Federal prosecutors say Adel Daoud, 18, of west suburban Hillside, tried to detonate what he thought was a bomb on Friday night. But the FBI was in on it the whole time and provided Daoud with fake explosives.
Defense attorneys for Daoud requested a continuance of a preliminary hearing Monday, saying they needed more time to prepare. Thomas Durkin, Daoud's lawyer, questioned the methods the FBI used to arrest Daoud.
"I am pretty suspicious of these allegations. I need a lot of time to investigate. I will say that I received a report from pre-trial service that recommends that he be released on bond on certain conditions," Durkin said.
"He is very young, he's 18. A lot of the allegations in the complaint happened when he was 17 and still in school. And about all this, he seemed very confused," said Josh Herman, defense attorney.
Because the hearing was postponed to Thursday, ABC7 did not hear the U.S. Attorney's complaint. However, in an affidavit filed previously, the FBI states they had been tracking Daoud for months. They also state there was never any danger to anyone. The alleged bomb was a fake assembled by the FBI.
While the bar in question has not been identified by the FBI, the manager of Cal's Liquor and Bar in the Loop has told ABC News he believes his business, located at 400 S. Wells, was the intended target.
The manager confirmed reports that Friday night around 8 p.m., his bar was surrounded by plain-clothes law-enforcement personnel, who also had a tarp over a vehicle parked in front. That information squares up with the FBI's timeline and description of events. The location also matches up with a quote attributed to Daoud in the affidavit in which he states he picked the place because "it's a bar, it's a liquor store, it's a concert. All in one ... it will be filled with the evilest people."
Daoud's father, Ahmed Daoud, was visibly emotional Monday, calling his son an "innocent baby."
"I've seen him playing basketball across the street with the neighbors," said a neighbor of the family's in Hillside. "He was always friendly, you know, would wave hello."
Daoud remains in custody.
