FBI: Ex-Marine who planned terror attack left letter slamming Trump on Jerusalem
Everitt Aaron Jameson, IS supporter who allegedly plotted San Francisco Christmas Day killings, wrote, ‘You’ve allowed Trump to give Al Quds to the Jews’
The former US Marine who allegedly plotted a Christmas Day terror attack in San Francisco wrote in what was intended to be a suicide note about his anger that US President Donald Trump decided to “give away Jerusalem to the Jews,” the FBI said on Saturday.
Referencing Trump’s December 6 announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Everitt Aaron Jameson wrote that “You’ve allowed Donald J Trump to give away Al Quds (Jerusalem) to the Jews.” Authorities found the letter — which ostensibly had been meant to be discovered after his death — in the ex-Marine’s home.
The 26-year-old tow-truck driver was planning to target the city’s busy Pier 39 tourist spot, according to an affidavit submitted Friday by FBI Special Agent Christopher McKinney. Authorities are probing Jameson over connections to the Islamic State terror group.
The suspect is said to have outlined to undercover agents a plan to use explosives to target crowds at the pier — which is lined with restaurants, shops and bars — between December 18 and 25 because “Christmas was the perfect day to commit the attack.”
Jameson professed not to need an escape plan as he was “ready to die,” the document said. As a former soldier, he said, “I have been trained in combat and things of war.”
The FBI said the public was “never in imminent danger.”
Discharged from the Marine Corps for failing to report that he had asthma, the San Francisco terror plot suspect allegedly believed "Christmas was the perfect day to commit the attack." https://t.co/AZYoS33nZV pic.twitter.com/MGn5YLRAAf
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) December 22, 2017
Yet McKinney acknowledged an FBI misstep that could have endangered the investigation.
He said that on Monday, an FBI employee using a telephone number with a Washington DC area code had mistakenly called Jameson’s cell phone. When Jameson answered, apparently in Arabic, the employee immediately hung up.
When Jameson called back, he got a voicemail message giving the employee’s name but not identifying the agency.
That evening, Jameson told his undercover contact, “I don’t think I can do this after all. I’ve reconsidered.”
FBI agents raided the suspect’s home in Modesto, California two days later, allegedly finding his last will and testament, the martyr’s letter signed with an Islamic variation of his name, along with a .22-caliber Winchester rifle, handguns, fireworks and ammunition.
Jameson attended basic training with the Marine Corps in 2009, obtaining a “sharpshooter” rifle qualification, the FBI said, but was discharged after failing to disclose a history of asthma.
According to McKinney, Jameson selected Pier 39 because he “knew it was a heavily crowded area.”
Radical jihadi beliefs
“Jameson explained that he also desired to use explosives” in an attack that could involve his tow truck as an additional weapon, McKinney stated.
The suspect revealed his plans to an undercover FBI agent he believed to be a senior leader of the Islamic State group (IS), according to the court document.
Jameson said the US needed “another attack like New York or San Bernardino,” involving vehicles and firearms.
He had voiced support for the October 31 terror attack in New York in which a jihadist drove a pickup truck into a crowded bike path, killing eight. He allegedly had messaged “I’m glad to know we Muslims are finally hitting back,” the FBI said.
In the 2015 attack in San Bernardino, California, a married couple used firearms to kill 14 people at a government building.
According to the 11-page criminal complaint, Jameson “has espoused radical jihadi beliefs.” He had “liked” pro-IS posts on Facebook, including an image of Santa Claus standing in New York with explosives.
Gentle, kind
He was charged in the Eastern District Court of California with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. A preliminary hearing is slated for January 5.
Local newspaper the Merced Sun Star published a video interview with the suspect’s father, Gordon Jameson, who described his only child as “the gentle, kind type of Muslim person.”
“The FBI isn’t saying much to me, but I know my son wouldn’t harm nobody. He wouldn’t do that to innocent people,” he said, adding that he had been told his son was on suicide watch.
The Sacramento Bee quoted the grandfather of Jameson’s ex-wife Ashley Monett Jameson as saying the couple have two young children.
The paper said Ashley Jameson is in prison — the reason was unclear — and the children are in foster care.
Gordon Jameson said his son was “devastated” after being told he would never regain custody of his children.
The FBI affidavit describes Everitt Jameson as messaging an undercover agent just 10 days ago to assure him and his ostensible jihadi superiors that he was ready to act.
“Tell them anything… I am ready. Give the word and it shall be done.”
Jameson asked for help obtaining a fully automatic military assault rifle, either an M-16 or an AK-47, along with ammunition and materials to make explosives, including nails, timers and remote detonators, the FBI affidavit said.
Everitt Jameson was under surveillance and “the public was never in imminent danger,” FBI spokeswoman Katherine Zackel said in a statement.
She and San Francisco Acting Mayor London Breed both said there are no other known threats, though police increased their presence throughout the city after being notified of the FBI investigation several days ago.
“San Francisco is a city that proudly champions democracy, freedom and liberty. Sadly, that makes our home a target,” Breed said in a statement. “We will not allow the thwarted attempts of one dangerous individual to disrupt our way of life. We will remain vigilant and continue to protect our city from any threat.”
Jameson had posted radical jihadist messages online, including expressing support for the Halloween terror attack in New York City in which a driver used his truck to kill eight people, the FBI said.
The FBI began investigating in mid-September when it learned that Jameson was expressing support for posts that favored terrorism or the Islamic State group. He “loved” an online post that showed Santa Claus threatening an attack in New York with a box of dynamite.
During the search of his home on Wednesday, Jameson “stated his support of ISIS and terrorism and discussed aspects of the plan to carry out an attack, noting that he would be happy if an attack was carried out,” the affidavit said.
He was arrested Friday and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Jameson made a pledge to the Muslim faith two years ago at an Islamic center in Merced, according to the affidavit. A message left at the Islamic Center of Merced was not immediately returned.
“The threat from radical Islamic terrorism is real — and it is serious,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement, but federal agents are protecting the nation from what he called “an alleged plot to kill Americans.”