Earl Leslie Krugel (November 24, 1942 – November 4, 2005) was the coordinator of the

Jewish Defense League The Jewish Defense League (JDL) is a Jewish far-right religious-political organization in the United States and Canada, whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary". It has been classified as "a right w ...

in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

. In 2005, he was sentenced to prison on charges of terrorism after he confessed to plotting, with the group's leader Irv Rubin, to blow up the office of Arab-American congressman

Darrell Issa Darrell Edward Issa ( ; born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for California's 50th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served i ...

and the King Fahd

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...

. He was kept in protective custody for three years for the 2001 bomb plot.Associated Pres
Activist Killed in Prison Received Death Threats
FoxNews.com, November 6, 2005. He was transferred to a medium security federal prison following his sentencing where he was then murdered three days later by a fellow inmate, who struck him in the head with a block of concrete.

Life

At one time, Krugel worked as a dental assistant in California's

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

. He had been active with the Jewish Defense League since its founding in 1968. In November 2001, he was arrested at his home in California after receiving a delivery of gunpowder.Greg Winter
2 Held in Plot to Attack Mosque and Congressman
New York Times, December 13, 2001. Bomb components including pipes, end caps, detonators and gunpowder were confiscated along with multiple rifles and handguns. In December 2001 Krugel and Rubin were arraigned on conspiracy charges to send explosives to the

Sherman Oaks Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

office of U.S. congressman Darrell Issa, a Lebanese-American, and to bomb the King Fahd Mosque in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

. According to the affidavit in support of the charges, Krugel had stated to an FBI informant that "Arabs needed a wake-up call and the JDL needed to do something to one of their 'filthy mosques'.Michael Taylor, Kelly St. John
Militants accused of L.A. bomb plot
San Francisco Chronicle, November 11, 2001. According to the San Francisco Chronicle the affidavit also "painted a picture of a tiny gang that sat around talking about what to blow up but generally shied away from blowing up people". In 2003, the bombing charges were dropped and Krugel was allowed to plead guilty to reduced charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights, and to a weapons charge.Sean Alfano, Associated Pres
JDL Activist Killed In Prison
CBSNews.com, November 6, 2005. U.S. District Court Judge Ronald S.W. Lew accepted the plea. Part of the plea agreement demanded that Krugel reveal the names of all JDL activists involved in the 1985 bombing of

Alex Odeh Alexander Michel Odeh ( اسكندر ميكل عودة; April 4, 1944 – October 11, 1985) was a Palestinian activist who was assassinated in a bombing as he opened the door of his office at 1905 East 17th Street, Santa Ana, California. Odeh was ...

's office. The plea agreement was later retracted with details sealed to the public. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in September 2005.

Imprisonment and death

On November 4, 2005, at the

Federal Correctional Institution The Federal Bureau of Prisons classifies prisons into seven categories: * United States penitentiaries * Federal correctional institutions * Private correctional institutions * Federal prison camps * Administrative facilities * Federal correctio ...

in Phoenix, Arizona, Krugel, BOP# 20966-112, was murdered by a member of the

Aryan Brotherhood The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as the Brand or the AB, is a neo-Nazi prison gang and an organized crime syndicate which is based in the United States and has an estimated 15,000–20,000 members both inside and outside prisons. The Southern ...

prison gang, who used a concrete block to strike his head.Jewish extremist killed in jail
BBC News, November 6, 2005. Krugel had been at the medium security prison for just three days. The suspect, David Frank Jennings, 30, a white supremacist, attacked Krugel from behind with a piece of concrete hidden in a bag while Krugel was using an exercise machine, delivering multiple blows to his skull, face and neck. Krugel suffered multiple skull fractures, internal bleeding and multiple lacerations to his head, face and brain. The beating knocked out teeth and also fractured one of his eye sockets. Krugel was pronounced dead at the scene. In 2007, Jennings plead guilty to second-degree murder, and in 2008 was sentenced to 35 years in prison.US Attorney – Federal Inmate Sentenced On Brutal Murder of Fellow Inmate

References

External links

Feds Indict Suspect in Prison Murder of JDL's Krugel
''

Jewish Journal ''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', known simply as the ''Jewish Journal'', is an independent, nonprofit community weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of greater Los Angeles, published by TRIBE Media Corp. ''The Journal'' wa ...

''
JDL Head Arrested
JewishJournal.com, December 14, 2001 *Mike Levy
JDL Trial Set for October, Rubin, Krugel attorneys have been unable to speak with informant in bomb plot case
JewishJournal.com, April 12, 2002 *Jim Croga
Krugel Gets 20 Years for Bomb Plot
JewishJournal.com, September 30, 2005.

Phoenix

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

web site
Secret Trial is a Poor Departure from Precedent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krugel, Earl 1942 births 2005 deaths American Kahanists 20th-century American Jews Jewish religious terrorism American people imprisoned on charges of terrorism American people who died in prison custody Prisoners murdered in custody Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention Anti-Arabism in North America Victims of antisemitic violence 21st-century American Jews