Would-be Chicago bomber resentenced to 27 years after original term deemed too lenient

A Hillside man was resentenced to 27 years in federal prison Friday after authorities said he attempted to detonate a 1,000-pound bomb outside a Chicago bar in 2012.

Adel Daoud was originally sentenced to 16 years in prison for the scheme in 2019, but prosecutors felt the sentence was too lenient and appealed. A federal appeals court agreed and ordered the resentencing.

According to court records, Daoud researched several locations to detonate the bomb, including a suburban mall, before settling on the unnamed bar.

On Sept. 14, 2012, Daoud attempted to detonate what he thought was a bomb inside a car parked near the bar, multiple times. However, the bomb was actually constructed by the FBI, who were investigating Daoud in an “undercover capacity” after Daoud had expressed an interest in assisting terrorist groups and advocated for violent “jihad.”

The attempted bombing was one of three cases resolved against Daoud Friday. One case was Daoud’s attempt to have his cellmate orchestrate the murder of the FBI agent who had worked undercover to investigate Daoud.

The other case stemmed from an attack perpetrated by Daoud on another inmate who Daoud felt had drawn an insulting picture of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. The inmate suffered bite marks on his arm and head lacerations from the attack, court records show.