Dozens of Internet postings obtained by News 8 have uncovered a confusing picture of the man accused of trying to destroy a downtown Dallas office building last week.
When Hosam Smadi arrived in California from Jordan, he dyed his hair red and found a car to drive. He made videos from behind the wheel, most notably one on how to break through a traffic jam by following a fire truck.
But in January, still only 18, he wrote an ominous offer to help Osama bin Laden on a Middle Eastern website called the "Military Wing of the Popular Resistance Committees of Palestine."
"I want to be with the resistance that is with Shekih Osama, may God extend his life and grant him victory,” Smadi wrote in informal Arabic. “I swear that my blood is as fire in the desire for Jihad. But, if I can only find the beloved Sheikh Osama may he live long…. the faith in my heart for jihad in his sake until death and our purpose is paradise God willing.”
Most of his Internet postings chronicled a normal life. He worked in a California restaurant kitchen. Pictures and videos showed the teen partied with friends, went out to see a belly dancer and danced in a parody of Arab sheiks. The trail is fairly common Internet fare, for awhile.
But, Brian Ingram, a private investigator who tracks people through computer forensics, was able to find much more.
"An e-mail address is unique,” he said. “We use [Smadi’s e-mail address] in other Internet searches to go to other pages through user profiles with that e-mail address."
Online videos show Smadi leading a thoroughly western life. One posting shows a friend slugging down Johnny Walker Red straight from the bottle. That’s a stark contrast to his Middle East web postings.
“In the Arabic script he is requesting like-minded individuals to put him in contact with Osama Bin Laden,” Ingram said. “And he is professing his willingness to die in jihad."
