New York’s Finest Thwart Terrorist Plot in NYC
Last week I was lucky enough to spend the week working and blogging from a friend’s camp in Belgrade, Maine (see last week’s Friday Morning Fix). The weather was cool, the lake was calm, and the boat was happy to be out of hibernation. This week I’m in the beautiful Dominican Republic (where I lived and taught for 6 years) for a little work and play. I’m visiting family, blogging (of course), and giving a lecture on 21st Century Terrorism to students at the prestigious Universidad IberoAmericana (UNIBE). I’ll be sure to post some video and pictures when I can.
UPDATE: You can see an overview and pics of my lecture here.
On to business…
Terrorists in your Backyard?
While some of the people in my hometown of North Andover, Massachusetts are going crazy over a proposed cell phone tower (in spite of the fact that they live 20 miles from an active nuclear power plant), other Americans are scared stiff about a more sinister invasion of their home towns – released terrorists. Are the “worst of the worst”, according to former Vice President and current media sensation Dick Cheney, about to be let loose on Main Street U.S.A.?
Not quite, but that’s the picture opponents of President Obama’s plans to close Guantanamo Bay have been hammering home since Obama announced his intention to close the facility during his first week in office. The truth is that nobody really knows what’s gonna happen. Some will be reluctantly accepted in other countries as part of backroom deals, others will be placed in deradicalization programs and, yes, some may be moved to the United States. But those who do end up on American soil will be processed into our correctional system, most likely at the highest levels, and, let’s face it, we have a lot of experience incarcerating people. Although the U.S. only has about 5% of the world’s population, we have about 25% of the world’s incarcerated population. Sure, most of them are non-violent offenders, but we have just as much experience with some of history’s most dangerous people. According to the Center for American Progress’ (admittedly a progressive organization, but that doesn’t change the data) Ken Gude:
The truth is that we have prosecuted and incarcerated some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists in the United States for decades, and doing so has made America safer. Beginning in the Reagan administration, the United States has captured more than a dozen terrorists overseas and brought them to justice in America. These terrorists are guilty of murdering dozens of Americans and more than 500 people worldwide, and include 1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind Ramzi Yousef, Khalfan Khamis Mohamed of the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings, and Aafia Siddiqui who was captured in Afghanistan in 2008 and is awaiting trial in New York for the attempted murder of U.S. soldiers.
FBI Director Robert Mueller is less worried about the safety of the general public than he is about the inmate populations in our correctional facilities. MSNBC reports:
At the start of Wednesday’s hearing, Mueller was asked what concerns the FBI has about the release of Guantanamo detainees.
“The concerns we have about individuals who may support terrorism being in the United States run from concerns about providing financing, radicalizing others,” Mueller said, as well as “the potential for individuals undertaking attacks in the United States.”
This is not an unreasonable concern. Many of our prisons are gang-infested, schools of crime. However, my gut tells me that terrorists would be greeted less as “liberators” and more like child molesters. Time will tell. Meanwhile, our first line responders continue to keep us safe…and just in time for National Police week 2009.
FBI and New York’s Finest Thwart Terrorist Plot in New York City
The details are still trickling out, but it looks as if a joint FBI/NYPD Counterterrorism Task Force thwarted what would have been a catastrophic attack against Jewish Synagogues in NYC. The plan allegedly included shooting down a plane (or planes) over the city. According to NBC New York:
Four New York men were arrested Wednesday in connection with an alleged plot to blow up area Jewish centers and military targets. The plot, however, was foiled by undercover agents.
Raids by the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force in the Bronx captured the suspected ringleader and three followers in what law enforcement sources are calling a homegrown terrorist plot.
“The NYPD did exactly what they’re trained to do and have prevented what could have been a terrible event in our city,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said this morning.
Hats off to the men and women of our law enforcement community. They do some very dangerous work and rarely get the recognition they deserve.
See you next week.
Click here to book Randall H. Miller for a lecture.
About the Author: Randall H. Miller is an American college educator/blogger. He is also a former U.S. Army officer (82nd Airborne) with a M.A. in Diplomacy (focusing on International Terrorism) and a B.A. in Criminal Justice. Use the form on the right to sign up and receive notifications of new content. The words and ideas expressed here are 100% his own and not those of his employers or affiliated organizations.
Jeffrey Driscoll | May 23, 2009 | Reply
It’s always the same deal. They critisize our ways of extracting information, and at the same time wonder why we didn’t stop the disaster. If your going to tie my hands behind my back, dont expect me to get any work done. Our boys in vietnam were waterboarded for years. Where do you think we learned it. They are trained well. Feel safe. But you have to let them do there job.
RHM | May 24, 2009 | Reply
“Our boys in vietnam were waterboarded for years.” – Jeffrey
True. And we called it torture and prosecuted people for war crimes. And it was not a technique used to extract reliable intelligence. It was a technique only for torture. That’s where this whole thing fell apart. “Torturing Democracy” is a good documentary you should check out if you want to see how it all unfolded – complete with the paper trail.
RHM
Frank the Tank | May 24, 2009 | Reply
All I needed to know about Islam I learned on 9/11. The fight against radical islam is far from over. We must remain vigilant and give our intelligence services, armed forces and law enforcement all the tools they need to win and prevent another 9/11. It has been 8 years. Look at the pattern. We must keep a check on Islam in our prison where easy access to disaffected people can be had.
Frank the Tank | May 24, 2009 | Reply
Oh yeah, one more thing, keep the savages in Guantanamo off US soil and out the prison system. Maybe they can be shipped to a prison facility in some place like Guam.