View source for Richard Reid

{{Short description|British terrorist jailed in a US federal prison}}
{{About|the terrorist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}<!-- Prior to reverting the date change for TSA, please look at MOS:TIES.
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{{Infobox criminal
| name              = Richard Reid
| image_name        = Richard_Reid_Mugshot.png
| image_size        = 
| image_caption     = Reid's mugshot at [[Plymouth County Correctional Facility]], 2002
| birth_name        = Richard Colvin Reid
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1973|08|12}}
| birth_place       = [[Bromley]], London, England
| death_date        = 
| death_place       = 
| alias             = {{cslist|Abdel Rahim|Abdul Rof|the Shoe Bomber}}
| charge            = * Attempted wrecking of a {{nowrap|public [[mass transportation]] vehicle<ref name="indictment"/>}} (dismissed before plea)
| conviction        = * Attempted use of a [[weapon of mass destruction#Criminal (civilian) definition|weapon of mass destruction]]
* Attempted [[homicide]]
* Placing or transporting an explosive or [[incendiary device]] on an aircraft or public mass transportation vehicle
* Attempted murder
* {{nowrap|Interference with flight crew}} and attendants on an aircraft (2 counts)
* Attempted destruction of an aircraft or public transport vehicle
* Use of a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence
| conviction_penalty = Three consecutive life sentences plus 110 years without the possibility of parole
| conviction_status = Incarcerated at [[ADX Florence]], [[Colorado]], United States
| occupation        = 
| spouse            = 
| parents           = 
| children          = 
}}

'''Richard Colvin Reid''' (born 12 August 1973), also known as the "'''Shoe Bomber'''", is a British terrorist who perpetrated the [[American Airlines Flight 63 (2001)|failed shoe bombing attempt against a transatlantic flight]] in 2001. Born to a career criminal father, Reid ended up in prison after years of committing petty crimes. While in prison, he was influenced by the [[Muslims]] he met there and converted to [[Islam]]. Later he became radicalized and went to [[Pakistan]] and [[Afghanistan]], where he trained and became a member of [[al-Qaeda]].

On 22 December 2001, Reid boarded [[American Airlines]] Flight 63 between [[Paris]] and [[Miami]], wearing shoes packed with explosives, which he unsuccessfully tried to detonate. Passengers subdued him on the plane, which landed at [[Logan International Airport]] in [[Boston]], the closest US airport. He was arrested, charged, and indicted. In 2002, Reid pleaded guilty in [[US federal court]] to eight federal criminal counts of terrorism, based on his attempt to destroy a commercial aircraft in flight. He was sentenced to three life terms plus 110 years in prison without parole and was transferred to [[ADX Florence]], a [[Supermax|super maximum security]] prison in Colorado.

==Background==
Reid was born in [[Bromley]], London,<ref name="profile">{{cite web|url=http://www.nndb.com/people/828/000058654/|title=Profile|publisher=NNDB|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212134940/http://nndb.com/people/828/000058654/|archive-date=12 February 2010}} In an email sent to his mother, Reid stated he was part of the war "against unbelief" and was sacrificing his life to "help remove the oppressive American forces from the Muslim lands"</ref> to Lesley Hughes, who was of native English descent, and Colvin Robin Reid, a man of mixed race whose father was a [[Jamaica]]n immigrant.<ref name="time 02-12-02">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,203478,00.html|title=The Shoe Bomber's World|last=Elliott|first=Michael|date=12 February 2002|magazine=Time|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827143428/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,203478,00.html|archive-date=27 August 2013}}</ref> When Reid was born, his father, a career criminal, was in prison for stealing a car.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/> Reid attended [[Thomas Tallis School]] in [[Kidbrooke]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1366666/From-tearaway-to-terrorist-The-story-of-Richard-Reid.html|title=From tearaway to terrorist – The story of Richard Reid|first=Olga|last=Craig|date=30 December 2001|access-date=4 May 2018|work=The Daily Telegraph|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805071820/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1366666/From-tearaway-to-terrorist-The-story-of-Richard-Reid.html|archive-date=5 August 2017}}</ref> leaving at age 16 and becoming a graffiti writer who was in and out of detention.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/> He began vandalizing by writing [[graffiti]] under the name "'''Enrol'''" as part of a gang,<ref name="Millbank 2001">{{cite news|title=Loner Vowed to Make His Evil Mark|last=Millbank|first=James|date=30 December 2001|work=News of the World}}</ref><ref name="Observer 01-11-09">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/jan/11/muslim-extremists-crime-gangs-london|title=Islamists target teen crime gangs in London|last1=Syal|first1=Rajeev|last2=Townsend|first2=Mark|date=11 January 2001|work=The Observer|access-date=16 February 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730015457/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/jan/11/muslim-extremists-crime-gangs-london|archive-date=30 July 2017}}</ref> and ultimately accumulated more than 10 convictions for crimes against persons and property.<ref name="CNN 12-28-01">{{cite news |author1=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=28 December 2001 |title=Judge denies bail to accused shoe bomber |work=CNN |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/12/28/inv.reid/ |access-date=9 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050319141213/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/12/28/inv.reid/ |archive-date=19 March 2005}}</ref> He served sentences at [[Feltham Young Offenders Institution]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/01/07/reid.timeline/index.html|title=Timeline: The shoe bomber case|date=7 January 2002|publisher=CNN|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115082019/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/01/07/reid.timeline/index.html|archive-date=15 January 2010}}</ref> and at [[Blundeston (HM Prison)|Maidstone Prison]].<ref name="guardian 02-28-02">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/feb/28/september11.race|title=At school with the shoe bomber|last=Nzerem|first=Keme|date=28 February 2002|work=The Guardian|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826003758/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/feb/28/september11.race|archive-date=26 August 2013}}</ref>

In 1992, while serving a three-year sentence for various street robberies, he was influenced by [[Muslims]] he met in prison and converted to [[Islam]].<ref name="time 02-12-02"/><ref name="time 01-14-02">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,193661,00.html|title=Looking for Trouble|last=Gibson|first=Helen|date=14 January 2002|magazine=Time|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227185116/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,193661,00.html|archive-date=27 December 2007}}</ref><ref>Reid reportedly followed a fundamentalist form of Islam known as [[Salafi]], which seeks a return to the roots of the religion and is the predominant form of Islam practiced in [[Saudi Arabia]]{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wahhabism-a-deadly-scripture-398516.html|title=Wahhabism: A deadly scripture|date=1 November 2007|work=The Independent|access-date=31 December 2009|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110728083247/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wahhabism-a-deadly-scripture-398516.html|archive-date=28 July 2011}}</ref>

==Islamic radicalisation==
Upon his release from prison in 1995,<ref name="guardian 02-28-02"/> Reid joined the [[Brixton Mosque]].<ref name="time 01-14-02"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1729022.stm|title=Shoe bomb suspect 'one of many'|date=26 December 2001|publisher=BBC News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111225445/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1729022.stm|archive-date=11 January 2009}}</ref> He later began attending the [[North London Central Mosque|Finsbury Park Mosque]] in North London, headed at that time by the anti-American cleric [[Abu Hamza al-Masri]], who was described as "the heart of the extremist Islamic culture" in Britain.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/><ref name="time 01-14-02"/> By 1998 Reid was voicing extremist views.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/> At the Finsbury Park Mosque he fell under the sway of "terrorist talent spotters and handlers" including [[Djamel Beghal]], one of the leaders of the foiled [[2001 attack U.S. Embassy Paris plot|plan for a 2001 suicide bombing of the American Embassy in Paris]].<ref name="time 01-14-02"/><ref name="RaynerBeghal">{{cite news|last1=Rayner|first1=Gordon|title=Charlie Hebdo suspect 'mentored' by Abu Hamza disciple, Djamal Beghal|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11333776/Charlie-Hebdo-suspect-mentored-by-Abu-Hamza-disciple.html|access-date=13 December 2017|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=8 January 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225231828/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11333776/Charlie-Hebdo-suspect-mentored-by-Abu-Hamza-disciple.html|archive-date=25 December 2017}}</ref>

Reid spent 1999 and 2000 in Pakistan and trained at a terrorist camp in Afghanistan, according to several informants.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/> He may also have attended an anti-American religious training centre in [[Lahore]] as a follower of [[Mubarak Ali Gilani]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Bomb Probe Eyes Pakistan Links|url=http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/006/nation/Bomb_probe_eyes_Pakistan_links+.shtml|last=Stockman|first=Farah|date=6 January 2002|work=Boston Globe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020204163044/http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/006/nation/Bomb_probe_eyes_Pakistan_links+.shtml|archive-date=4 February 2002}}</ref>

After his return to Britain, Reid attempted to obtain duplicate passports from British government consulates abroad. He lived and travelled in several places in Europe, communicating using an address in [[Peshawar]], Pakistan, coincidentally where [[al-Qaeda]] was formed in the late 1980s.<ref name="time 02-12-02"/>

==Preparation for bombing==
Reid and [[Saajid Badat]], another British man preparing as a terrorist, returned to Pakistan in November 2001, and reportedly travelled overland to Afghanistan. They were given "shoe bombs", casual footwear adapted to be covertly smuggled onto aircraft before being used to destroy them. Later [[forensic analysis]] of both bombs showed that they contained the same [[plastic explosive]] and that the respective lengths of [[detonator cord]] had come from the same batch: the cut mark on Badat's cord exactly matched that on Reid's. The pair returned separately to the United Kingdom in early December 2001. Reid went to Belgium for 10 days before catching a train to Paris on 16 December.<ref name="CNN 12-28-01"/>

On 21 December 2001, Reid attempted to board a flight from Paris to [[Miami, Florida]]. His boarding was delayed because his dishevelled physical appearance aroused the suspicions of the airline passenger screeners. Once questioned by an [[ICTS International|ICTS]] agent, he was referred to the [[French National Police]] due to his seemingly evasive behaviour and lack of luggage. Because his British passport was genuine and his name was not found on any lists of suspected terrorists, the police did not X-ray him or use bomb-sniffing dogs. The extended questioning resulted in Reid missing his flight, so he stayed overnight at a hotel near the airport while American Airlines was allowed to re-issue a ticket.<ref name="nyt 12-25-01">{{Cite news |last=Belluck |first=Pam Belluck |last2=McNeil Jr |first2=Donald G. |date=25 December 2001 |title=A NATION CHALLENGED: THE SUSPECT; Officials Remain Uncertain On Identity of Suspect on Jet |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/25/us/nation-challenged-suspect-officials-remain-uncertain-identity-suspect-jet.html |access-date=28 October 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="cnn 12-25-01"/> He returned to the airport the following day and boarded [[American Airlines]] Flight 63 from Paris to Miami, wearing shoes packed with plastic explosives in their hollowed-out bottoms.

==Bombing attempt on American Airlines Flight 63==
{{Main|American Airlines Flight 63 (2001)}}
[[File:Richard Reid's Shoes.jpg|left|thumb|The shoes Reid tried to detonate during the flight.]]
On 22 December 2001, a passenger on Flight 63 from Paris to Miami complained of the smell of smoke in the cabin shortly after a meal service. One flight attendant, Hermis Moutardier, thinking she smelled a burnt match, walked along the aisles of the plane, trying to find the source. She found Reid, who was sitting alone near a window, attempting to light a match. Moutardier warned him that smoking was not allowed onboard the aircraft. Reid promised to stop.<ref name="time 09-01-02" />

A few minutes later, Moutardier found Reid leaned over in his seat. After she asked him what he was doing, Reid grabbed her, revealing one shoe in his lap, a fuse leading into the shoe, and a lit match. Several passengers worked together to subdue the {{nowrap|6-foot}} {{nowrap|2-inch}} ({{cvt|76|in|cm|disp=out}}) tall, {{nowrap|215-pound}} ({{cvt|215|lb|adj=on|disp=out}}) Reid.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ex-player, shoe bomb hero, finally a U.S. citizen |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/news/story?id=5073231 |website=ESPN.com |publisher=ESPN Enterprises, Inc. |access-date=19 July 2025 |language=en |date=10 April 2010}}</ref> They restrained him using plastic handcuffs, seatbelt extensions, leather waist belts and headphone cords. An off-duty doctor on board administered a [[tranquilizer]] to him, which he found in the emergency medical kit of the airliner.<ref name="time 09-01-02">{{cite magazine |last=Thomas |first=Cathy Booth |date=1 September 2002 |title=Courage in the Air |url=http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020909/aattendants.html |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604162640/http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020909/aattendants.html |archive-date=4 June 2010 |access-date=28 December 2009}}</ref> The flight was immediately diverted to [[Logan International Airport]] in [[Boston]], Massachusetts, the closest airport in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/U.S._v_Reid_Complaint.pdf |title=U.S. v. Reid Complaint |via=[[Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation]] |access-date=18 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301162226/http://nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/U.S._v_Reid_Complaint.pdf |archive-date=1 March 2012}}</ref>

The explosive apparently did not detonate due to the delay in the departure of Reid's flight. The rainy weather, along with Reid's foot perspiration, made the fuse too damp to ignite.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opensourcesinfo.org/journal/2005/7/25/terrorist-use-of-tatp-explosive.html |title=Terrorist Use Of TATP Explosive |publisher=Opensourcesinfo.org |date=25 July 2005 |access-date=18 January 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717041411/http://www.opensourcesinfo.org/journal/2005/7/25/terrorist-use-of-tatp-explosive.html |archive-date=17 July 2010}}</ref>

==Legal proceedings and sentencing==
[[File:Florence ADMAX.jpg|thumb|Reid is incarcerated at [[USP Florence ADMAX]], pictured above]]
Reid was immediately arrested at Logan International Airport after the incident. Two days later, he was charged before a [[United States Federal courts|federal court]] in Boston with "interfering with the performance of duties of flight crew members by assault or intimidation", a crime which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Additional charges were added when he was formally [[indicted]] by a [[grand jury]]. The judge ordered Reid held in jail without [[bail]], pending trial due to the gravity of the crimes and the perceived high risk that he would try to flee.<ref name="cnn 12-25-01">{{cite news |date=25 December 2001 |title=Shoe bomb suspect to remain in custody |work=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/12/24/investigation.plane/ |access-date=31 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020404125657/http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/12/24/investigation.plane/ |archive-date=4 April 2002}}</ref> Officials at the time indicated that Reid's shoes contained 10&nbsp;ounces (283&nbsp;g) of explosive material characteristic of [[C-4 (explosive)|C-4]], enough to blow a hole in the fuselage and cause the plane to crash.<ref name="cnn 12-25-01"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Pierre |last2=Pinto |first2=Barbara |last3=Stark |first3=Lisa |last4=Wright |first4=David |title=Shoe Bomb Suspect Had Enough Explosives to Bring Down Plane |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92054 |access-date=9 December 2014 |work=ABC News |date=24 December 2001 |quote=Officials at Logan Airport described the substance as consistent with the military plastic explosive C-4.}}</ref>

During a preliminary hearing on 28 December, an FBI agent testified that forensic analysis had identified the chemicals as [[PETN]], the primary explosive, and [[TATP]] (triacetone triperoxide), a chemical needed to detonate the bomb with a fuse and match.<ref name="CNN 12-28-01"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Reeve |first=Simon |title=Shoe-bomb flight – a trial run? / U.S., British officials fear similar attacks in the works |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Shoe-bomb-flight-a-trial-run-U-S-British-2885291.php |access-date=9 December 2014 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=6 January 2002 |quote=The TATP in Reid's shoes was "blended" with an explosive called PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, which can be ignited with a normal cigarette lighter. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910193610/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Shoe-bomb-flight-a-trial-run-U-S-British-2885291.php |archive-date=10 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Candiotti |first=Susan |title=Official: Plastic explosive 'very sophisticated' |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/12/26/inv.reid.mosque/ |access-date=9 December 2014 |publisher=CNN |date=27 December 2001 |quote=Richard Reid hid 10 ounces of PETN-based material, a version of the plastic explosive C4 that is very sensitive to heat and friction. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017005328/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/12/26/inv.reid.mosque/ |archive-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> The prosecutor obtained a grand jury indictment and on 16 January 2002, Reid was charged with nine criminal counts related to terrorism, namely: 
* Attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction
* Attempted homicide
* Placing or transporting an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft or public mass transportation vehicle,
* Attempted murder
* Two counts of interference with flight crew members and attendants on an aircraft
* Attempted destruction of an aircraft or public mass transportation vehicle
* Using a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence 
* Attempted destruction of an aircraft
* Attempted wrecking of a mass transportation vehicle<ref name="indictment">{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/news/2002/01/reidindictment.pdf |title=United States v. Richard Colvin Reid Indictment |date=16 January 2002 |publisher=U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts |page=11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615154305/http://fas.org/irp/news/2002/01/reidindictment.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2016}}</ref>

The ninth charge, attempted wrecking of a mass transportation vehicle, was dismissed on 11 June 2002, because the Congressional definition of "vehicle" did not include aircraft.<ref name="United States v. Reid, 206 F. Supp. 2d 132">{{cite web |title=United States v Reid |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/206/132/2433266/ |website=Justia |access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref>

Reid pleaded guilty to the remaining eight counts on 4 October 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/publications/terror/terrorism2002_2005.htm#page_11 |title=Terrorism 2002–2005|publisher=U.S. Department of Justice, FBI |access-date=1 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091227222931/http://www.fbi.gov/publications/terror/terrorism2002_2005.htm#page_11 |archive-date=27 December 2009}}</ref> On 31 January 2003, he was sentenced by [[William G. Young|Judge William Young]] to the maximum of three consecutive life sentences and 110 years with no possibility of parole.<ref name="nytimes 01-31-03">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/31/us/threats-responses-bomb-plot-unrepentant-shoe-bomber-given-life-sentence-for.html?pagewanted=1 |title=Threats and Responses: The Bomb Plot: Unrepentant Shoe Bomber Is Given a Life Sentence |last=Belluck |first=Pam |date=31 January 2003 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Reid was also fined the maximum of $250,000 on each count, a total of $2 million.<ref name="nytimes 01-31-03"/><ref name="cnn transcript">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/31/reid.transcript/ |title=Reid: 'I am at war with your country' |date=31 January 2002 |work=Partial transcript of court hearing |publisher=CNN |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103415/http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/31/reid.transcript/ |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

During the sentencing hearing, Reid said he was an enemy of the United States and in league with al-Qaeda.<ref>Reid's membership in al-Qaeda was corroborated later in 2003 by informant [[Mohammed Jabarah|Mohammed Mansour Jabarah]] during an interrogation at an American military base. Jabarah said Reid was a member of al-Qaeda who had trained in Afghanistan under the direction of [[Khalid Shaikh Mohammed]]. {{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/01/30/reid.alqaeda/ |title=Sources:Reid is al Qaeda operative |last=Ressa |first=Maria |date=6 December 2003 |publisher=CNN |access-date=31 December 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104171205/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/01/30/reid.alqaeda/ |archive-date=4 January 2007}}</ref> When Reid said he was a soldier of [[God in Islam|God]] under the command of [[Osama bin Laden]], Young responded:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thedailyneutron.com/freedom/shoe-bomber/ |title=The Shoe Bomber Has His Day in Court! |work=The Daily Neutron |date=30 January 2003 |access-date=10 September 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013204906/http://thedailyneutron.com/freedom/shoe-bomber/ |archive-date=13 October 2016}}</ref><ref name="nytimes 01-31-03"/>

<blockquote>You are not an enemy combatant, you are a terrorist&nbsp;... You are not a soldier in any army, you are a terrorist. To call you a soldier gives you far too much stature. ''[points to U.S. flag]'' You see that flag, Mr. Reid? That is the flag of the United States of America. That flag will be here long after you are forgotten.</blockquote>

Reid reportedly demonstrated a lack of remorse and a combative nature during the hearing, and said that "the flag will come down on the day of judgment".<ref name="nytimes 01-31-03"/><ref name="cnn transcript"/> He is serving his sentence at [[United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX]], in Colorado, a [[supermax]] facility that holds the most dangerous prisoners in the federal system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Reid&Middle=Colvin&FirstName=Richard&Race=U&Sex=M&Age=&x=26&y=13 |title=Inmate Locator, Richard Reid |publisher=Federal Bureau of Prisons |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310081504/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Reid&Middle=Colvin&FirstName=Richard&Race=U&Sex=M&Age=&x=26&y=13 |archive-date=10 March 2012}}</ref>

==Conspirators==
{{Main|Saajid Badat}}
Although Reid had insisted that he had acted alone and had built the bombs himself, forensic evidence included material from another person.<ref name="nytimes 01-31-03"/> In 2005, a British man, [[Saajid Badat]] from [[Gloucester]], admitted that he had conspired with Richard Reid and a [[Tunisia]]n man ([[Nizar Trabelsi]], who is in prison in Belgium), in a plot to blow up two airliners bound for the United States, using their shoe bombs.<ref name="times on line">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article384323.ece|title=Gloucester shoe bomber jailed for 13 more-or-less simultaneously years|last=Booth|first=Jenny|date=22 April 2005|work=The Times|location=London|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604005227/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article|archive-date=4 June 2011|access-date=2 January 2010}}</ref> Badat has said that he had been instructed to board a flight from [[Amsterdam]] to the United States. Badat never boarded and withdrew from his part of the conspiracy. Badat did not warn criminal or aviation authorities about Reid.

Badat confessed immediately after being arrested by police. The detonator cord in Badat's bomb was found to be an exact match for the cord on Reid's bomb,<ref name="usa today 04-22-05"/> and their explosive chemicals were essentially identical.<ref name="times on line"/> He had received the bomb-making materials from someone in Afghanistan. Badat was sentenced to 13 years in prison; he has since been released.<ref name="usa today 04-22-05">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-04-22-shoe-bomb_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA|title=U.K. shoe-bomb conspirator sentenced to 13 years|last=Associated Press|date=22 April 2005|work=USA Today|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050422225107/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-04-22-shoe-bomb_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA|archive-date=22 April 2005}}</ref>

==Changes in airline security procedures==
As a result of these events, some airlines encouraged passengers departing from an airport in the United States to pass through airport security in socks or bare feet while their shoes are scanned for bombs.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/national/130541_shoes12.html|title=No small feat, tightening up shoe inspections|last=Gathright|first=Alan|date=12 July 2003|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=31 December 2009}}</ref> From 2006 to 2025, the [[Transportation_Security_Administration|TSA]] required all passengers to remove their shoes for screening.<ref>{{cite web |title=Transportation Security Timeline |url=https://www.tsa.gov/timeline |publisher=Transportation Security Authority |access-date=28 March 2020}}</ref> Scanners do not find [[PETN]] in shoes or strapped to a person. A chemical test is needed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/fbi-identifies-explosive-petn-as-part-of-delta-a330-attack/91183.article|title=FBI Identifies Explosive PETN As Part of Delta A330 Attack|last=Kaminski-Morrow|first=David|date=27 December 2009|work=FlightGlobal|access-date=31 December 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230115637/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/12/27/336624/fbi-identifies-explosive-petn-as-part-of-delta-a330.html|archive-date=30 December 2009}}</ref> However, even if the X-ray scanners cannot detect all explosives, it is an effective way to see if the shoe has been altered to hold a bomb.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303815404577335783535660546|title=Why Airport Security Is Broken—And How To Fix It|last=Hawley|first=Kip|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=26 April 2012|date=15 April 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804031022/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303815404577335783535660546|archive-date=4 August 2017}}</ref> 

In 2011, the rules were relaxed to allow children 12 and younger and adults 75 and older to keep their shoes on during security screenings.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/10/09/tsa-children-pose-little-risk-can-keep-shoes-on-during-security-check/|title=TSA: Children pose little risk, can keep shoes on during security check|last=Hilkevitch|first=Jon|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=9 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714133632/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-09/news/chi-tsa-children-pose-little-risk-can-keep-shoes-on-during-security-check-20111009_1_shoe-bomber-richard-reid-shoe-scanning|archive-date=14 July 2016|access-date=22 December 2019}}</ref> The initial 2006 rule was repealed on July 7, 2025 when the TSA suspended the requirement of passengers removing their shoes for screening. The TSA announced the repeal of the rule the following day on July 8 and that "[t]he new policy will increase hospitality for travelers and streamline the TSA security checkpoint process, leading to lower wait times" and that "[o]ther aspects of TSA’s layered security approach will still apply during the TSA checkpoint process. For example, passengers subject must still clear identity verification, Secure Flight vetting, and other processes."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Skores |first=Pete Muntean, Alexandra |date=2025-07-08 |title=TSA will no longer require all passengers to take shoes off at airport security checkpoints |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/08/travel/tsa-shoes-security-checkpoints |access-date=2025-07-08 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Intarasuwan |first=Kiki |last2=Freiman |first2=Jordan |last3= |first3= |last4= |first4= |last5= |last6= |first6= |last7= |last8= |first8= |date=2025-07-08 |title=Passengers at some U.S. airports no longer have to remove shoes during regular TSA checks - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tsa-shoes-rule-expires/ |access-date=2025-07-08 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=DHS to End ‘Shoes-Off’ Travel Policy {{!}} Transportation Security Administration |url=https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2025/07/08/dhs-end-shoes-travel-policy |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=U.S. Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration |language=en}}</ref><!-- Prior to reverting, please look at MOS:TIES
 -->

==Alleged role in 9/11==
Captured al-Qaeda terrorist conspirator [[Zacarias Moussaoui]] stated at his sentencing hearing in 2006 that Reid was a co-conspirator in the [[September 11 attacks]] on the United States, and that Moussaoui and Reid had intended to hijack a fifth aircraft and crash it into the White House in Washington, D.C. as part of the attacks that took place that day. [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] investigators and the federal prosecutors were skeptical of Moussaoui's claim that Reid was involved in the plot.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/us/21moussaoui.html|last=Lewis|first=Neil A.|title=Prosecutors Concede Doubts About Moussaoui's Story|date=21 April 2006|work=The New York Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702233516/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/us/21moussaoui.html?_r=1|archive-date=2 July 2017}}</ref>

==Prison restrictions==
Reid filed a lawsuit challenging the restrictions placed on him in prison which controlled his communications with lawyers and other non-prisoners, limited his access to Muslim clerics, and prevented him from joining in group prayer at the prison. In 2009, Reid went on a [[hunger strike]] and was [[forced-feeding|force-fed]] and hydrated for several weeks. It was unknown whether Reid's hunger strike was related to his lawsuit.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.BBC.co.uk/2/hi/Americas/8094727.stm|title='Shoe bomber' is on hunger strike|date=11 June 2009|publisher=BBC News|access-date=31 December 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615181726/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8094727.stm|archive-date=15 June 2009}}</ref> The Department of Justice, after consulting with its counter-terrorism section, the prosecuting US attorney's office, and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], allowed Reid's prison restrictions to expire in 2009, rather than renewing them, making his lawsuit [[mootness|moot]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/22/reid.mailprivileges/|title=Experts wary of 'shoe bomber' communication with family|last=McConnell|first=Dugald|date=22 September 2009|publisher=CNN|access-date=31 December 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107045744/http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/22/reid.mailprivileges/|archive-date=7 November 2012}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[7 July 2005 London bombings]]
* [[Islamic terrorism]]
* [[List of unsuccessful terrorist plots in the United States post-9/11]]
* [[Ramzi Yousef]]
* [[Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab]] (popularly known as the "Underwear Bomber")
* [[United Airlines Flight 663]]
* [[Zacarias Moussaoui]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{cite news |last=Staff and agencies |date=26 December 2001 |title=Mosque leader warns over extremist converts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/september11/story/0,,624775,00.html |work=The Guardian |location=London}}
* {{cite news |title=Richard Reid pleads guilty |url=http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/10/04/reid.guilty.plea/ |date=22 January 2002 |publisher=CNN}}
* {{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Paul |last2=Walsh |first2=Nick P. |last3=Wazir |first3=Burhan |date=31 December 2001 |title=The Shoe-bomb Terrorist |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20011231/edit.htm#5 |work=The Tribune |location=India}}
* {{cite news |last=Shafi |first=Kamran |date=15 September 2009 |title=The knives are out |url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/columnists/kamran-shafi-the-knives-are-out-599}}
* {{cite news |last=Mikkelson, Barbara |date=4 February 2010 |title=Reid My Lips |url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/shoebomb.asp |access-date=5 February 2010}}

{{American Airlines}}
{{Al-Muhajiroun}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Richard}}
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