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Richard Reid

Richard ReidAKA Richard Colvin Reid

Born: 12-Aug-1973
Birthplace: Bromley, England

Gender: Male
Religion: Muslim
Race or Ethnicity: Multiracial
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Terrorist

Nationality: England
Executive summary: Shoe bomber

In December 2001, British citizen and probable al Qaeda convert Richard Reid attempted to blow up American Airlines flight 63 over the Atlantic with plastic explosives hidden in his hiking shoes. It wasn't until he lit his sixth match that flight attendant Hermis Moutardier finally noticed him trying to set fire to what appeared to be a wick sticking out of his shoe. She screamed at the top of her lungs and Reid was quickly subdued by passengers and crew. Authorities found a black powder safety fuse protruding from the inner lining of each shoe, both of which contained materials composed of PETN. The tip of one fuse was partially melted.

A letter to Reid's mother from his Yahoo! email account:

I have given this letter to a brother to send via the email, I hope it will reach you, I im not sending it myself as i will not be able to do so. [...] what i am doing is part of the ongoing war between islaam and disbelief [...] I know you will find many muslims quick to condemn the war between us and the US and [...] I've sent you a copy of my will [...] (The reason for me sending you it is so that you can see that i didn't do this act out of ignorance nor did i do just because i want to die, but rather because i see it as a duty upon me to help remove the oppressive american forces from the muslim lands and that this is the only way for us to do so as we do not have other means to fight them.) I hope that what i have done will not decur your from looking into islaam, or even cause you to hate the religion as the message of islaam is the truth, this is why we are ready to die defending the true islaam rather than to just sit back and allow the american government to dictate to us what we should believe and how we should behave, it is clear that this is a war between truth and falsehood [...] this is a war between islaam and democracy [...] i ask HIM that HE guide me to the truth and cause you to understand why I've done what i've done. Forgive me for all the problems i have caused you both in life and in death and don't be angry for what I've done. [...]

Father: Colvin Robin Reid
Mother: Lesley Hughes

    High School: Thomas Tallis Secondary School, Blackheath, England

    Converted to Islam
    Attempted Murder
    Robbery 1990
    Inmate: ADX Florence (Supermax)
    English Ancestry Maternal side
    Jamaican Ancestry Paternal side



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