Silent Night, Jihadi Night: Mall Bombing Foiled
Details and links-a-plenty at Hot Air, of course. Dude tried to buy four grenades from an undercover fed, and he's caught on tape planning to use them at a Chicago shopping mall during the Christmas season.
AllahPundit notes that he's charged with two counts, one of which is "using a weapon of mass destruction". His reaction was the same as mine--since when is a hand grenade a WMD?
Well, it checks out. Derek Shareef is charged under 18 USC sec. 2332a, and the definitions there include:
(2) the term “weapon of mass destruction” means—...and then it moves on to the more obvious ones.
(A) any destructive device as defined in section 921 of this title;
A grenade is a destructive device under section 921, where it specifically mentioned as such.
No sympathy from me for Mr. Shareef, but that statutory definition of WMD seems a bit overbroad. I think there are "destructive device" charges which are more apt in this case. That said, the statute is constitutional and clear, so throw the book at the murdering SOB.