A 19-year-old Somali-American, accused of planning to detonate what he believed was a vehicle bomb, is expected to make an initial appearance in a Portland, Oregon, federal court Monday.Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia, was arrested after he attempted to detonate what he believed was an explosives-laden van parked near a tree-lighting ceremony in Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square Friday, officials said.But the bomb turned out to be fake, thanks to an undercover operation designed to undermine the plotter.
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said "the materials were not explosive," and officials said the public was never in danger from the mock device.A resident of Corvallis, Oregon, and a student at Oregon State University, Mohamud was arrested on suspicion of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, the FBI said. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
