Has any immigrant from any of the countries named in Trump's executive order been guilty of terrorism on US soil?

Question

President Trump has recently issued an executive order titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for 120 days as well as entry of people from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen for 90 days and from Syria indefinitely, regardless of visa.

Juan Cole claims:

No immigrant from any of the seven countries Trump named has been guilty of terrorism on US soil in this century.

Is it true that no immigrant from any of the seven countries Trump named in his executive order has been guilty of terrorism on US soil?

Answer 1

3 March 2006 Iranian born Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar committed a terrorist attack at University of North Carolina. He personally acknowledged his "foreign nationality" and birth in Tehran, Iran in a letter.

In the letter, he also stated:

I have decided to take advantage of my presence on United States soil on Friday, March 3, 2006 to take the lives of as many Americans and American sympathizers as I can

After this, there was no similar attack in the US for over 10 years.

Then, 4 November 2016 I brought up this attack again by asking a Stack Exchange question, which was migrated to IslamSE.

Then, 28 November 2016 the attack was copied by Somali citizen Abdul Razak Ali Artan.

Answer 2

Is it true that no immigrant from any of the seven countries Trump named in his executive order has been guilty of terrorism on US soil?

Donald Trump only named one country in his executive order: Syria. The seven countries (including Syria) were originally named by the Obama administration. So the claim is false on its face, as it misrepresents the executive order. But that's arguably a technicality. There have been two Somali refugees recently (in the last year) who died while committing acts of mass murder.

Daesh claims that the Minnesota mall attack was a terrorist action. From CNN:

The man who stabbed nine people at a Minnesota mall Saturday before being shot dead by an off-duty police officer was a "soldier of the Islamic state," according to an ISIS-linked news agency.

The statement posted online Sunday by the Amaq agency follows a pattern of ISIS-related media claiming responsibility for what appear to be the acts of individuals across Europe in the past few months.

CNN cannot independently confirm this latest claim.

Even if not terrorism, it was certainly a mass homicide by a Somali refugee. From The Hill:

His father told the Star Tribune that Adan was born in Kenya but grew up in the U.S. Ahmed Adan, who is Somali, said his son came to the U.S. 15 years ago, according to the Associated Press.

So he was born to Somali refugees in Kenya and grew up in the United States. Perhaps that might not technically refute the claim, but it is quite close.

And of course, the 2016 Ohio State University attack was committed by another Somali refugee. From CNN:

In a Facebook post shortly before the Monday morning rampage, the Somali immigrant urged America "to stop interfering with other countries, especially the Muslim Ummah," a term for Muslim people at large.

Answer 3

According to a 22 June 2016 Senate subcommittee report:

580 individuals [have been] convicted of terrorism or terrorism-related offenses between September 11, 2001 and December 31, 2014

...

380 of the 580 were foreign-born (71 were confirmed natural-born, and the remaining 129 are not known). Of the 380 foreign-born, at least 24 were initially admitted to the United States as refugees, and at least 33 had overstayed their visas. Additionally, of those born abroad, at least 62 were from Pakistan, 28 were from Lebanon, 22 were Palestinian, 21 were from Somalia, 20 were from Yemen, 19 were from Iraq, 16 were from Jordan, 17 were from Egypt, and 10 were from Afghanistan.

Answer 4

Emanuel Kidega Samson of Khartoum, Sudan shot 7 people at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ on September 24th, 2017.

Answer 5

No.

Even if Mr. Cole had stated that the acts were just those that were committed on US soil he would be wrong. To get a truthful point one must say: no foreign born terrorist has killed an American on American soil and been convicted in a US court of terrorism. There have been successful attacks that only maimed and caused grievous bodily harm. And there have been several convictions of terrorists on US soil for their acts here.

A partial list of the most important terrorist attacks in America since 9-11 includes:

• San Bernardino, Boston attack One of the two perpetrators was born in Pakistan, and married the other (a US citizen of Pakistani descent).

• a failed attempt to bomb Times Square in 2010 by Faisal_Shahzad, who was born in Pakistan.

• a failed attempt to bomb Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in 2009, by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, nicknamed the "Underwear Bomber". This attacker was not from one of the listed countries.

• the 2016 Ohio State University attack by Somalian refugee, Abdul Razak Ali Artan. That would be considered on the list.

• the 2015 Chattanooga Shootings by Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, born in Kuwait - not one of the listed countries.

Other attempts include:

• Ten Somalis, the so-called Minnesota Men, were arrested and convicted on terrorism charges recently.

• Fox News reports about terrorists coming from Iraq last year.

  Two Iraqi men who allegedly lied their way past U.S. immigration officials and continued their terrorist-related activities after being admitted as refugees are the latest evidence that a flawed screening process is putting Americans at risk, critics say.

  Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, 23, moved to the U.S. in 2012, only to return to the Middle East twice to fight for Al Nursra, was allegedly recorded by the FBI boasting about executing members of the Syrian Army and their Russian allies. Wiretaps, made while he moved from Arizona to Wisconsin and then California, captured him stating he wanted to return to Syria because he was "eager to see blood.”

  • CBS News found other examples of the failed Iraqi vetting process.

  • ABC found more Iraqis terrorists in Kentucky.

Other terrorist attacks perpetrated by foreign born include the UNC terrorist attack perpetrated by an Iranian, who became naturalized.

Another Somali terrorist attack in Minnesota