terrorism charge carries a 20-year felony.
FBI special agent Sandra Berchtold confirmed Sunday the FBI is investigating the incident, which was referred to the federal agency by Dearborn police.
According to federal records, Stockham pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to federal charges stemming from the case in Vermont in 2004. That included threatening the president, mailing threatening communications, threatening by use of the telephone to use explosives, and threatening witnesses.
A psychiatric examination found that Stockham suffered from bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and personality disorder with anti-social features.
In the Vermont incident, he told authorities at the time of his arrest at a Veterans Affairs Department complex in Colchester that his minivan was full of explosives. A search found no explosives.
Before the arrest, Stockham called a local paper twice to say he was going to explode bombs in the neighborhood. In one call, he identified himself as "Hem Ahadin," saying he was "a local Muslim terrorist on a roll."
He ranted against the VA, the FBI and Bush, largely because of the things the president had said about Iraq in a speech earlier in the week.
According to affidavit filed in U.S. District Court, Stockham threatened to carry out "jihad," or holy war, against the VA office in White River, Vt.
Released in 2005
In May 2005, a federal order of conditional release was issued for Stockham. It said the warden of the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Miss., certified that Stockham had recovered from his mental disease and that his conditioned release under a regimen of treatments would not create a risk of bodily injury or harm to others.
He left federal lockup in September 2005.
Just two weeks ago, Stockham was on Facebook, posting a rambling statement in which he again refers to himself as "Hem Ahadin," calling it his Muslim name.
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter, said he learned from police that Stockham had been drinking at a Detroit bar on Monday when he threatened to do harm to a mosque in Dearborn.
A bar employee followed the man outside and wrote down his license plate number and called Detroit police, who in turn contacted authorities in Dearborn, Walid said.
Dearborn police began searching around mosques in the city and found Stockham inside his vehicle outside the Islamic Center of America, Walid said, with a load of M-80s and other explosives in his trunk.
"We thank law enforcement authorities for their quick and professional actions in this troubling incident," Walid said. "The increased number of bias incidents targeting American Muslim institutions must be addressed by local, state and national officials and law enforcement authorities."
Investigators chose to keep the arrest quiet during the week while detectives determined whether Stockham was acting alone or with others, O'Reilly said. Police worked with the mosque's imam during the investigation, he said.
O'Reilly said it appears Stockham was acting alone.
"People asked why they didn't know about this earlier. Why is because it's based on who needs to know. There was no threat to anyone else and no one else was in danger," O'Reilly said.
Problems at VFW post
Stockham used the Internet to post comments about his life and current events. On a MySpace page, Stockham said he was "proud of my kids. Happy with how much I've lived. Ready for it to be over, but have a policy I contend with often: So long as I am alive, I can't play dead."
According to a VFW website, Stockham joined the U.S. Army in 1965 and served in Vietnam in 1968.
Stockham said he flew with an assault helicopter company. He says he has two children and a grandchild.
In recent weeks, a California VFW post was in the process of removing Stockham as a member after several recent incidents, said a post official.
Four months ago, Stockham was suspended for 60 days for smoking marijuana at Post 5477 in Imperial Beach, said Richard Schmitz, co-chairman of the post's house committee.
After he returned from suspension, Stockham referred to the black post commander with a racial slur, said Schmitz.
Schmitz, who has known Stockham for four years, described him as a loner who, though he appeared at the post frequently, rarely socialized with other members.
"He's a nut," said Schmitz. "He flipped out lately."
From The Detroit News: Plot to blow up Dearborn mosque foiled by tip to police | detnews.com | The Detroit News
From The Detroit News: Plot to blow up Dearborn mosque foiled by tip to police | detnews.com | The Detroit News