FBI JTTF: Al Qaeda associates operating in northern New Jersey
posted at 12:11 pm on October 15, 2007 by Allahpundit
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
Easy access to New York City plus the second-highest Muslim population by percentage of any state for easier blending-in: as jihadi magnets go, it’s a no-brainer.
It’s not just Al Qaeda, either.
This is the first time since the 9/11 attacks that FBI counterterror officials have revealed an al-Qaida presence in North Jersey…
“There are people in your county who are affiliated with known al-Qaida members overseas,” said Jack Jupin, the FBI agent who heads the counterterror squad for Bergen County…
Sometimes, [FBI agent Kevin Cruise] said, counterterror agents “disrupt” these North Jersey residents with al-Qaida ties.
Cruise declined to describe any case in detail. But in general, such disruption methods ranged from outright deportations to quiet visits by FBI agents in which suspected terrorists are told their activities are being monitored…
Task force investigators have discovered that every major terrorist group in the world, including Hamas and Hezbollah, has at least one North Jersey contact. The lone exception is Afghanistan’s ultra-fundamentalist sect, the Taliban.
Follow the link to see where New Jersey phone numbers are turning up. Exit question: What possible purpose does it serve to tell jihadis that they’re being monitored? They’re not going to give up the cause because they’ve been found out. They’ll simply look for alternate means of communication. Either arrest them or keep spying on them; telling them you’re watching seems totally counterproductive.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages:
I knew it. It’s the New Jersey Devils, isn’t it?
Leonidas Hoplite on October 15, 2007 at 12:12 PM
I would also prefer more public deportations. En Masse.But, as a disclaimer, that is just my personal opinion.
bbz123 on October 15, 2007 at 12:18 PM
On the upside, we have no known Taliban here.
JammieWearingFool on October 15, 2007 at 12:22 PM
Perhaps the Mafia can whack ‘em.
Tony737 on October 15, 2007 at 12:27 PM
Ahh, we have a Taliban attending an ivy league college. Why are these AQ scum still breathing?
dogsoldier on October 15, 2007 at 12:29 PM
I just got back from a weekend in North Jersey. Most of the people I had to deal with were not from the USA. No English, world costumes from far away, and very few people that would fit the profile of an average American. I guess I live in White Bread Land, but it was like traveling to another country. The whole time I’m thinking this is a perfect place to stake some terrorists with access to a huge population, tunnels, bridges and a population that they would blend with. They don’t even have to learn English, since no one else does.
This country is getting more bizarre by the year. Did legal abortion wipe out an entire generation or are these folks from everywhere just allowed to come and go as they please?
Hening on October 15, 2007 at 12:40 PM
I am only guessing…
It is advantageous to confront an individual firstly to slow down or stop certain activities. We know that terrorism is different from other crimes in that we cannot react after the fact and be more effective.
But I think that the greatest reason for “notifying” individuals that they’re being watched or monitored is that we will still have agents watching for how they change their behavior, how they try to circumvent detection, who else they contact, what other options for planning and communication are available to them and what is the protocol for these terrorists when they discover they are being watched. It would give great vision to the entire terror network both internal and external to the U.S.
Steel on October 15, 2007 at 12:40 PM
Yeah, why are we telling these people we’re watching them? That seems pretty damn stupid to me.
Bad Candy on October 15, 2007 at 12:42 PM
I don’t know but I can think of several scenarios in which it might help in the FBI’s efforts to track and trace. I doubt they tell them what precipitated the monitoring or how they got what precipitated it.
I could even imagine a scenario wherein it was done to send a message to, say Hezbollah for example, that “If something happens via this guy (or this team), we are coming after you!”
I like to think it is useful manipulation. I like to think we are smarter than these guys.
Dusty on October 15, 2007 at 12:48 PM
Yeah, seriously, where does the mafia stand on anti-terror?
I imagine they wouldn’t stand for child-killers any more than the rest of us…
unamused on October 15, 2007 at 1:02 PM
Yeah, not too many people in the NY metropolitan area are from here. The cost of living is too high; the quality of life is too low, the politics are too far left. The “native” stable part of the local population passed on or moved on. Everyone here seems to be a recent immigrant. There are pockets of people in certain neighborhoods that still resemble the NY of 50 years ago, but they don’t represent much of the pop. People do speak a kind of English. But even back when, this area wasn’t much like the rest of the US.
JiangxiDad on October 15, 2007 at 1:04 PM
Seems pretty damn stupid to me as well.
doriangrey on October 15, 2007 at 1:05 PM
This story comes as no surprise to me. In fact, what really surprises me, is that with our current multi-culti mindset, sanctuary cities, drivers licenses for illegals, etc things have not become worse then it is. And I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why we have not been attacked again. I’m sure these agencies are doing a great job and many of the people involved in preventing attacks are motivated, determined people but if a jihadi has the will to kill Americans I’m having a hard time understanding what is really stopping them.
I’d also like to know more about the Islamists living in Northern NJ then what this article provides. Such as, for example, how long have they been residing there? How did they arrive? Are they legally in this country? If they are here legally how in the f*ing world did we allow radical Islamic Jihadists to become citizens of our country? Which beaurocratic morons provided these jihadists with their stamp of approval? Can I smack them?
Zetterson on October 15, 2007 at 1:06 PM
The Mafia stands for the Mafia, any thing they can make money off they will and I have no doubt that includes selling weapons and explosives to Jihadis.
doriangrey on October 15, 2007 at 1:07 PM
I believe the only reason we would tell them that we are going to be watching them is because we are more worried about the one’s we haven’t caught then the one’s we have. In other words we are monitoring terrorist A. We tell terrorist A that we are watching them. Terrorist A goes to the mosque every day to pray for more creative ways to kill infidels. While at the mosque terrorist A discusses with terrorist B that he had a little visit over the weekend where he found out that he has been under surveilance for a while and will continue to be. Terrorist B begins to worry about whether or not he is being watched. Terrorist B, from that moment on, stops acting so terroristy.
If anything it buys us time to catch terrorist B before he actually does anything.
Zetterson on October 15, 2007 at 1:17 PM
Ten years ago, in NY, I never saw anyone dressed in Muslim style clothing. Today, it’s a common occurrence. There’s now a mosque in the sleepy Long Island town I grew up in. Don’t know how this happened. This site is pretty interesting to find the local Islamic centers near you.
JiangxiDad on October 15, 2007 at 1:17 PM
I am more concerned about a counter-terrorism agents’ picture being posted on a web site, than the comments concerning letting certain cells know they are being montitored. Talk about outing an agent.
Telling cell members, they are being watched is pre-emptive genius. It also doesn’t fit the image of what the left would have us believe about our law enforcement.
A paranoid mind makes mistakes. I think this early warning, would work well on the less sophisticated, un-established cells.
captivated_dem on October 15, 2007 at 1:21 PM
No Taliban, in Jersey?! Look no farther than NJ State Troopers.
Letting them know “we’re listening” – A John Corzine “I won’t raise your taxes” promise.
Yes, it’s the KeyStone Cops on the case.
Wait till these Taliban types run into some of the folks in the Lakehurst area.
And the Sopranos is a television show.
Kini on October 15, 2007 at 1:34 PM
say word why dont we offer immunity to mafioso’s who kill the occasional jihadi
ernesto on October 15, 2007 at 1:34 PM
Exactly! Breaks their concentration/focus because they now have to look over their shoulder everytime they make a move to see if someone is watching. Also, “monitoring” could mean a undercover agent. Now, who do you trust? Paranoia is a great weapon.
Catseye on October 15, 2007 at 1:43 PM
Stirring up the snakes, perhaps? Monitor changes in activity post-warning? A cancelled ISP account might be revealing, cancelled phone services…etc…?
Ochlan on October 15, 2007 at 1:43 PM
Are you sure it goes back 10 years? I bet it goes back to post 9/11. It’s all part of the white guilt syndrome.
Buy Danish on October 15, 2007 at 2:04 PM
I’d go along with some of the other posters that tipping your hand to a few stateside jihadis to see how they modify their behavior. It’s probobly still best to not inform most of them that we’re watching, until we gather enough intel to put them away for a long time.
It’s kind of like the Times interview earlier. Shutting down radical internet sites keeps propaganda from swaying young minds, but keeping them open allows you to gather intel. How do you determine what gives you a bigger payoff?
BadgerHawk on October 15, 2007 at 2:09 PM
Surely it is sufficient grounds to deport them.
I just wish that one of the Republican candidates would have to he guts to ignore political-correctness and begin talking about Middle Eastern immigration. Why are we letting all these people from alien cultures who want us to be Islamacized into the country?
Buy Danish on October 15, 2007 at 2:33 PM
Spot on!
Talon on October 15, 2007 at 2:36 PM
Joisey! Home of Frank Lautenberg (who never saw a gun control bill he didn’t like).
Joisey! Home of “The Torch” just one of many corrupt DEMOCRATS in the Senate.
Joisey! Home of the John “Buy your governorship, today” Corzine. Rich men only need apply.
Joisey! Home of towns where the entire government is indicted for corruption.
Joisey! Home of America’s Terrorists, past, present, and future.
Joisey!
georgej on October 15, 2007 at 3:12 PM
Yet ANOTHER reason my husband owes me BIG for movin’ me away from Texas and into New Jersey!
Ex-tex on October 15, 2007 at 3:29 PM
I think another good reason is because the feds don’t actually have the resources to track all these guys ALL the time. Maybe they catch a couple overseas phone calls and an email or two. So some G-men go over to their house and tell them “We’re watching you” and the terrorist then has to think every time he wants to do something terroristy that we’re out there and we know what he’s doing all the time. In reality, we only caught the obvious stuff he did, but the effect is the same.
sweetlipsbutterhoney on October 15, 2007 at 4:09 PM
Everyone be sure to read about that jihadi Inshallashshaheed who was running a jihadist blog in North Carolina. Jawa Report has all the details here: http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/189768.php
markedmanner on October 15, 2007 at 4:22 PM
If you were Taliban, would YOU go slumming in New Jersey if you could get a free dorm room at Yale?
The reason all these mosques are popping up everywhere is that the Saudis are paying for them as a Wahhabi missionary effort with the ultimate goal of converting the US into a Sharia state. Insane, but true. The Saudis also staff them with Wahhabi clerics who preach hate against America and supply them with anti-American hate literature and their own re-written Koran that indoctrinates Muslims to hate Jews and Christians and, well, everyone.
These Muslims are not immigrating to America, they’re colonizing it. They love America like termites love your home. They want to turn it into a giant termite mound/Sharia state because they can’t imagine anything better than that.
Tantor on October 15, 2007 at 6:11 PM
Terrorists just love New Jersey.
SoulGlo on October 15, 2007 at 6:34 PM
Don’t forget the stereotypical “jersey girls” too, georgej.
All of that, including the moronic wannabe-New-Yawkah accent, is NORTH Jersey. Those lousy buggers give those of us in the southern half of the state a bad name.
Just think of every bad thing you’ve heard about New Jersey, and I guarantee that at least 9 out of 10 will be localized to North Jersey.
Harpazo on October 15, 2007 at 9:27 PM
Not to say that South Jersey hasn’t had terrorists in it. The key difference, though, was that those terrorists got caught.
Harpazo on October 15, 2007 at 9:30 PM
Comment pages: