MD Man Who Plotted ISIS-Inspired Attacks In VA, DC Released From Jail

GERMANTOWN, MD — A federal judge this week ordered the release of a Germantown man who spent more than four years in prison after authorities said he planned Islamic State group-inspired attacks at Dulles International Airport in Virginia and a shopping complex in Washington, D.C.

Rondell Henry, 32, pleaded guilty in August to attempting to perform an act of violence. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Henry to jail time that he already served since his March 2019 arrest.

Accepting terms recommended by both prosecutors and defense attorneys, the judge also sentenced Henry to lifetime supervised release with mandatory participation in a mental health treatment program.

“It's an unusual resolution for a highly unusual case,” Xinis said.

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In a six-page detention memo, prosecutors say Henry was inspired by ISIS when he stole a U-Haul van from an Alexandria, Virginia, parking garage on March 26, 2019. That same day, he walked off his job "determined to walk down the extremist path," the memo read.

According to the memo, Henry harbored hatred for people who did not practice the Muslim faith and wanted to conduct a vehicle attack, similar to one in 2016 that killed 86 people in Nice, France. ISIS claimed responsibility for that attack.

Henry drove around the D.C. metro area that day looking for a vehicle that could do more damage than his car. He then spotted a U-Haul van on Interstate 395.

"The driver who had rented the U-Haul vehicle had noticed a man driving a blue BMW follow the U-Haul off Interstate 395 and onto mall property, then follow the U-Haul into the parking garage and park a few spaces away," prosecutors said. "When police responded to the garage, they found the BMW near where the U-Haul had been stolen. A check of the BMW's registration records revealed that the BMW was registered to Rondell Henry."

The following day, Henry drove the stolen U-Haul vehicle to Dulles International Airport in Virginia. According to prosecutors, Henry entered the terminal, trying to find a way through security. After an unsuccessful attempt to breach Dulles' security perimeter, Henry returned to the U-Haul and drove to the National Harbor resort.

When he arrived, prosecutors allege Henry broke into a boat to hide in overnight. The following morning, police tracked down the stolen van.

Law enforcement officials reviewed video surveillance of the area and saw Henry exiting the van. He was arrested on March 28, 2019.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.