Who is Qawi Abdul-Rahman? Philadelphia criminal attorney identifies teen son as terror suspect
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Prominent Philadelphia criminal defense lawyer Qawi Abdul-Rahman has confirmed that the teenage terror suspect who was detained by the FBI in an armed raid at his suburban house on Monday, August 14, is his 17-year-old son.
The Philadelphia youngster has been charged with planning a possibly "catastrophic terrorist attack" after federal agents learned the teen had reportedly been in touch with an al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group and collecting bomb-making supplies.
Who is Qawi Abdul-Rahman?
Qawi Abdul Rahman was born on July 13, 1969, at his father's post, the Plattsburgh Air Force Base in Plattsburgh, New York.
Being the child of a service member, Abdul-Rahman was instilled with a sense of devotion, responsibility, and honor for family and nation from a young age, as per Qawi Abdul Rahman For Judge.
He attended Philadelphia's public schools and ultimately earned his diploma from the Walter B Saul High School of Agriculture and Science. He grew up in the Richard Allen Homes.
Abdul Rahman changed his major to political science when he enrolled at Cheyney University because he had a renewed desire to pursue law after witnessing the injustices experienced by members of his community, per the site.
Abdul-Rahman attended the St Thomas School of Law in Miami, Florida, after graduating from Cheyney. After working in the Dade County Public Defender's Office, he moved back to Philadelphia to serve his community.
Abdul-Rahman has 25 years of legal expertise and was recognized for his pro bono work by the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania in 2018.
Currently residing in West Philadelphia, he spends his free time coaching young football players in his neighborhood.
Qawi Abdul-Rahman's son is the teen terror suspect
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that sources connected the arrest to the FBI raid on Abdul-Rahman's Woodbine Avenue residence on Friday, August 11. Abdul-Rahman unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for Common Pleas Court judge this year.
Abdul-Rahman, 50, told The Daily Beast that he was "shocked and devastated" by the arrest of the teenager. Among other things, the teenager is accused of arson, criminal conspiracy, possessing weapons of mass destruction, and endangering the world.
"I didn’t see it coming at all. At all," he added.
The criminal defense lawyer further claimed, "I go to court because I want people to know that Muslims are out here doing things in the community, for the community. I’m an American like everyone else."
Abdul-Rahman admitted to The Daily Beast that he was finding it difficult to talk to his two children, who were there during the raid, about the incident.
Qawi Abdul-Rahman's son had links with al Qaeda-affiliated group
The charges against the teenager, who has not been named, were described in a news release from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office as in recent history.
The State Department identified Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad as a worldwide terrorist organization in 2022, and it is believed that the unidentified youngster made contact with this group.
As per New York Post, the al Qaeda-affiliated group, which predominantly operates in Syria's Idlib Province, is also thought to be behind the attacks on Saint Petersburg's metro system in April 2017, and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's Chinese Embassy in August 2016 with a suicide car bombing.
Before being apprehended, FBI agents saw the youngster buying bomb-making supplies and "outdoor or tactical gear" and believe he received instruction on how to make improvised explosive devices from the terror group.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner stated on Monday, August, 14, "The work of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force potentially thwarted a catastrophic terrorist attack in the name of a perverted ideology that in no way, shape, or form represents the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of peace-seeking people of faith, including Muslims."