Bomb Attack Failed – on Biggest Mosque in USA – American Terrorist
About 700 people were attending a funeral inside the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, the largest mosque in metro Detroit, when Dearborn police arrived to arrest a man in a car in the parking lot.
He had driven to Michigan from California and reportedly was overheard in a bar making threatening comments about Muslims or Arabs. His car was loaded with large, illegal fireworks, police said. Now, Roger Stockham, 63, is jailed on charges that include making a false report or threat of terrorism.
“He’s very dangerous,” said Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad.
Tip led to mosque bomb suspect
The comments a worker at a bar heard were enough to make the employee think a 63-year-old patron might target Muslims or Arabs in metro Detroit, Islamic Center of America executive administrator Kassem Allie said.
So the employee called police. His tip led police to the parking lot of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, where police said Roger Stockham was arrested Jan. 24 for trying to blow up the biggest mosque in metro Detroit. A preliminary examination is set for Friday, police said.
The man drove from California, where he lived, to Dearborn, where police said he was caught with a car packed with high-end fireworks.
“At that level, those things misused are terrific weapons,” said Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly.
Stockham was arraigned Wednesday on one count of a threat of terrorism or false report and one count of explosives-possession of bombs with unlawful intent for possession of Class C fireworks, Dearborn police said. He is in the Wayne County Jail on a $500,000 bond; the FBI was contacted.
“He’s very dangerous,” Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad told the Free Press. “We took his threat to be very serious.”
Haddad said the man previously was known to law enforcement officials in other parts of the country.
“He’s had a long history of being angry with the U.S. government,” Haddad said. He appeared to be acting alone, Haddad said.
A man with the same name and from the same town, Imperial Beach near San Diego, posted a profile to a VFW site in Imperial Beach. It said the man spent seven years in the Army after joining in 1965. He flew helicopters in Vietnam in 1968, it said.
A woman who answered the phone at VFW Post 5477 said, “We don’t have any comments at this time,” and hung up.
A funeral was being held at the Islamic Center on Ford Road at the time Stockham was found in the parking lot, police said. There were as many as 700 people inside. But the suspect doesn’t appear to have known about the funeral, Haddad said.
“He picked Dearborn as a stop because of the huge Arab and Muslim population,” Haddad said.
Allie, the executive administrator for the Islamic Center, said Sunday that he wants to thank the person who tipped off police.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to him,” Allie said.
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