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Terror Suspects Had Jobs at British Airways and … U.S. Nuclear Facilities

What did Sharif Mobley tell his terrorist handlers about our security protocols?

by
Annie Jacobsen

Bio

March 14, 2010 - 12:01 am
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The cases of Rajib Karim and Sharif Mobley are about one thing: access. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other naysayers are downplaying the situation with Mobley, saying he did not have access to “nuclear secrets.” Mobley didn’t have access to a college degree; it’s apocryphal to think he would be granted access to anything about how nuclear fission and nuclear fusion occur. Further, Mobley was about ten pay grades away from keeping company with men like Dr. Adlene Hicheur and Halim Hicheur, two nuclear scientist linked to al-Qaeda in Europe. What is at issue is Mobley’s access to nuclear material, which he undeniably had. Mobley had “red badge” clearance to work at a nuclear facility. Having such clearance means having access to a whole lot of closely guarded nuclear security protocols. The knowledge of “nuclear secrets” is not required to cause catastrophic damage at a nuclear facility if the bad intention is there. Access is the only thing that is needed to shut down the cooling system on a nuclear reactor so as to cause a catastrophic, radioactive meltdown.

Rajib Karim relayed everything he knew about British Airways security protocols to his terrorist handlers in Yemen, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. What did Sharif Mobley tell his terrorist handlers in Yemen about security protocols at nuclear facilities in the United States?

Officials with Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), the company that run two of the New Jersey nuclear facilities where Mobley worked, say that Mobley showed no signs of suspicious behavior while working at the plant. To spot such things, PSEG says it runs “behavioral observation programs” to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior by its employees. But what goes on outside the nuclear facilities’ high walls stays outside the facilities’ walls … until ABC News shows up with a crew. Roman Castro, one of Mobley’s former classmates from high school, says he bumped into Mobley four years ago. Castro had just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq; Mobley was working at a PSEG nuclear facility at the time. Castro says Mobley unexpectedly shouted at him: “Get the hell away from me, you Muslim killer!”

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When a radical, anti-American individual gets a job at five separate nuclear facilities over a period of six years, there is much to be concerned about. Especially when it turns out that that young American Muslim left work at the nuclear facilities to join the jihad and travel to Yemen for terrorist training — including training from Anwar al-Awlaki, the same man linked to the massacre at Fort Hood and the bombing plot of an airplane over Detroit on Christmas Day.

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Annie Jacobsen writes the "Backstory" blog (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/back-story/) for the Los Angeles Times Magazine.

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19 Comments, 19 Threads

  1. 1. Increase Mather

    Just another in a long line of incidents that the MSM will respond to by saying…”move along, nothing to see here”.

    Prediction: if the NYTIMES covers this at all it will be on a Saturday, page 16B.

  2. 2. blotto

    PC will be the death of us.

    The 800 pound gorilla is right in the room, everybody is looking at it, but nobody will say a thing. We have been cowered into accepting death rather than being ridiculed by the MSM as a racist, Islamaphobe or some other false accusation.

    When they (Islamic jihadists) strike next, and they will, it will be too late.

    We can lament PC all we want but until we crush it, it will continue to hurt America and Americans.

  3. 3. ahem

    What could he have revealed to them that the NYT has not already revealed?

  4. 4. Delia

    Oh lordy.

    Blotto has it right.

  5. 5. myth buster

    To shut down the cooling system, he would need access to the control room, or else he’d have to break the right pipes (which is not very easy). Even then, the loss of coolant causes the reactor to scram, leaving only decay heat to overheat the reactor, while emergency coolant (which circulates through a different system) would flood the reactor to cool it down. Worst case scenario is that the reactor is ruined, which, while causing billions of dollars in property damage, won’t kill anyone. The worst case scenario is by no means likely- what would likely happen is that the reactor would have to be shut down for a month or two to make repairs.

  6. 6. GRACIE

    BLOTTO, 2, YOU ARE 1000% RIGHT!!

    OUR PEOPLE ARE TOO WILLING TO BEND, NOT OFFEND, NOT SPEAK OUT. NEXT WE WILL BE KNOCKED TO OUR KNEES..BY OUR PC

    WE NEED TO WAKE UP AND START TO FIGHT BACK, NOW!

  7. 7. jgreene

    Political Correctness and lack of knowledge of the Koran and Islam is going to get many more of us killed by these jihadist zombies. Both Homeland Security and the FBI have been infiltrated by Muslim Organization who report to the Moslem Brotherhood.

    The Solution is to KILL all overt IslamoFascists and terminate covertly all IslamoFascist Jihadists and their sympathizers. Pehaps we can get Jack Bauer to head up this covert organization. Anyone planning online to harm American Citizens anywhere in the world would be signing their own DEATH SENTENCE.

    These people will not be stopped by shaking a finger at them. Harsh justice must be applied to them ALL.

  8. you essentially stole my entire article from my blog centristnetblog.com. Pretty weak, coulndnt you even throw me a link? from March 11 2010

    http://centristnetblog.com/daily-news/was-sharif-mobley-working-with-al-qaida-in-yemen-on-plan-to-attack-a-us-nuclear-power-station/

    While the full extent of Mobley’s prior work experience is unclear, it appears that for six years (2002-2008), he “carried supplies and did maintenance work at the plants on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek, and worked at other plants in the region as well.” As such, Mobley very likely had substantial knowledge of the physical layout of several US nuclear facilities and perhaps some information on security at those facilities. It is possible that Mobley may have been working with al-Qaida on a plan in which Mobley would return to the United States, regain his work position which allowed access to US nuclear power stations, and use that access to facilitate an attack by al-Qaida on a US nuclear power plant. Perhaps Mobley’s prior work history at nuclear installations and al-Qaida’s clearly stated goal to launch an attack on a US nuclear installation is simply a coincidence.

    At a very minimum, an immediate review of the security procedures of US nuclear power plants should be commenced considering Mobley obtained a security clearance as late as 2008, despite exhibiting signs of Islamic extremism years before. Regardless, in coming days, we can expect politicians to begin asking these types of questions and for a full review of the entirety of US investigations and intelligence, if any, that existed on Mobley before the public exposure of his detainment in Yemen. This November 2009 interview of former CIA operations officer Charles S. Faddis demonstrates both the desirability of nuclear power plants to terrorists as a target and the potentially unimaginable damage from a successful terror attack:

  9. 9. Arty

    And on Sept 11 they would have all had to pass undetected through security carrying box cutters. Then they would have had to successfully predicted the behavior of all the passengers and crew. They also would have to know that all of the planes were fully fueled to cause maximum damage. After that they would have to fly extremely complex pieces of machinery to their targets and smash them into billion dollar skyscrapers designed to withstand earthquakes.

    Thanks “myth buster”. Now go tell your mom she’s got cookies.

  10. 10. Rich Vail

    You all worry too much. There is nothing to see here, move along. The government is on top of this. nothing to worry about. Move along, stop gawking.

  11. 11. Jack in Silver Spring

    Rich Vail @ #10: Spot-on. Everyone, just remember that Islam is not a religion; it is a political ideology pretending to be a religion. It is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. How many dead bodies will it take for the West to wake up?

  12. 12. stevieray

    Coverting to Islam is this century’s version of becoming a Marxist back in the 60′s… the ultimate expression of dissatisfaction and/or radical hipness. Everyone who’s mad at the world (or just a pathetic lost soul) will join up with the latest, greatest anti-Western badboys on the block… Islam!

    Of course, the problem is, once you’ve publicly joined Islam, you’re not allowed to leave… at least with your head attached. And Islam expects all of your descendants to be Muslims too. Heh. Heckuva price to pay for youthful aggro-purity, ain’t it?

  13. 13. oscar le grouche

    What did Sharif Mobley tell his terrorist handlers about our security protocols?

    He probably told them that, although you like to entertain yoursselves with endless paranoid commentary about terror attack, you don’t actually care enough to pay the low wage zombies you employ to prevent it enough to give a sh%^ about doing a good job. Then I’m pretty sure they laughed at you idiots for a really long time.

  14. 14. Pragmatist

    Islamophiles, PC, MC moonbats, AGW proponents,Green NAZIS and Obama Worshipers are all usually one and the same people. REAL Mohammedans whose aim is to introduce Shariah Law for ALL wherever hey gain the power to do so know this and USE these idiots and their Politically Correct, Multi Culti stupidity against us and western society in general. The LBGT’ers who are usually affiliates of left wing moonbat groups are so blinded by PC, MC stupidity that they are incapable of seeing what Mohammedans REALLY think about them and what their fate will be once Mohammedans gain power. Hint LBGT’ers look at the crane jibs in Iran and the Law in Saudi and the treatment of your compatriots in all Mohammedan countries then you will know your fate.
    Western Civilization is being undermined by PC, MC thinkers (or rather NON thinkers) and ‘Affirmative action’,'Yuman rites’, ‘Multi Culti’ and ‘elf ‘n’ safety’ legislation.

  15. 15. Delia

    13. oscar le grouche:

    “He probably told them that, although you like to entertain yoursselves with endless paranoid commentary about terror attack, you don’t actually care enough to pay the low wage zombies you employ to prevent it enough to give a sh%^ about doing a good job. Then I’m pretty sure they laughed at you idiots for a really long time.”

    I concur. I’d love to get rid of the shit-for-brains zombies running our schools/politics/elitist-hierarchy and just hire the zombies for what they can actually do right: Meat-Pupet/Human shields.

  16. 16. Delia DeMonquay

    It’s time to invest in some chadors for your womenfolk guys, business leaders have gone mad, politicans have gone mad, resistance is useless. Get used to hearing the muezzin calling you to prayer at 4AM in your neighborhood soon.

  17. 17. myth buster

    9. Unlike you, I’m not stupid or paranoid enough to believe that hijacking a nuclear power plant singlehandedly is possible. It is illegal to build a nuclear power plant with a single failure criterion, meaning that a saboteur would have to not only figure out how to subvert multiple redundant safety systems (including reactors that shut themselves down automatically in the event of loss of coolant), but actually be able to pull it off alone. It can’t be done. Airline security was rather easy to defeat- there’s only one checkpoint, or two if you’re pulled aside. What you’re suggesting is that a man would be able to force things to happen that he doesn’t know how to do and break things he doesn’t have authorization to access, and do it all without anyone noticing before a catastrophic failure occurs.

    The good news is that Al Queda is pretty stupid, and they often thwart themselves with their own stupidity. Not long ago, they wanted people to tell them about nuclear weapons on US Navy ships, when that information is readily available on the internet- in detail! Consequently, they probably thought this was a viable plan of attack, even though it most surely is not. To all you Eeyores out there, let me tell you that Three Mile Island was a SUCCESS STORY. The passive safety systems WORKED AS DESIGNED despite operator error. Mind you, that didn’t save the reactor, but it did prevent anyone from dying as a result of the accident.

  18. 18. pelaut

    When I hired people I always looked at their employment history.

    A 30 year old who worked at British Airways and SIX U.S. nuke sites? That gives 15 to 20 months on a job for 7 jobs in his history.

    Yet he was hired by the numbskulled gummint personnel in all cases. Was it incompetence? Affirmative action? Probably both.

    Time to give jail time to the sleaze bag personnel management types.

  19. 19. Delia

    17. myth buster,

    Good points! It would probably be more disconcerting if this man had worked at water treatment plants, vaccine making facilities, etc.

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