Saudi Student Charged with Texas Terror Plot Against George W. Bush; Wider Jihad Plan Detailed

A Saudi Arabian national attending South Plains College near Lubbock, Texas, was arrested on suspicion of plotting to blow up former President George W. Bush's Dallas home. Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari allegedly purchased ingredients to fashion an improvised explosive device, according to MSNBC, as part of the terror plot. MSNBC referenced a Justice Department statement which said Aldawsari referred to the Bush residence as a "tyrant's house."

The alleged plot by Saudi student Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari went well beyond targeting Bush. Aldawsari had spent three years preparing himself to wage jihad against Americans, information compiled by investigators suggests.

The criminal complaint styled United States of America v. Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari was first filed under seal in the Northern District of Texas Wednesday and assigned Case No. 5:11 MJ-017. The complaint and supporting affidavit are now available online. The complaint charges that Aldawasari knowingly attempted to use a weapon of mass destruction which, if successful, would have affected interstate commerce.

The affidavit filed in support of the complaint lists extensive information, including specific e-mail addresses said to be used by Aldawsari to make inquiries about the purchase of explosive ingredients including T.N.P., a military-grade explosive also known as picric acid. The affidavit details when and where Aldawasari allegedly purchased nitric acid and at what cost. According to the investigator, he provided a university address when the supplier informed him of HAZMAT restrictions applicable to shipping nitric acid.

The affidavit translates Arabic blog postings by Aldawasari in which he allegedly expressed his frustration with Western policy and promised war against "infidels."

The affidavit discloses that Aldawasari was under legally authorized surveillance during the investigation. The surveillance was apparently conducted throughout 2010 and into 2011.

The investigators suspected that Aldawasari obtained a string of Christmas lights, found in his apartment, with the intention of using the wire to create an IED. He is also reported to have purchased a 3.2 million volt stun gun with flashlight, an alarm clock, and a chemistry set.

The investigation also disclosed evidence that Aldawsari received e-mail instructions on booby-trapping vehicles.

Among the e-mails cited by investigators was one dating to 2008, containing instructions on making Nitro Urea explosive.

Aldawsari came to the United States on a student visa three years ago. A notebook found in his apartment suggests that he was plotting to wage jihad the entire time, according to a New York Daily News report. Self-addressed e-mails also mentioned Colorado and California dams as potential targets, the newspaper said.