Did the Miami terror suspects mimic “Sleeper Cell”?
posted at 9:16 am on June 23, 2006 by Allahpundit
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Debbie Schlussel makes the case. Assuming her description of the show is correct, there are some curious parallels, beginning with the warehouse and the emphasis on martial arts.
Gonzales’s press conference is set for 10:30, but the indictment’s already been leaked to CNN:
A federal indictment against seven men revealed Friday details of what the government said was a plan intended to “kill all the devils we can.”
The mission was intended to be “as good or greater than 9/11″ beginning with the destruction of Chicago’s Sears Tower, according to court documents obtained Friday by CNN.
The Miami Herald has details about the group:
According to Stanley’s sister, the group, which formed about a year ago, called itself the Seas of David. The 40 to 50 members consider themselves ‘’soldiers of God” and are against the war in Iraq. Like soldiers, they incorporate discipline into their daily lives: exercise, no drinking, no drugs and no meat.
Last year, Marlene Phanor said, her brother and other members of the group drove to Chicago…
”They said it was a karate school,” Benjamin Williams, 17, said of the warehouse. “They used to be out around 11 at night, practicing like they were in the military or something . . . push-ups, jumping jacks and jumping over chairs.”
Another neighbor said: “They would be gone all day and come back at night to the warehouse to sleep. They sold shampoo and hair grease on the street.”
Val Prieto’s headed to the Miami Heat victory parade today, and notes that part of the route will run right by the suspects’ neighborhood. Makes you wonder if that wasn’t what spurred the feds to move on these guys when they did.
Stay tuned for Gonzales’s presser. Whatever else happens, this is shaping up to be quite a day for counterterrorism.
Update: Here’s a PDF of the indictment.
Update: The press conference is uneventful, but the FBI assistant director did smile and say that they have “good evidence” when asked by a reporter if the informant wore a wire.
Update: NRA Mark notes below how nearly every speaker at Gonzales’s presser and now the press conference by the U.S. Attorney in Florida is going out of his/her way to emphasize that the indictment isn’t an accusation against any particular “group or religion.”
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I love it when Dick Cheney lists all the terror attacks that have happened around the world since 9-11. Especially, Bali and Beslan, and then there is Spain and London.
Bush has done this once during a speech, just once. Anyhow, Cheney says that it’s no surprise that the attacks haven’t happened in the U.S.
I think this is a powerful statement and message to state repeatedly.
ar_basin on June 23, 2006 at 9:58 AM
Is anyone besides me tired of hearing “this is not an indictment against any group or religion…only these individuals”? In the course of one briefing, every speaker who got up to the microphone in the dog and pony show made this point. Gee…is it really so important to be politically correct that we have to say this so often that it starts to fall into the “methinks he doth protest too much” category? Yeah, whatever…
on the Mark... on June 23, 2006 at 11:48 AM
Can’t help but to laugh when nobody in the news bothers to mention anything about the ethnicity of the “American citizens” who got hauled up in the net.
It’s the Homies! Gonna go out there and “kill as many (white) devils as they can.”
Guess that the Bloods or the Crips are so passe these days.
Note to Alberto Gonzales: can we please, pretty Puh-Leeze, try these guys for treason? You know, “waging war against the United States,” that sort of thing. What’d be really neat about doing so is that, by giving Johnny “Taliban” Walker only 20 years for doing the same thing in Afghanistan, we can show the Homies that indeed, once again, they’re gonna get it stuck to them by “The Man.”
Spurius Ligustinus on June 23, 2006 at 12:14 PM
Can we also try the NYT and LAT for treason? Please find a way Mr. Gonzales.
Last night, while channel-surfing, I caught 30 seconds of Anderson Cooper, vehemently cautioning the viewers not to group all 7 into the ‘Black’ category, because indeed one had just been identified as Haitian. You would have thought that fact was the biggest discovery in the case.
Entelechy on June 23, 2006 at 12:37 PM
Over 3,000 working men and women, firefighters and policemen included would still be alive today had Bill Clinton been serious about reighing in terrorism as George Bush is today.
gary on June 23, 2006 at 1:21 PM
reining
gary on June 23, 2006 at 1:22 PM
As we all already know how pissed the liberals are over this terrorist raid, we should really piss them off and send them to Gitmo! After all, it is an american base. Then we can sit back and watch the democrats come out of the woodwork to defend them.
roninacreage on June 23, 2006 at 2:06 PM
I think they did a great job catching the Muslim terrorist. There, I said it, Muslim Terrorist!!
I wish they would not pussy-foot around this.
Kini on June 23, 2006 at 2:09 PM
If you think there are not more of these cells, you are sadly naive. If you think that members of these cells are not members of and directly influenced by the Religion of Peace, you are demented. If you think that these seven are just economically oppressed, misunderstood, minority victims, you are a liberal.
csjd on June 23, 2006 at 9:36 PM
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