Assem Hammoud ( ar, عاصم حمود), aka Amir Andalousi, a

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

native, is an alleged

Al Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

operative living in Lebanon who was charged with plotting a mission to blow up the

Downtown Hudson Tubes The Downtown Hudson Tubes (formerly the Cortlandt Street Tunnel) are a pair of tunnels that carry PATH trains under the Hudson River in the United States, between New York City to the east and Jersey City, New Jersey, to the west. The tunnels r ...

beneath the Hudson River between

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States with a team of suicide bombers with backpack explosives. Some U.S. counterterrorism officials cast doubt on the significance of the alleged plot and some authorities questioned first reports that appeared in the New York ''Daily News'', that terrorists sought to flood Lower Manhattan and the Financial District by bombing tunnels. They said there was no evidence that the plotters had taken any actions, such as buying explosives or sending money. Two U.S. counterterrorism officials, speaking to ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', discounted the ability of the conspirators to carry out an attack. He was arrested by the

Lebanese Armed Forces ) , founded = 1 August 1945 , current_form = 1991 , disbanded = , branches = Lebanese Ground ForcesLebanese Air Force Lebanese Navy , headquarters = Yarze, Lebanon , flying_hours = , websit ...

, a division of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), in the Mouseitbeh area of west Beirut on April 27, 2006. The announcement of his capture was made July 7, 2006 by FBI Assistant Director Mark J. Mershon. Press reports on Tuesday, March 17, 2009, advised that he had been released on bail back in June, 2008.

Hudson River bomb plot

Homeland Security chief

Michael Chertoff Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security to serve under President George W. Bush. Chertoff also served for one additional day under President Barack Obama. H ...

said "It was never a concern that this would actually be executed ... We were, as I say, all over this."The Daily Star (Lebanon)
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Background

Hammoud's nom de guerre, Amir Andalousi, means "Spanish Prince," and refers to the time when Spain, or

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...

, was under Muslim control. From interviews with his mother, the family is reported to have migrated to Lebanon from Spain in the year 800. Hammoud is said to be either a professor of economics or computer science at the

Lebanese International University The Lebanese International University (LIU; ar, الجامعة اللبنانية الدولية) is a private university established by the philanthropist and former Lebanese defense and education minister Abdul Rahim Mourad. The language of ...

. He studied finance and economics in Canada in the late 1990s for six years. He speaks English, French and German, in addition to Arabic. His mother, Nabila Qotob (b. 1948), who lives in Beirut's upscale Clemenceau neighborhood, has denied her son's involvement with Al Qaeda. His mother says he drives a 1965 MG. Hammoud has two brothers, one is studying in Canada and another works in the United Arab Emirates. One brother's name is Ramsey (36).

References

External links

Lebanese arrest suspect in New York bomb plot
The Daily Star (Lebanon), July 8, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hammoud, Assem 1975 births Living people Lebanese people imprisoned abroad Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government Canadian Muslims