The big story, of course, is the arrest of seven suspects on charges of terrorist planning. And the newsies are throbbing with what they must think is a big story, because Alberto Gonzales says it is. The line so far is that this was a sting operation wherein the FBI infiltrated the gang of "home grown" jihadis.
Something stinks.
Neighbors who lived nearby said young men, who appeared to be in their teens and 20s, slept in the warehouse, running what looked like a militaristic group. They appeared brainwashed, some said.
"They would come out late at night and exercise," said Tashawn Rose, 29. "It seemed like a military boot camp that they were working on there. They would come out and stand guard."
Right. A super secret group of terrorists who dress in balaclavas and carry out paramilitary exercises for all to see?
I'm thinking that this is trumped up. So far (and I will retract if I am wrong) none of this makes sense. The group, if legitimate at all, must be among the sloppiest terrorists we have seen. The FBI certainly didn't need to infiltrate a group that was openly talking about jihad, if in fact that is what they were doing. Or maybe, this was staged for some other reason.
I generally wave off those seeing conspiracy under every rock, but who would stand to gain from finding a cell of so-called "home grown" terrorists? You see, now the fight isn't against Muslims and Arabs, foreigners who hate our way of life, but is growing unabated in our populace, save for the heroic actions of the government.
So I'm calling BS on this one until proved wrong.
UPDATE: As I hoped, Dave Schuler (a Chicagoan himself) at The Glittering Eye provides a roundup of local media coverage. Dave shares my skepticism, here. We both used "Less than meets the eye" without checking with each other. Honest. Makes me more confident than I am right on this one.
You and I and I think McQ at QandO Blog all see this similarly. That gives me a little more confidence in the idea. My additional question is whether this group would have posed any threat whatever at any time had they not been egged on by the FBI infiltrator.
I suppose we can take a certain amount of heart in that this story provides prima facie evidence that the folks working for the FBI now see identifying and stopping terrorists as a possible basis for a career. Better than the way it was in 2001.
Posted by: Dave Schuler | June 23, 2006 at 10:55 AM
Yeah, Dave I agree that it is a good thing if law enforcement has ramped up the effort. And if in fact this is evidence as you suppose, this also might tell us that the threat, while real, may not be as organized as is being portrayed.
Posted by: Daniel | June 23, 2006 at 11:09 AM
No doubt you and Dave are both very close to target regarding this case.
BUT, it is incumbent upon me to remind that even "two of the dimmest bulbs" in the evening sky were able to wreck havoc with Americans' sense of security....
Beltway snipers John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo.
Posted by: Maggie | June 23, 2006 at 06:51 PM
Who says terrorists need to be cunning and brilliant? Isn't it possible they simply sucked? (They suck b/c : 1. They're terrorists and 2. They're morons.)
Posted by: Vavoom | June 27, 2006 at 01:43 AM