Richard Reid

Richard Reid
Born
Richard Colvin Reid

(1973-08-12) 12 August 1973 (age 51)
London, England
Other names
  • Abdel Rahim
  • Abdul Rof
  • the Shoe Bomber
Criminal statusIncarcerated at ADX Florence, Colorado, US
Conviction(s)
  • Attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction
  • Attempted homicide
  • Placing or transporting an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft or public mass transportation vehicle
  • Attempted murder
  • Interference with flight crew and attendants on an aircraft (2 counts)
  • Attempted destruction of an aircraft or public transport vehicle
  • Use of a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence
Criminal charge
PenaltyThree consecutive life sentences plus 110 years without the possibility of parole

Richard Colvin Reid (born 12 August 1973), also known as the Shoe Bomber, is the perpetrator of the failed shoe bombing attempt on a transatlantic flight in 2001. Born to a father who was a career criminal, Reid converted to Islam as a young man in prison after years as a petty criminal. Later he became radicalized and went to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he trained and became a member of al-Qaeda.

On 22 December 2001, Reid boarded American Airlines Flight 63 between Paris and Miami, wearing shoes packed with explosives, which he unsuccessfully tried to detonate. Passengers subdued him on the plane, which landed at Logan International Airport in Boston, the closest US airport. He was arrested, charged, and indicted. In 2002, Reid pleaded guilty in US federal court to eight federal criminal counts of terrorism, based on his attempt to destroy a commercial aircraft in flight. He was sentenced to three life terms plus 110 years in prison without parole and was transferred to ADX Florence, a super maximum security prison in Colorado.

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