Judge rejects Hillside man’s request to take back guilty plea in 2012 bombing case

A judge granted Adel Daoud’s request to dismiss his attorney, but the judge called it a “colossally stupid idea.” (AP file)

A federal judge Tuesday denied a request by a Hillside man who U.S. authorities say tried to set off a 1,000-pound car bomb in the Loop to take back the guilty plea he entered in 2018 and go to trial.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly said in a hearing at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse that the record was clear in showing that Adel Daoud, 29, consulted extensively with his lawyers at the time before making the guilty, adding that Daoud “assessed the evidence, including burden of trial and made a fully knowledgeable decision.”