Maryland man pleads guilty to planning separate airport attack inspired by ISIS plot.
Suspect Pleads Guilty to Airport Attack Plot
SILVER SPRING, Md.—In a shocking turn of events, a Maryland man charged in 2019 with planning an ISIS-inspired attack at a Washington area shopping and entertainment complex has now pleaded guilty to a separate plot. This time, he intended to drive a stolen van into a crowd of people at a nearby airport.
Rondell Henry, a 32-year-old resident of Germantown, Maryland, has reached a plea agreement with Justice Department prosecutors. If all goes according to plan, he could be released from federal custody as early as October, pending his sentencing for the airport plot that he ultimately abandoned. It’s worth noting that Mr. Henry did not harm anyone before being apprehended by the police.
According to court records, Mr. Henry has pleaded guilty to attempting to perform an act of violence at an international airport.
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Mr. Henry’s criminal act involved stealing a U-Haul van from a parking garage in Alexandria, Virginia. He then drove the van to Dulles International Airport in Virginia and entered a terminal building on March 27, 2019.
According to a court filing accompanying his plea agreement, “Henry unsuccessfully attempted to follow another individual into a restricted area of the airport, but the other individual prevented Henry from entering the restricted area.”
Investigators later discovered that Mr. Henry went to the airport with the intention of causing harm. He admitted that he “was trying to hurt people there” and “was going to try to drive through a crowd of people.” However, he ultimately left because he felt there wasn’t a large enough crowd present at the airport.
The felony charge to which Mr. Henry pleaded guilty carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. However, both prosecutors and defense attorneys have agreed that the appropriate sentence for Mr. Henry would be the time he has already served in jail, along with lifetime supervised release and mandatory participation in a mental health treatment program.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who has the final say, is scheduled to sentence Mr. Henry on October 23. Until then, he will remain in custody.
Mr. Henry’s attorneys have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding his guilty plea and plea deal.
It’s important to note that Mr. Henry was initially charged in 2019 with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a foreign terrorist organization. However, the charge to which he has now pleaded guilty is unrelated to the alleged ISIS-inspired plot to carry out an attack at National Harbor, a popular waterfront destination near the nation’s capital.
Curiously, the court filings do not mention the ISIS terrorist group or provide any specific ideological motivation for the airport attack plot.
After leaving the airport, Mr. Henry drove the stolen U-Haul to National Harbor, where he parked it. The police arrested him the following morning after discovering the van and witnessing Mr. Henry jumping over a security fence.
Authorities have revealed that Mr. Henry had planned to carry out an attack similar to the one in Nice, France, in 2016, where a driver ran over and killed dozens of people. A prosecutor has stated that Henry intended to kill as many “disbelievers” as possible.
As for why Mr. Henry did not plead guilty to any charges related to the alleged National Harbor plot, the court filings do not provide an explanation.
The case against Mr. Henry has faced delays over the years due to concerns about his mental competence.
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