Man charged with shopping mall bomb plot

A man was arrested Friday by federal agents on charges of planning to set off hand grenades in garbage cans at a shopping mall.


Derrick Shareef, 22, of Rockford, was arrested when he met with an undercover agent in a parking lot to trade a set of stereo speakers for four hand grenades and a handgun.


Federal officials said he planned to set off four hand grenades in garbage cans at the CherryVale shopping mall in Rockford, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago.


He was charged with one count of attempting to damage or destroy a building by fire or explosion and one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.


Federal officials said that in September, Shareef became acquainted with a witness who was cooperating with the FBI and confided to him that he wanted to commit acts of "violent jihad," as well as other crimes.

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Tags: CherryVale | shopping | Plot | Planning | parking | mall | Garbage | charged | Bomb | Agent | Rockford | Chicago

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Snipes in Fla. court in tax fraud case

MARK LONG,

Associated Press Writer

Wesley Snipes surrendered to authorities to face federal tax fraud charges and was released on $1 million bond Friday, two months after he was indicted in central Florida.

The actor, known for films such as the "Blade" trilogy, didn't speak at a court appearance in Ocala. He went there after arriving in Orlando on a private jet Friday from the African nation of Namibia, where he has been filming "Gallow Walker," his publicist said.

Snipes, 44, was charged in October with fraudulently claiming refunds totaling nearly $12 million in 1996 and 1997 on income taxes already paid. He was also charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004.

He will be allowed to return to Namibia to finish his film, but must return to his home in Marina del Rey, Calif., on or before Jan. 10, U.S. Magistrate Gary Jones ruled.

After that, he will be required to surrender his U.S. passport and will be restricted to traveling in the continental United States. A Feb. 22 status conference was scheduled, which Snipes is not required to attend.

According to the indictment, Snipes had his taxes prepared by accountants with a history of filing false returns to reap payments for their clients. The firm American Rights Litigators would receive 20 percent of refunds from clients, according to the indictment.

Snipes has said he is a scapegoat and was unfairly targeted by prosecutors. If convicted, he faces up to 16 years in prison.

"Gallow Walker," a cowboy movie, will be completed next week and will be released sometime next fall, said Ian Thompson, spokesman for Sheer Films, which is producing the film. Snipes' arrest wasn't expected to delay production, Thompson said.

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Today in history - Dec. 8

Today is Friday, Dec. 8, the 342nd day of 2006. There are 23 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:


On Dec. 8, 1980, rock star John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by an apparently deranged fan.


On this date:


In 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which holds that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was free of original sin from the moment of her own conception.


In 1863, President Lincoln announced his plan for the Reconstruction of the South.


In 1886, the American Federation of Labor was founded in Columbus, Ohio.


In 1914, "Watch Your Step," the first musical revue to feature a score composed entirely by Irving Berlin, opened in New York.

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Tags: revue | United States | Pius | PEARL HARBOR | Ohio | New York City | New York | MARY | Jesus | Japan | Irving | Formosa | Dec | CONCEPTION | Columbus

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Today in history - Dec. 8

The Associated Press

Today is Friday, Dec. 8, the 342nd day of 2006. There are 23 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Dec. 8, 1980, rock star John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by an apparently deranged fan.

On this date:

In 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which holds that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was free of original sin from the moment of her own conception.

In 1863, President Lincoln announced his plan for the Reconstruction of the South.

In 1886, the American Federation of Labor was founded in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1914, "Watch Your Step," the first musical revue to feature a score composed entirely by Irving Berlin, opened in New York.

In 1941, the United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Japan, a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In 1949, the Chinese Nationalist government moved from the Chinese mainland to Formosa as the Communists pressed their attacks.

In 1986, House Democrats selected majority leader Jim Wright to be the chamber's 48th speaker, succeeding Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill.

In 1987, President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed a treaty calling for destruction of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

In 1991, AIDS patient Kimberly Bergalis, who had contracted the disease from her dentist, died in Fort Pierce, Fla., at age 23.

In 1993, President Clinton signed into U.S. law the North American Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect at the start of 1994.

Ten years ago: The Serbian Supreme Court ruled against opposition parties who said Slobodan Milosevic had robbed them of an election victory in Belgrade.

Five years ago: The U.S. Capitol was reopened to tourists after a two-month security shutdown. Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch was awarded the Heisman Trophy.

One year ago: A Southwest Airlines jet slid off the runway and onto a busy street during a snowstorm in Chicago, killing a boy in a car. In Iraq, a suicide bomber detonated explosives inside a packed bus bound for a southern Shiite city, killing 32 people.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-director Maximilian Schell is 76. Actor David Carradine is 70. Actor James MacArthur is 69. Flutist James Galway is 67. Singer Jerry Butler is 67. Pop musician Bobby Elliott (The Hollies) is 64. Actor John Rubinstein is 60. Rock singer-musician Gregg Allman is 59. Actress Kim Basinger is 53. Rock musician Warren Cuccurullo is 50. Rock musician Phil Collen (Def Leppard) is 49. Country singer Marty Raybon is 47. Rock musician Marty Friedman is 44. Actor Wendell Pierce is 43. Actress Teri Hatcher is 42. Rapper Bushwick Bill (The Geto Boys) is 40. Singer Sinead O'Connor is 40. Actor Matthew Laborteaux is 40. Rock musician Ryan Newell (Sister Hazel) is 34. Actor Dominic Monaghan is 30. Actor Ian Somerhalder is 28.

Thought for Today: "The unknown is what it is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that. Unknown is what it is. Accept that it's unknown and it's plain sailing." — John Lennon (1940-1980).

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