Person Attributes

Michael McCabe , 42 , worked in the equity trading department of Cantor Fitzgerald, a company he had only recently joined.  A lifelong resident of Rumson, New Jersey, he graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in Middletown and Rutgers University.

After 18 years at Prudential Securities, Michael J. McCabe quit in June 2001. He took a trading job at a Cantor Fitzgerald office near his Rumson, N.J., home so he could convert commuter time into family time. He took the summer off so he could spend it with his wife, Lynn, and their three children. There were lazy days at the Jersey Shore, barbecues, swimming. There was a glorious late-summer stay at a rented house in Provence with his best friend of 40 years and their wives.

He started work for Cantor at the World Trade Center exactly one week before the attacks of September 11th, 2001. The stint was supposed to last only a month or so, while the company completed work on its Shrewsbury, N.J., office.

Mr. McCabe, 42, was an unpretentious man with a ready laugh, happy in his own skin, his family and friends said. He was a big guy, strong enough to rescue several people over the years from the surf. "We sort of thought that if anybody could come out of this, Mike could," said his sister Mary Ellen McCabe.

He was predeceased by a daughter, Shannon, and remembered still by his wife , Lynn , two daughters and a son , his parents , two sisters and two brothers. He was honoured by the congregation of the Holy Cross Church of Rumson, and by the The Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in the City of New York, of which he was an active member.

Mike McCabe was my uncle and he left behind plenty of people who love and miss him. He had 3 kids who are my cousins and a loving wife lynn. They lived in New Jersey and was really special to me. I remember sitting on his lap looking at his cool braces! haha.My uncle Mike was a really great person and he was described always a kind person. I feel like i should of treasured him more or something. We now have what is called a "Mike" or golf tournament in his honor and also his friend Mikes honor. They died together. I miss him so much and i wish he was still here with us <3 I love you and miss you R.IP MJM

I pray for: Regan McCabe, Lynn McCabe Cassidy McCabe Liam McCabe and the rest of the McCabe/ Hemberger family

*** Posted by Kim on 2005-12-10 ***

Mourn the life lost, but celebrate the life lived, and lived well.

The verdict is in. (Daily Mail)

Muslim convert [Andrew] Isa Ibrahim, 20, was convicted of making an explosive with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property.

He was also found guilty of making an 'improvised suicide vest' and a bomb, buying material to detonate it and doing 'reconnaissance' before the planned explosion.

Ibrahim, a hospital consultant's son from Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol, had earlier pleaded guilty to making an explosive substance but denied the other charges.

And the funny thing is, having heard some of the bizarre reports of the trial, it’s pretty clear that Andrew was (A) guilty of making explosives and (B) not really much of a terrorist. His actions throughout his adolescence and early adult life were focussed on seeking attention and building an identity, not promoting international jihad or any form of political world view. One month it was computer games, the next it was being a DJ, the next it was radical Islam. But his teddies were always there for him.

According to the Judge, Mr Justice Butterfield:

“Your preparation to inflict an atrocity on the innocent civilians of Bristol were advanced.

'You are a dangerous young man, well capable of acting on the views you held in the spring of 2008.

'You were, in my judgement, a lonely and angry young person at the time of these events, with a craving for attention.”

'He has been sentenced to “life” with a minimum of ten years to be served, so he’ll probably be out in about nine years allowing for time on remand which – perhaps unexpectedly - I think is about right.

[Defence Counsel] Mr Spens asked jurors to think about Ibrahim's reaction when he was arrested by armed police in the middle of Bristol and taken into custody.

"He said 'my mother's going to kill me'," said Mr Spens. "Is that the reaction of a jihadi bomber intercepted before he could carry out his divine bombing?

"That is the reaction of a 19-year-old badly caught out playing with explosives and not a die-hard extremist looking forward to his death – the idiot, for once in his life, knowing what a fool he had been."

[…] suicide bombers needed courage and religious conviction and a wish to end their lives. The defence said Ibrahim had none of these traits, and was not a devout Muslim; he took drugs and was pre-occupied with his sexual interest in women's feet and computer games. He demonstrated an interest to continue living, not die, they said, and was no terrorist.

Another chapter of local history ends.

Final thought: interesting to hear that Ibrahim had a reasonably proper Bristle accent.

Related Articles

• Evening Post: Bristol student guilty of bomb plot
• Terror Alert in Westbury-on-Trym
• Daily Telegraph – Andrew Ibrahim charged
• Jury Selection begins