FBI tracked murderer of soldier?
posted at 7:55 am on June 2, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
So much for that law-enforcement approach to the war on terror. ABC News reports that Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, the man arrested for killing one soldier and wounding another in front of a recruiting station in Arkansas, had already tripped enough alarms at the FBI to have the Joint Terrorist Task Force open an investigation when he returned from Yemen:
The suspect arrested in the fatal shooting of one soldier and the critical injury of another at a Little Rock, Ark., Army recruiting booth today was under investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorist Task Force since his return from Yemen, ABC News has learned.
The investigation was in its preliminary stages, authorities said, and was based on the suspect’s travel to Yemen and his arrest there for using a Somali passport.
The suspect, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, 24, had changed his name from Carlos Leon Bledsoe after converting to the Muslim faith.
He offered no resistance to police when arrested. In fact, Muhammad/Bledsoe has already begun cooperating, telling authorities he planned a much larger killing spree, but had only the two targets:
According to sources, the suspect advised them that he was going to kill as many Army personnel as possible. At the time of the shooting, the subject had approximately 200 rounds of ammunition available, police said.
According to a police report, Muhammad told police he saw two uniformed U.S. soldiers in front of the recruiting office before he shot and killed Pvt. William Long, 23, and wounded Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, while they were taking a break outside the U.S. Army recruiting station where they both worked.
The police found no explosives in the car, but they discovered that Muhammad/Bledsoe meant business. He had two pistols and an SKS rifle, over a hundred rounds of ammunition, and vests to hold the clips. Muhammad wanted to take out as many military personnel he could find before anyone could catch him.
The FBI and its JTTT will have to answer some questions about when exactly they intended to intervene. Muhammad/Bledsoe got arrested in Yemen for traveling on a Somali passport, which triggered the FBI’s interest in him in the first place. It seems likely that he came back from his Islamic studies in the terrorist hotbed of Yemen with this mission in mind, and yet the FBI didn’t act until he killed someone.
Law enforcement has its place in civil maintenance of the peace. The terrorists are waging war against us, not crime waves. The Bush administration learned that lesson the hard way on 9/11 after eight years of flabby response from the Clinton administration after the first World Trade Center attack. If we’re not careful, we’ll find ourselves back in that flabby, self-indulgent “what war?” mode, and disaster will surely follow.
Blowback
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Any comment from the Whitehouse yet?
gooddad on June 2, 2009 at 8:00 AM
Pretty sure we’re already there.
I would like to know how long he has been back from his terrorist studies, nad how long our government has had their eye on him.
Seems like these killings could have been prevented.
loudmouth883 on June 2, 2009 at 8:00 AM
If he would have been arrested before he did anything, he would have been quickly released for not doing anything.
Phoenician on June 2, 2009 at 8:00 AM
Waiting for the branding of all Muslims as terrorists and exhortations for them to tone down their “rhetoric”…..
Waiting for Muslim groups to deplore the killing…..
CDeb on June 2, 2009 at 8:01 AM
nad?
=and
need more coffee
loudmouth883 on June 2, 2009 at 8:01 AM
SEE! SEE! SEE! WE NEED MORE GUN LAWS!!! GUNS KILL!!!!
AND WE NEED ROUND UP ALL THOSE MURDEROUS CHRISTIANS!!!
Oh, he WASN’T a Christian? Well,
WE NEED MORE GUN LAWS!!! GUNS KILL!!!!
oldleprechaun on June 2, 2009 at 8:03 AM
So the FBI tracked him. A lot of good that did.
chalons on June 2, 2009 at 8:10 AM
But he would have known he was being watched, and that could have made all the difference in this murder.
chalons on June 2, 2009 at 8:12 AM
Guns don’t kill people. Islamic Fanatics do.
loudmouth883 on June 2, 2009 at 8:12 AM
wonder if they had his phone tapped.
loudmouth883 on June 2, 2009 at 8:12 AM
There will not be a statement from the WH. Obama and the dems feel that our military is not necessary. In order to make this world peacefull and happy is to give everyone a big warm hug and just say “we are sorry”.
milwife88 on June 2, 2009 at 8:13 AM
Geez, Ed, Monday Morning Quarterback much?
ABC reports the investigation was in its early stages. You have to remember that this guy is a US citizen. I think you’d agree that we can’t just arrest people for traveling overseas. At this point, we don’t know what exactly the FBI knew about him or what evidence they had that he had intent to carry out a terrorist act.
But beyond that, you say this is a problem of treating terrorism as a law enforcement problem, but what’s the alternative here, Ed? What other course of action would you suggest in this case?
You and the righ-wing blogosphere jumped up and down saying the left would “politicize” the murder of that abortion doctor, but isn’t that exactly what you’re doing here by throwing out the “you can’t treat terrorism as a law enforcement problem” platitude?
Tom_Shipley on June 2, 2009 at 8:13 AM
President Bush kept America safe from Islamist terrorism for almost eight years. Obama managed just over four months.
Cheap shot I know, but I’ve learned from the left.
(I’m guessing the MSM will play down the Islam angle.)
So how’s the American public liking that plan to close Gitmo now?
EnglishMike on June 2, 2009 at 8:14 AM
Wasn’t it just yesterday that Mr. Sir. Run On Sentence was giving Orly garbage about causing the death of that abortionist?
And isn’t he the same tool who was downplaying domestic Islamic terrorism?
Of course he is. Maybe HE created the climate where this murder is acceptable!
SIIIIIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPMa0f_gFbs
benrand on June 2, 2009 at 8:15 AM
I’ll say. Any time there’s a Carlos-from-Little-Rock type who transforms into a Abdul-Muhammad-from-Yemen-or-Somalia type, I’d say the alarms are ringing loud and clear.
CarolynM on June 2, 2009 at 8:18 AM
I am sure that is coming soon, something to the effect of:
“regardless of our issue with the US military, we must never resort to heinous acts of violence against them” or something.
It was a sad moment of irony to have two back to back shootings from our own side’s fringe (do trust, Muslims are anti-American leftists), it gives little consolation…especially since the left will only call this a religious issue and urge more FBI monitoring of the Christian pro life right if they approve any on the left. Fantastic, right?
Mommypundit on June 2, 2009 at 8:20 AM
Is it safer for our uniformed soldiers in Iraq than the U.S.?
Lowest number of military deaths in Iraq since 2003 last month, and we hear crickets chirping in the MSM.
Rovin on June 2, 2009 at 8:21 AM
Come on folks, nothing to see here, move along. The FBI was just allowing a practitioner of the Religion of Pieces to practice his religion and eliminate a couple of right wing radical terrorists. Nothing to see here, move along….
doriangrey on June 2, 2009 at 8:22 AM
He was traveling on a Somali passport, but there’s no indication he holds Somali citizenship. Traveling on a false passport is a crime.
rbj on June 2, 2009 at 8:22 AM
Might there be some connection between the FBI watching, instead of protecting, while the thinking population has determined they might have to be their own protection?
Firearm sales up. Ammo sales up. Trend continues. Nah, couldn’t be a connection.
Yoop on June 2, 2009 at 8:22 AM
It’s obvious that simple fanatics do. Period. Remove the gun and they will use knives, swords, stones, bombs. Doesn’t matter much, huh?
Human nature. Needs regeneration…can’t we see that?
Mommypundit on June 2, 2009 at 8:22 AM
It’s obvious that Napolitano needs to double efforts at scrutinizing returning vets.
BuckeyeSam on June 2, 2009 at 8:23 AM
Easiest way to slow down this stuff is to prohibit travel to areas such as Yemen, Somalia, etc. If people try to go there, we simply refuse to let them back into the country.
AW1 Tim on June 2, 2009 at 8:23 AM
If only our Universities were able to control former military personnel in their classrooms.
Keeping their eye on the ball, and white guys are murderers.
benrand on June 2, 2009 at 8:26 AM
While I never agree with Tom, I kind of do here. I think with the threat of domestic terrorism, citing the 4 that were arrested a couple of weeks ago that were jailhouse converts, I think the FBI was probably waiting to see if he was being directed by a larger cell. If he associated himself with a mosque known for sending youths to Somalia, etc.
If Im wrong please let me know, but weren’t the Fort Dix six arrested just before they carried out their attack?
Now having said that, if we treat this as a law enforcement issue overseas, then its bad policy, but I think this was par for the course.
broker1 on June 2, 2009 at 8:27 AM
Obama did promise to create a Legal Regime to ensure that indefinite detentions were legal according to the rule of some mythical Marxist thought process. I am sure it doesn’t include the American Haji though.
Snooper on June 2, 2009 at 8:28 AM
If y’all aint carefull yer gonna find yourselves demanding that the FBI start arresting people because they might be thinking about committing a crime.
Then y’all be demanding your co-workers be arrested for saying something like, “If that SOB [expletive] with me again, I’m gonna kill him.”
Anyone wanna review the movie “Minority Report”? Is it worth renting?
Skandia Recluse on June 2, 2009 at 8:30 AM
Please don’t confuse Shipley with facts. They tend to gum up a liberal’s thought process. Hypocrisy and facts do not mix well. Shipley will now claim the false passport crime was committed abroad and does not count.
Yoop on June 2, 2009 at 8:32 AM
Ed is right.
We should start pre-emptively arresting anyone who fits the demographic of a recent high profile terrorist who committed a shooting in America.
If you’re a recent Yemeni Muslim convert or a pro life right wing extremist, pack your bags, you’re on your way to Gitmo.
e-pirate on June 2, 2009 at 8:33 AM
Now that the killer’s ties to Somalia have been established (traveled on Somali passport to Yemen, also lived in Nashville, TN with sizeable Somali immigrant population), one has to ask…
IS THIS A REVENGE KILLING FOR THE SOMALI PIRATES?
ericdondero on June 2, 2009 at 8:34 AM
Or it would have given him a ‘reason’ to be upset at the US for persecuting him for no reason.
Phoenician on June 2, 2009 at 8:35 AM
So how many more Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad’s are running around?
He might have been the signal for the rest of them to come out.
I am sure the goal is too embarass Obama while he travels in Egypt.
izoneguy on June 2, 2009 at 8:36 AM
Tom_Shipley on June 2, 2009 at 8:13 AM
What part about this statement leads you to believe this was a domestic incident Shipley? As rbj said: “He was traveling on a Somali passport, but there’s no indication he holds Somali citizenship. Traveling on a false passport is a crime.”
Can you find it possible to draw any conclusions from these reports without a strawman argument about an abortion doctor? Or is mixing apples and oranges your flavor of the day?
Rovin on June 2, 2009 at 8:37 AM
travelling on a somali passport after being in yemen would be a red flag. i think the FBI should watch me if i were doing the same.
however, i’m a redneck: you know, Christian, gun rack, from military family. they are already watching me. they don’t have time to watch Abdul.
kelley in virginia on June 2, 2009 at 8:38 AM
Wonder how many else jihadists are now roaming streets of the US planning major attacks. If they manage to hit a target, the onus will be on Obama.
promachus on June 2, 2009 at 8:38 AM
One death should not diminish the fact that we have now had a terrorist attack on American soil on BO’s watch.
Elektra on June 2, 2009 at 8:39 AM
izoneguy on June 2, 2009 at 8:36 AM
I don’t think the terrorists have to embarrass Obama. He does a fine job of it himself. Case in point: Stay tuned for the Middle Eastern Apology tour this week.
kingsjester on June 2, 2009 at 8:39 AM
Well, I’m not sure, but it might not be a crime the FBI could arrest him for.
Plus, as another poster said, they may have been following him to see if he was part of a larger cell. We don’t know all (if much of any) of the facts in regards to what the FBI was doing.
But, I never heard anyone complain of treating terrorism as a “law enforcement problem: when the FBI broke up the Buffalo Six or recent NYC terrorist cells. In fact, there was praise for their actions on this cite.
But now that they didn’t prevent this guy from acting, you throw them under the bus? What gives? If they had stopped him, would it be OK to treat terrorism as a law enforcement problem? I guess I’m unclear as to how you’d want to handle stopping “home-grown” plots.
Tom_Shipley on June 2, 2009 at 8:40 AM
You can arrest two or more people for conspiring to carry out a crime, and engaging in acts in furtherance of the conspiracy (buying guns, etc.). But a single individual cannot conspire with himself. Quirk in the law that makes it difficult to stop the lone gunman.
Wethal on June 2, 2009 at 8:40 AM
I mean, because only one person died. 1 or 3,000, its still terror. Is the war HERE now, BO?
Elektra on June 2, 2009 at 8:42 AM
Opp’s, you are soooo now on the DHS and FBI terrorist watch lists, expect them to show up any minute to escort you to the William Ayer’s Memorial Community Re-Education and Conservative Elimination Facility.
doriangrey on June 2, 2009 at 8:43 AM
I’m pretty sure that if authorities had evidence someone was planning to carry out an attack by himself that they would be able to arrest him.
Tom_Shipley on June 2, 2009 at 8:44 AM
I think you’re on the right track here, broker. I find myself agreeing with Tom for the first time, also. The fact that the perp is a US citizen changes everything. I think this is a case of a one-off whacko, and the FBI can’t read minds and catch them all before they act.
zeebeach on June 2, 2009 at 8:44 AM
Codolences and prayers to the family of the fallen trooper, and best wishes for a speedy recovery and return to duty for the wounded soldier.
I hold the POTUS, his admin, and the rest of the Leftist and Rino pols responsible. What do we expect to happen when we allow these thugish malcontents to be trained for terrorist Jihad ops by domestic and foreign Islamists? This is just the first wave — the Atty General sent a real clear messege to the New Panther Party too — AG and Justice, by their failure to prosecute, sent an invitation to escalate. Hurry 2010!
“Let’s Roll”
On Watch on June 2, 2009 at 8:45 AM
How could this person even be allowed back in the US? Was he even interviewed upon his arrival or does Obama have ACLU types in place now that would prevent that sort of intervention?
I’m not sure what the FBI and JTTF are supposed to do as far as intervention once the fox is in the hen house. They don’t have any ESP or “Minority Report” type of technology to use so they aren’t going to prevent a spur-of-the-moment act by a deranged jihadi.
Buddahpundit on June 2, 2009 at 8:45 AM
Wait wait wait…
He was arrested in Yemen on a Somali passport and the FBI started an investigation….then why the hell wasn’t he detained and questioned when he re-entered the United States? Oh……maybe (I’ll bet) we didn’t know he re-entered the U.S. Thank goodness for border security.
Limerick on June 2, 2009 at 8:48 AM
Sorry….you beat me to the punch. No coffee, old fingers, slow typing.
Limerick on June 2, 2009 at 8:49 AM
It’s Keith Olbermann’s fault. He should be quarantined. He should be held to his own standards.
TheBigOldDog on June 2, 2009 at 8:50 AM
They would need probable cause for the warrant. Just talking about killing someone isn’t necessarily enough. Legal gun purchases wouldn’t necessarily be enough, either. What evidence would be enough for probable cause?
Wethal on June 2, 2009 at 8:50 AM
You know that if this guy had killed a stinky Hippie they would be all over the FBI by now for dropping the ball. But hey, he was just expressing his deserved anger at a repressive regime so why should the FBI have been concerned?
InTheBellyoftheBeast on June 2, 2009 at 8:51 AM
<blockquoteAny comment from the Whitehouse yet?
gooddad on June 2, 2009 at 8:00 AM
I’m expecting something in the “If he could do it over” genre of comments.
Helloyawl on June 2, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Bigtime MSM news blackout on this. I went to msnbc and cnn and couldn’t find a headline, even though I saw a couple last night. And they each have several prominent stories about the Tiller Killer. This is crazy.
LibTired (KO) on June 2, 2009 at 8:54 AM
DHS report on “muslim extremists” coming in Q…. R…. S….
LibTired (KO) on June 2, 2009 at 8:58 AM
No, this is how the liberals betray America, Bush keeps America safe for 7 years, Obama cant keep it safe for 7 months. The MFMSM (Mother E’ffing Mainstream Media) are not going to allow this fact to become public knowledge if they can avoid it.
doriangrey on June 2, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Disturbing the FBI didn’t arrest this man before the attack. Are they being withheld by the administration from performing some duties that the Bush administration would have allowed?
jencab on June 2, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Exactly. If this jihadi had been apprehended before he could shoot these soldiers, Obama would be apologizing profusely to the Black Muslim community right now for violating this guy’s civil rights.
Buddahpundit on June 2, 2009 at 9:00 AM
You are right, I am sure Obama will be saying that: “Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad is in my prayers, I hope to provide this fellow Muslim with a fair & speedy trial. This act of violence is all Bush’s fault and we will be pulling out of Iraq as early as possible and then I will release the other photos showing prisoner abuse at the hands of our solidiers.”
izoneguy on June 2, 2009 at 9:04 AM
The ‘law enforcement’ method you talking about is waiting until after an attack to do something, which doesn’t apply in the Buffalo or NYC cases. The FBI stopped those attacked before they were carried out, which is what they should have done. If they’d acted on the information they had two soldiers might not have been attacked (if there was insufficient evidence for the FBI to act then so be it.)
I think you’re just confused on what the ‘law enforcement method’ actually means.
BadgerHawk on June 2, 2009 at 9:05 AM
That was my point. They were waiting to see if he was part of a larger mosque or cell. Because if we look at history, those that go train in Somalia or Afghanistan are never “lone gunman”, usually part of a larger conspiracy.
I would ask this question: “How would an American citizen know how to get in touch with a terrorist training center in Somalia if not being directed by someone with knowledge?”
I would have to think that those in Somalia don’t just accept “walk ins”. They have to be somewhat credentialed by someone known to those in Somalia.
broker1 on June 2, 2009 at 9:05 AM
Study history. Even the past decade would help here.
Kerry and similar Dems wanted to maintain a “law enforcement” style approach after 9/11. Bush & co. prosecuted the “war on terror,” and whether you agree with their tactics or not it is a historical fact that no Islamic terrorists were successful in killing a single American on U.S. soil.
Obama brings in the Clinton crew, moves back toward a Carter/Kerry type policy, and we suffer an American military casualty, on U.S. soil, in his first six months.
What to do? Hmm- maybe follow a Bush-type “keep the homeland safe, first” approach?
Just a thought.
cs89 on June 2, 2009 at 9:07 AM
If he had killed a cop they would be raising money for his defence and if he had killed an abortion Dr. they wouldn’t know what to do.
Bicyea on June 2, 2009 at 9:07 AM
Above comment refers to no losses in U.S. after 9/11, obviously.
cs89 on June 2, 2009 at 9:09 AM
So, basically, if the FBI successfully stops an attack it’s not the law enforcement method. But if it doesn’t, it is.
That makes absolutely no sense.
Tom_Shipley on June 2, 2009 at 9:10 AM
I believe the new rules are that the FBI can’t initiate anything. Local police are first called in and then perhaps DHS, then maybe the FBI.
I must have missed when Obama stated his outrage at this hate crime, like he voiced his outrage against the murder of Tiller.
moonsbreath on June 2, 2009 at 9:13 AM
Obama’s pre-crime plan will take care of that. Once that goes into action, you can be detained indefinitely if you’re standing next to someone whose third cousin talked to a man who heard about someone thinking about committing a crime.
Daggett on June 2, 2009 at 9:15 AM
The Beltway Snipers. They were Farrakhanians as well.
Buddahpundit on June 2, 2009 at 9:16 AM
You’re either intentionally or unintentionally confusing the point. The law endorcement method just means that we basically wait until after an attack to act. It has nothing to do with whether or not they are successful in stopping said attack.
I have no idea if there was enough information for the FBI to act prior to this guy shooting two soldiers. From the limited information available it sounds like they may not have. If that’s the case, then yes, it’s obviously not a good thing to be rounding people up before they commit a crime. But if the FBI had credible information on what this guy was planning to do, and waited for him to attempt it before acting, then their approach was completely wrong and may have allowed this man to carry out his act.
BadgerHawk on June 2, 2009 at 9:17 AM
I hope somehow the families of the dead can sue the FBI.
I hope the military raises objections to Obama over his lack of public response. As commander-in-chief, his legal obligation to his troops is clear. If the military decides the commander is unfaithful and untrustworthy, the repercussions will be severe.
JiangxiDad on June 2, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Do you think the families of the soldiers thinks this makes a difference?
I don’t.
ladyingray on June 2, 2009 at 9:19 AM
ChimpyO. The terrorists best friend.
csdeven on June 2, 2009 at 9:19 AM
“We’re sorry that all the torture at Guantonomo Bay caused this peace-loving muslim to kill.”
/
SouthernGent on June 2, 2009 at 9:20 AM
That’s not the impression I got. But, that’s what it is, then NO ONE is for the law enforcement method.
Tom_Shipley on June 2, 2009 at 9:26 AM
Excellent piece, Ed.
maverick muse on June 2, 2009 at 9:29 AM
Is this what hope n change calls ‘smart power’?
locomotivebreath1901 on June 2, 2009 at 9:31 AM
Chutzpah watch….
Ogabe will use this event to argue that “potential terrorists*” MUST be interdicted BEFORE they act….
*he will of course use Janet Neopolitino’s definition of “potential terrorist”…..
sven10077 on June 2, 2009 at 9:33 AM
Did the FBI know he had entered the country?
Did they know where he was?
Did the Commander in Chief know he was roaming the countryside?
faraway on June 2, 2009 at 9:33 AM
Buddahpundit on June 2, 2009 at 9:16 AM
Don’t think John Allen Muhammad traveled to Yemen for training, but your point is duly noted.
cs89 on June 2, 2009 at 9:33 AM
So we now have our first terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11.
Very poor job B. Hussein. Hope you’re enjoying all your parties.
DHS could have picked this guy up. The passport crime brought him up on their radar, but they didnt even bring him in for questioning, which they ARE entitled to do. They allowed him to acquire weapons and use them.
He sure didnt bring that stuff home in his suitcase.
dogsoldier on June 2, 2009 at 9:33 AM
Don’t forget the Beltway sniper murders in 2002.
JiangxiDad on June 2, 2009 at 9:35 AM
Does anyone know if Obama has been to Yemen?
JiangxiDad on June 2, 2009 at 9:36 AM
My prediction is that in a couple of hours, Obama will have his press secretary make some comment during the daily presser about how Obama feels bad for the families of these soldiers and about how they are awaiting more information. Perhaps there will be an unkind remark about the individual ( as opposed to the movement ) who carried out the act. That will be the end of it.
There probably won’t be any “this is a reminder of what we are fighting against” type of language. The lack of this sort of language won’t be lost on our soldiers fighting overseas.
Buddahpundit on June 2, 2009 at 9:37 AM
I can’t….I was stopped at one of Mr. Moose’s “white guy roadblocks” he had since he INSISTED the shooter was a disaffected white guy….
sven10077 on June 2, 2009 at 9:37 AM
Obama has no respect for those that serve anyone, but him. His actions quell all words to the contrary. He is not only The One, but The Way. He is the zenith to all liberals that adore him.
volsense on June 2, 2009 at 9:37 AM
Good point.
dogsoldier on June 2, 2009 at 9:40 AM
You do realize our esteemed MSM will spin this as “we, (Bush’s policies) have created more terrorist, therefore….” blah, blah, blah
Rovin on June 2, 2009 at 9:41 AM
Exactly what did you expect the FBI to do? Yes, it is alaw enforcement agency.
corona on June 2, 2009 at 9:44 AM
This is proof of how easy people forget – what happened at LAX (no, not the bomb plot) ?
corona on June 2, 2009 at 9:46 AM
The logic that the FBI used in following him around, waiting for him to kill someone, is the same basic thought process that libs like Shipley use in the Gitmo discussion. Since no one can say if any of these terrorists – armed and in the company of those shooting at American soldiers – actually killed Americans, well why on earth do we still have them captive?
Sometimes this thought process just leads to more dead Americans.
Jaibones on June 2, 2009 at 9:46 AM
As others here have noted, there isn’t much authorities could have done about this guy until he actually committed a crime.
Since he apparently didn’t “stalk” the recruiting station first, or anything else he could have been detained and warned about, it’s not clear what else either the FBI or the local police could have done.
I don’t see a basis for “intervention” by law enforcement here, at least based on what we know so far. Maybe we want to have law enforcement start searching the living quarters of everyone who comes back from Yemen, as a matter of routine? Might have found the guns and ammo that way.
But of course, we might not have found them, if he’d simply had them stashed elsewhere. Nothing will make guns too hard to get, for those who really want them.
Ironically, if the guy had used a bomb, there might be more fatalities from this incident.
J.E. Dyer on June 2, 2009 at 9:52 AM
I think a debate about whether this should be a law enforcement or anti-terrorism problem starts on the wrong foot. ‘Terrorism’ is such a an ill-defined largely meaningless term phrase that it is impossible to clearly see the problem when using it.
Nations treated possible carriers of SARS, bird flue or swine flue with extreme prejudice; possible carriers of Islam should get the same kind of treatment. Anybody who believes that the lying murderous thief of Arabia is the ideal role model for humanity is not likely to make a nett positive contribution to a liberal democratic nation.
Quarantine those already arrived, deny entry to those who haven’t. Disrupt the tranmsission of the meme wherever possible, deny it places where it can incubate and mutate. If Muslims don’t feel comfortable with the arrangements they can be given assistance to relocate to somewhere else … it would be cheaper than having to deal with the consequences of keeping them.
All this talk of law-enforcment or military, FBI or JTTF or CIA … this is only talk of which doctors should treat the symptoms and what methods they should use to alleviate the symptoms in those people where the disease is acute. Those people whose symptoms are merely chronic are being ignored, and the disease is being allowed to spread largely unchecked.
YiZhangZhe on June 2, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Why was the FBI investigation only in it’s preliminary stages?
When did the suspect first arrive in Yemen, and when was he kicked out for using a false passport?
When did the suspect return to the US?
What would the suspect have to have done to get closer scrutiny and tracking from the FBI?
Why couldn’t the FBI have prevented the assassination of a young American soldier on US soils?
Loxodonta on June 2, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Quite a few here are being awfully harsh on the FBI, and I feel obligated to post a response.
Granted, I’m not familiar with the internal details of this case, but neither is anyone else here…other than what the media reported, that is. Anyone here work for the FBI who cares to comment? Not bloody likely, since it’s not allowed, given these are open cases…
Anyway, I have some questions to ask everyone here, to see who knows how complex this can get:
1. He was arrested in Yemen travelling on a Somali passport. Did he reenter the US using that passport? Or did he use a US passport? Was the Somali passport on his possession when he reentered, or in possession of the Yemeni authorities?
2. Who is responsible for questioning him on his return to the US? Is that the FBI? Or is it the TSA? Or is it Customs? Or is that answer then dependant upon Question 3?
3. When was the notification of the arrest passed on from the Yemeni authorities to the FBI? How long was the lead time? How many government entities had their fingerprints on this before it was given to the FBI?
4. What crime, prior to the shooting, did he commit to cause an arrest on US soil? Did the FBI have probable cause to pick him up prior to the shooting? Was the crime even under FBI jurisdiction, if such a crime was committed, or was it a local matter?
5. Would the “arsenal” he had in his vehicle after the shooting be enough to warrant suspicion in Arkansas prior to the shooting? Seriously?
I think everyone who’s denigrating the FBI needs to look at these questions thoughtfully and try to answer them. Can you answer them?
Can you even answer them from a theoretical standpoint? If you can’t even imagine the answers or how this all works, you can’t begin to criticize, as there no baseline from which to argue. The FBI is one of the few organizations fighting terrorism who’s constrained by the Constitution, as well as the USPER regs.
In case you’re unfamiliar with USPER, read Title 18 (Crimes and Criminal Procedure) versus Title 50 (War and National Defense)…it identifies how government agencies can look at USPERs, and the FBI is subject to both regs.
I think y’all have some homework due before the next b!tch session…yes, it’s a boring read, but you’ll be better prepared to understand how Congress tied the FBI’s (and OGA’s) hands years ago.
Miss_Anthrope on June 2, 2009 at 10:14 AM
Maybe he came in from Mexico.
Johan Klaus on June 2, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Reminds me of Able Danger knowing about Atta..
blatantblue on June 2, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Sure sounds like treason to me.
Grunt on June 2, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Questions. From where did he get a Somali passport? From who did he get his contacts in Yemen? Which mosque did he attend? What are the teachings of the mosque? Was he an ex military redneck?
Johan Klaus on June 2, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Nappy Jan told us that Homeland Security needed to watch out for right-wing extremist military veterans. Like the soldier killed by this prayerful convert to the Religion of Peace, Mr. A. Mujahid Muhammed.
Hmmm, don’t our enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan call themselves Mujahideen? Strange little coincidence, probably means nothing. You can’t mention people’s middle names!
Hey Nappy Jan, those soldiers protected YOU, could you try to protect THEM?
Steve Z on June 2, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Thanks. A very good point.
US Constitution, Article III, Section 3:
The accused opened fire on a federal facility and killed one and injured another US soldier on duty. Apparently, he did so due to his allegiance to an ideology of Jihad which seeks to destroy the United States.
Seems like treason to me.
So, when will the Department of Justice file charges?
Loxodonta on June 2, 2009 at 10:36 AM
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