In the early evening of December 14, 1999, Ahmed Ressam presented himself at the ferry landing in Port Angeles, Wash., arriving from Canada in a rental car. When asked the usual questions that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers ask visitors entering the country, Ressam’s evasive responses and behavior aroused the suspicions.

CBP Officers Diana Dean, Mark Johnson, Dan Clem and Mark Chapman inspected the car and found 12 plastic bags of powder and some timing devises in the trunk. The bags contained 124 pounds of urea and sulfate—explosives similar that used in the Oklahoma City bombing—and four boxes of homemade timing devices.

When they discovered the powder, Ressam bolted from the ferry dock and ran toward downtown Port Angeles. CBP officers gave chase and apprehended him on foot several blocks away. As his story unfolded, CBP learned that Ressam had trained with al Qaeda in Afghanistan and intended to use the explosives to detonate a bomb at LAX.

The four officers received CBP’s exceptional-service medal. CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced earlier this year that the agency’s Anti-Terrorism Award would henceforth be designated as the “Diana Dean and Jose Melendez-Perez Anti-Terrorism Award” in honor of CBP Officers Diana Dean and Jose Melendez-Perez, who apprehended the alleged “20th hijacker” shortly before 9/11.

“The conviction and sentencing of Ahmed Ressam serves as a reminder of the vital role that CBP plays in protecting our nation's borders. I commend the efforts of all frontline officers and agents for their efforts in keeping America safer and more secure,” Commissioner Bonner said of the sentencing.