Former US Navy Sailor Plotted Terrorist Attack On Naval Station Great Lakes

A former U.S. Navy sailor has pleaded guilty to planning a terrorist attack on Naval Station Great Lakes, the US Navy’s main training center, as well as several public locations in Chicago.

The attack was intended as retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani. The case was initially sealed for over two years before being publicly revealed last week.

Xuanyu Harry Pang, a 38-year-old resident of Illinois, admitted to conspiring to attack national defense premises with the intent to harm US national security.

Court documents reveal that Pang began discussing the attack in mid-2021 with a person in Columbia, aiming to carry out a jihadist mission in the US.

The plan was driven by a desire to avenge Soleimani, who led Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force before being killed in a US drone strike.

As the discussions progressed, undercover FBI agents posing as Iranian military operatives infiltrated the conspiracy. Believing them to be genuine allies, Pang provided crucial intelligence to aid the planned attack.

Pang, who had trained at Naval Station Great Lakes in 2022, allegedly shared detailed information about the base, including photographs and videos of key locations.

Federal investigators claim he also supplied two US military uniforms to help attackers blend in and a cell phone that could be used to test a detonator.

During meetings with undercover agents in Chicago and Lake Bluff, a suburb near the naval station, Pang inquired whether they were looking to cause “maximum damage.”

Court records indicate that he was paid a total of $5000 by undercover agents, some of which he sent to his Colombian contact.

Authorities say Pang also planned attacks on prominent locations in Chicago. He suggested targeting Michigan Avenue, city festivals, and food fairs, intending to use machine guns on large crowds.

One of the most alarming aspects of the plan was his discussion about using radiation bombs to inflict widespread destruction.

Federal investigators reported that one of the potential targets was the popular “Cloud Gate” sculpture, commonly known as “The Bean,” in Millennium Park.

Pang was arrested and held without bail while the case remained sealed. He officially pleaded guilty in November 2023 at a federal court in Chicago, but this information was only made public last week.

The reason for the delay in unsealing the case remains unclear. He now faces up to 20 years in prison.

The FBI’s Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) led the investigation, working together to prevent what officials described as a serious national security threat.

References: CNN, NBC News

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