It was Christmas 2010 in Portland, Oregon, and 10,000 people gathered for the tree lighting ceremony at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Mohamed Mohamed’s van filled with a fertilizer bomb sat nearby. Mohamed spent months planning and building a bomb he hoped was large enough to make “whoever is attending that event to leave, to leave either dead or injured,” according to the Oregonian. He called the cellphone he planned to use as a detonator twice, and then the FBI closed in. The bomb was inert. It was an FBI sting operation. A judge sentenced Mohamed to 30 years in prison Oct. 1. According to Bryan Denson at the Oregonian, the case may become precedent for how domestic terrorists are tried. It further cements the government’s ability to wiretap overseas communication. The judge was tough on Mohamed, throwing the book at him in hopes of discouraging other wannabe terrorists. But 30 years is nothing for someone bent on martyrdom. More…