U.S. Now Exports Terror: American Linked to Mumbai Attack
Since the 9/11 attacks, conventional wisdom has held that acts of terror on U.S. soil would most likely come from abroad. Much time and effort have been spent on beefing up border security to make sure the next Mohammad Atta never reaches the homeland. Yet the massacre at Fort Hood by Major Nidal Hasan underscored what has long been known in counterterrorism circles: Muslims born and raised in the U.S. might become radicalized and perpetrate acts of terror here at home, and more resources need to be directed inward.
Now, a string of arrests by the FBI over the past year has raised awareness of a new phenomenon: there exist Americans who wish to commit acts of terror abroad.
For the most part, those arrested have been individuals who wished to join foreign jihadi groups as foot soldiers. Many of those attempts have failed. Boston’s Tarek Mehanna went to Yemen to join al-Qaeda but was rebuffed. His friend Ahmad Abousamra traveled to Pakistan and Iraq for the same purpose and also failed. Similarly, several young men from North Carolina made a pilgrimage to the Palestinian territories to join in jihad against Israel, but they seem to have spent the majority of their time seeing the sights in Cairo.
Late last month, two arrests in Chicago seemed to confirm a pattern of American citizens wishing to engage in acts of terror abroad but failing. But new reports from India indicate that at least one of the two arrested may have been involved in planning the coordinated attacks in Mumbai last year. Those attacks killed 173 people and have been described as India’s 9/11.
If these reports pan out, then a Chicago-area man who legally changed his name from Daood Gilani to David Headley — and who had previously been indicted for planning a foiled terror attack against Denmark’s Jylland Posten newspaper as “revenge” for printing cartoons of the prophet Mohammad — conducted surveillance of targets in Mumbai. He helped facilitate the massacre in which innocent civilians were methodically gunned down at the real-time urging of their Lashkar-e-Taiba controllers from Pakistan.
On October 18, over 100 federal and local law enforcement agents swooped in on a meat processing plant in rural Illinois. The raid seemed like overkill for an immigration raid, given that the plant only employed 13 people. When the FBI announced that the plant’s owner — a Canadian citizen named Tahawar Rana who lived and ran other businesses in Chicago — had been indicted along with David Headley on charges of plotting terror attacks abroad, the raids still seemed like overkill.
The specific charges were that Rana had conspired with Headley to attack the Jyllands-Posten headquarters. However, the attack was still very much in the planning stages. Although Headley was in contact with at least two separate Pakistani-based terror organizations, his contacts there had urged him to focus on India rather than Denmark. There was no indication that the pair had made any progress towards obtaining either the weapons or explosives necessary for the attack. They also seemed to have lacked the volunteers needed, as there is no indication that the two were themselves willing to die for the cause.
So why put so much manpower into a raid on two men who seemed to fit into the category of “aspirational terrorists”?
Last week, Indian officials revealed that “Headley” had visited Mumbai, and that two of the hotels he stayed at were attacked during the terror raid. One might be tempted to write this off as coincidence — both hotels are frequented by Westerners, which is why they were targeted in the attacks. Headley had gone to India on a “business” trip on behalf of an immigration company owned by Rana. Perhaps he was in Mumbai recruiting immigrants for work in the U.S. and stayed at two hotels popular among Western businessmen?
Well, at least we’re exporting something.
Actually, it would make a lot of sense for terrorists here in the United States to plot oversease attacks. Unfortunately, some of our own laws and our own freedoms are used by terrorists to facilitate their operations overseas. There are numerous Palestinian “non-profit” organizations here in the United States that are fronts for terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. They have been operating in this country for years. If you read books and articles by Steve Emmerson you will get a complete rundown on these organizations and what groups they assist. It just seems that these disturbed individuals are now branching out into other countries, like India. But as serious as this problem is, I still think domestic Muslim terrorists pose a greater threat to this nation. Major Hasan Nidal and the “Fort Dix Six” (to name a few) are examples of how vulnerable our military installations are to these plots. Just imagine if these same terrorists decide to attack a much “softer” target, like a mall or an office building. To prevent an overseas plot may be comendable, but the domestic threats are what we should be paying closer attention to.
Note, the above author’s name is spelled “Steven Emerson.” Sorry for the mistake.
Mumbai was on Bush’s watch wasn’t it obviously it was his fault. After all the moonbats blame everything else on Bush.
Any word about this from American muslims? What are they doing to combat this? Doesn’t seem they are doing a good job.
Rusty – I have disagree with you on one point. You said:
“We are used to the idea of a foreign terrorist plotting … to attack targets within the United States, and the Fort Hood attacks have awakened in most of us the sense that it is entirely plausible that Islamists radicalized here might attack their own country.”
It is the last three words of that quote — their own country. I would submit that so long as the United States is outside of Dar es Salaam that such terrorists [and at least some other Moslems] do not consider this their own country.
As for the rest of article, I found it quite interesting.
Now a word from Chris Matthews,”we may never know” etc and so forth.
On some things you just have to keep an open mind.
More evidence that any Muslim who is not a terrorist is a “potential” terrorist!
Q: You know what you call it when one side goes to war and the other side does not?
A: Massacre!
Muslims born and raised in the U.S. might become radicalized …
Studying the, as Obama would say Holy Koran, are they?
It really makes me wonder, on what should citizenship be based upon? In the days of the Roman Empire, a citizen had to demonstrate certain
things. Now, citizenship is bestowed upon birth, or having the right papers processed.
What about those who turn against what the country
is based upon? Why should they have the benefits of the country they turned against?
What I love is how all of you links are to the Jawa Report. A site you apparently run.
ps and the Fort Hood attacks have awakened in most of us the sense that it is entirely plausible that Islamists radicalized here might attack their own country.
please be specific. By us, you mean, crazed, hallucinating “jihad in the woodpile” paranoiacs.
David I often wonder the same thing about our Legislators and Judges when they become domestic enemies of our constitutional liberties being secured to ourselves rather than to them.
Yeah moho. Nidal Hasan and Fort Hood were a figment of my paranoid imagination.
11. That’s no more crazy than Joe McCarthy, who, despite being branded as a lunatic, was absolutely right about Communist spies in the State Department.
Rusty..LOL…most of it is so far, that would be the conclusion of any intelligent person. It will be until there’s a factual record. But don’t wait for that, there’s an opportunity to cloud all future analysis with the misinformation you propagate today. Idiot.
15. moho: Please elaborate. To talking points, no links. Tell us what you mean. I don’t think you can actually do it.
Interesting. Under the Bush Doctrine, any nation that harbors terrorists may be attacked pre-emtively, making no disctinction between terrorists and the society that contains them.
The Indian Airforce should be launching a bombing raid on Chicago any time now.
Baal. You are either being disingenuous or stupid. Everything you need to know is in that sentence; I can’t understand it for you. Get your mommy to help you with the big words.
Re: The Ft Hood Killer: If a hate crime is a hate crime because the motive is hate then… is this a terrorist attack because he had terrorist motives?
“By us, you mean, crazed, hallucinating “jihad in the woodpile” paranoiacs.”
Don’t worry about it . “Us” in this context doesn’t include jihadist Muslim trash or lefty American traitors.
You aren’t part of us.
Is it a crime to hate terrorists? Would that be considered a hate crime?
Gee MoHo, that’s a really nifty name. Do you know any other letters? Are you related to ViVo? You both have two 0′s in your names. IQ? By the way, your retorts of late have been disappointing. Just now up to snuff. Jejeune. Might I raecommend a thesaurus>
Dave Surls. Nothing weakens you people more than statements like that. Keep it up, it makes you even more marginalized than you were last year. Nothing gives me more pleasure than watching you inbred losers claim that I can’t be part of your circle jerk. My tears are copious, have fun trading stories of the Jihadists in the neighborhood while you’re waiting in the food stamp line.
Joe McCarthy was right about several things…
1) Communists/Socialists in teaching and administrative positions in the universities and colleges.
2) Look at Hollywood and the MSM today, seems he wasn’t barking up the wrong tree.
3) Spies in the State Department.
MOHO
From the tone of your posts I can see why people might tend to avoid you. You seem to be very, very angry. Is that because people don’t understand you? Do you think that once somebody gets to know you, the real you, they would learn to like you? Is it just the gruff exterior that puts people off? Or are you as big a putz as first impressions suggest?
Moe. Seeing as there’s nothing in my posts that would suggest such things [and indeed, it could be true, though you'll never know], I see a classic case of projection.
#22
Learn to deal with it, whiny little jihadist-lover.
There is no “us” when it comes to people like you. You’re the enemy…just not an important enough enemy to bother getting rid of…at the present.
Dave Surls. Thanks for doing exactly what I told you to do. Keep it up, I need the laugh today.
Liberty60:
Actually, I believe that is meant to refer to those who knowingly and willingly harbour terrorists.
18. moho: Thanks for confirming my point about you.
Moho: Are you a stinking muzzie?
#10:
David, dats da law, but, really for some people the accidental place of their birth is a petty distinction. In no other way do they feel a sense of connection to that place, the people there, or the nation where it happens to be located. Some will always self-identify with another nation/people/culture-even after a life time.
“I need the laugh today.”
Laugh it up.
I hear Saddam Hussein used to do a lot of laughing too.
He ain’t laughing now.
Regardless, they’re STILL moslem, aren’t they. That’s all I need to know.
Extradite them ASAP.
Of course, it isn’t that simple. They are legally “innocent” until proven guilty. And I would not want a factually innocent person extradited to any other country.
#31:
Elliot, I am not just referring to those born in North America that act as a fifth column for the “Sons of Allah”, but
also those who fly to Somalia, or anywhere else, to fight alongside their Muslim brothers to defeat the infidel.
It is easy to collate the information as to where they were, whom they were with, and frankly held at Diego Garcia. Otherwise, they have an appointment with a noose because of what they did against coalition soldiers.
So, revert to the times when fealty had to shown to the government. Otherwise, don’t let the door, or gate, hit you on your way out.
David, Okey-dokey about the azz thingy, but I am on side with you entirely.
David – Good points. Right now being an American is all rights and entitlements and no responsibilities and now we want to give citizenship away to anyone who can climb a border fence. It’s not sustainable because someone’s got to pay the bar tab eventually.
Joe McCarthy was a piece of crap
[...] a Chicago-area man who legally changed his name from Daood Gilani to David Headley — and who had previously been indicted for planning a foiled terror attack against Denmark’s Jylland Posten newspaper as “revenge” for printing cartoons of the prophet Mohammad — conducted surveillance of targets in Mumbai. He helped facilitate the massacre in which innocent civilians were methodically gunned down at the real-time urging of their Lashkar-e-Taiba controllers from Pakistan. [...]
Dba Daood Gilani or David Headley had a religious persuasion problem – before going (or returning to) Gatling-barreled Islam he was for a while a parishoner and donor at Obama’s Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.