Threat or misunderstanding? Trial begins in Aurora casino bomb scare case
A bench trial began Tuesday for a Chicago man accused of causing a bomb scare in February at Aurora's Hollywood Casino that drew more than 150 first responders, forced evacuation of the casino and closed area streets.
Kane County prosecutors argue Mustadin Muadinov, 30, “cased” the place for 2½ hours the previous day and told investigators he wanted Allah to “destroy” casinos because they were a place of sin.
His lawyer contends Muadinov was estranged from his family and living out of a truck, went to the casino to get warm, and his comments were misconstrued.
No bombs or explosives were found in the box truck Muadinov parked in a handicapped/valet area in front of the casino, and no one was injured.
Assistant State's Attorney Joe Cullen said Muadinov had asked about emergency exits and the management chain of command at the casino and also complained about the outfits waitresses were wearing. Muadinov is Muslim, so he was neither gambling nor drinking alcohol at the casino; he was wearing clothing more familiar with Western culture, Cullen said.
The next day, on Feb. 12, Muadinov pulled up in the box truck, exited and went inside — while wearing traditional Muslim attire, Cullen said.
Muadinov proceeded to tell casino officials he had a “gift” for their leader and if he wasn't immediately taken to see President Donald Trump, Muadinov would ask Allah to “take over and destroy” the casino.
“The defendant was intentionally nonspecific when he conveyed the message. The defendant transmitted the threat through words and actions,” said Cullen, adding Muadinov was actually smiling when officers handcuffed him. “He continued to make these inflammatory statements.”
Assistant Public Defender Brenda Willett said Muadinov has been separated from his wife and kids for three years and was “essentially homeless” while living out of the truck. Willett said Muadinov was “staying warm” on Feb. 11 when he went to the casino.
The next day, a casino official called Muadinov to follow up on his complaints about waitresses' outfits, and Muadinov, who was in the area trying to see his kids, quickly responded.
Willett said the “gift” her client, whose native language is Turkish, was spreading was the message that casinos were bad and needed to be replaced by something that benefitted the entire community.
Never, Willett said, did her client mention a bomb, explosives or even the word “truck.”
“Context will be very important in this case,” Willett argued.
If convicted of felony disorderly conduct/false bomb or deadly substance threat, Muadinov faces a sentence ranging from probation to up to five years in prison. He has been held for the last 266 days at the Kane County jail on $920,000 bail.