A court-ordered report has found that a suburban Chicago man accused of plotting to bomb a Loop tavern in 2012 is competent to stand trial despite comments he's made about conspiracies against him.
The report's conclusion was disclosed at a pretrial hearing Monday for Adel Daoud, 21, in a Chicago federal court.
Daoud was arrested in 2012 at the age of 19 and accused of plotting to bomb the bar. He has denied government allegations that he accepted a phony car bomb from undercover FBI agents, parked it by a Chicago bar and pressed a trigger.
In August, Daoud told Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman that there's a conspiracy against him linked to Freemasons and Illuminati.
Defense attorney Thomas Durkin said at Monday's hearing he may challenge the report's finding. He told reporters later that Daoud's conspiracy theories and other behavior raised questions about his mental health.
“Three years and three weeks now my son has been locked up. And we try to get the psychologist for all the three years and three weeks," said Adel Daoud's father, Ahmed Daoud. "We do not get it yet. I don’t know when my son will be out. I want my son back.”
Coleman has set Jan. 5 as the trial date after repeated delays. She said Monday she won't delay it again. Meanwhile, Daoud will remain in solitary confinement.
“I just go and spend all my time from Hillside to the downtown to just to see him to make sure he is still alive," Ahmed Daoud said. "This is what I worry about him.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
