Iraqi refugee arrested in Tucson for allegedly plotting to build bombs

PHOENIX – An Iraqi refugee was arrested in Arizona recently for allegedly plotting to build bombs that could be detonated remotely, according to court documents and media reports.

The Daily Mail reported Tuesday that Ahmad Suhad Ahmad of Tucson made a car bomb in Las Vegas that he thought would be used in Mexico.

However, the people with whom he shared his bomb-making expertise were undercover FBI sources and agents.

The UK newspaper said Ahmad came to the U.S. more than 10 years ago and ran a mechanic shop in Tucson. The Associated Press said he was listed on court records as a U.S. citizen.

Ahmad was charged with distributing information relating to explosives, destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction. He hasn’t yet entered a plea.

“We look forward to our day in court,” Ahmad’s attorney, Walter Goncalves Jr., said in an email to The Associated Press. “Mr. Ahmad is presumed innocent and we look forward to defending him.”

According to records from the U.S. District Court in Tucson, the case began in December 2016, when Ahmad told a confidential source that he knew how to detonate a bomb using a cellphone.

A court document dated Oct. 26, 2018, said Ahmad told agents it was easy to make a bomb and he learned how during the Iraq War.

The FBI kept in touch with Ahmad in Tucson, and over time he explained how to make an improvised explosive device.

Ahmad traveled to Las Vegas on April 17, 2017, with undercover agents and brought the equipment needed to build bombs.

At a Las Vegas condo, Ahmad built one device while describing the process. He then guided an agent how to build a second bomb and provided instructions for detonation.

Tucson’s KOLD reported that Ahmad has a criminal record that includes arrests on drug charges and probation violation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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