Bombing Suspect
22-year-old Nicky Reilly is being held over a nail bomb attack last week in a restaurant in Exeter, UK. Reilly is believed to have Asperger’s Syndrome, today’s Times notes:
Reilly, 22, is a Muslim convert who has spent time detained in a mental health hospital. He has been described as a shambling introvert with the mental age of a 10-year-old. He is believed to have Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, and may also suffer from schizophrenia.
Security officials say Al-Qaeda appears to have exported the tactic from Iraq, where disabled “foot soldiers” have been used to devastating effect.
They point to a case in February when a suicide bomber in a wheelchair killed an Iraqi general in Samarra, north of Baghdad. Earlier, two women, initially thought to have Down’s syndrome, acted as couriers for a bomb in Baghdad, killing almost 100 people.
Officials say people with mental disabilities are not only easier to manipulate but also less likely to arouse suspicion. If they are white Muslim converts, they are even less likely to be noticed.
Reilly was found with three “primitive but ‘viable’” homemade bombs. One exploded in the lavatory of the restaurant and he suffered severe cuts to his face. He is in stable condition in a hospital.
This story is worrisome (an understatement). These are the most immediate thoughts it evokes in me as the parent of a disabled son who is very likely not going to be able to work or live independently throughout his life: When Charlie is not with us, he always has a 1:1 aide. But (if I may sound like an over-worried mother; so be it) I could imagine someone trying to put some illegal substance in Charlie’s backpack (if he were wearing it on his back, he would probably not notice if someone unzipped it and stuck something in there). And I could also imagine Charlie “falling in with the wrong crowd” (this is a bit unlikely, but you never know). While wary of strangers, Charlie can also be too trusting.
Tough things to bring up. But I’d rather take precautions prior to anything happening.
More commentary about Reilly:
The unstable are ripe for radicalisation by Richard Watson in the Independent (Ireland)
Gay New Blog (Reilly apparently was “was dubbed ‘Queenie’ by other teens on the estate where he grew up.”
8 opinions for Bombing Suspect
Daisy
May 25, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I often worry about Amigo being influenced by the “wrong crowd.” He doesn’t filter what he hears, and could take as “truth” something very dangerous.
Back to counseling.
Justthisguy
May 25, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Charlie? Hell, _I_ have been too trusting. I should have several hundred thousands of dollars in the bank. Instead, I have several hundreds of dollars in the bank. I trusted a lawyer to manage my inheritance.
In my defense, I must say that this very charming guy seems to have cheated lots of “normals” out of lots of money, too. The bad thing about that, is that I have to get in line after the other cheat-ees.
Justthisguy
May 25, 2008 at 9:01 pm
To finish and clarify what I wrote above, I should say that other people who were cheated by this guy have claims prior to mine, and by the time justice is done, if ever, I might have to settle for pennies on the dollar.
Oh, if anybody ever asks you to sign a power of attorney, you should say back to him two words:
1. Why? and,
2. No.
William
May 25, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Everyone has been conned and cheated at some point in their lives.
Hopefully we only lose a few dollars.
At the airport they ask you if anyone other than yourself has packed your bag. I used to joke that my friend Abdullah (the butcher) Hussein packed my bag and gave me a very interesting clock mechanism as a going away present.
These days I know better than to do anything but take off my shoes and keep my jokes to myself.
There are people rotting in foreign prisons because they trustingly accepted to deliver a sealed package that turned out to be drugs.
You don’t have to be naive to get took, but the less savvy and skeptical you are the easier it is to get fooled.
Unfortunately, it can be a jungle out there.
Kristina Chew, PhD
May 25, 2008 at 11:00 pm
@justthisguy, then there’s the politicians…..
Amom
May 26, 2008 at 3:27 pm
part of me wonders if this wasn’t just a case of weird kid playing with bombs. My husband once upon a time was weird kid playing with bombs. Only he’s ADHD/bipolar, not autistic, and was capable of knowing not to play near people or property… He was also pre 9/11 and pre Columbine, so if he was ever caught he either wouldn’t have made the news or he’d have been branded as an anarchist…
Justthisguy
May 27, 2008 at 3:21 am
Amom, when I was a kid, EVERYBODY played with bombs. Nitrogen tri-iodide is fun, in small quantities. I think I have a picric acid recipe around here someplace. I’m really annoyed at how the government has limited access to knowlege and materials needed to make harmless fun explosives, using the excuses of DRUGS! and TERRORISM! Oh My!
Not only can one no longer buy nitric acid, but one can’t even buy potassium nitrate, not to mention Sudafed. Oh, and Iodine, a chemical element necessary for health in the diet, is now a “controlled substance.” Lye is also no longer available in the stores, lest we make methamphetamine with it. If we just wanted to make some soap, or clear out a clogged drain, I reckon we’re just shit out of luck.
Maybe the powers that be are prohibiting us from having things we might use to blow them up because they know they’re provoking us in that direction?
I need to get me a Gadsden Flag
Storkdok
May 27, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Did you ever see the movie from 2007 “The Lookout”? It is about a teenager who has had a traumatic brain injury in a car accident, and is cognitively and socially impaired as a result. He works in a bank cleaning it at night. He is befriended by people who end up using him to break into the bank to steal the money, he doesn’t realize what is really wrong, and has a strong desire to be accepted again, like the top athlete in HS that he was.
When I watched this movie, my husband and I both saw it in a different light. I could totally see my son being used someday, he is so trusting and naive and accepts everything literally. It gave me the chills.
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