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U.S. Muslims and the dangers of preventative counter terrorism
U.S. Muslims and the dangers of preventative counter terrorism
Wed, 02/09/2011 - 15:30
Republican Congress member Peter King started the first of a series of controversial hearings today focusing on domestic terrorist threats and the radicalization of Muslims in the U.S. He said while militant Islamic groups like al Qaeda are now less likely to make a direct attack on the U.S., they’re still a threat.
“They have adapted their strategy and their tactics so they are now recruiting from within the country and they’re looking people who are under the radar screen, people who are living here legally, people who have green cards, people who are citizens, people who have no known terrorist activity.”
Today’s witnesses included National Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who said while progress has been made, the threat from terrorism has evolved and is at “its most heightened state” since September 11th.
“This means that the threat has evolved in such a way that we have to add to our traditional counter terrorism strategies which in the past have looked at the attack as coming from abroad. The realities of today’s threat environment also means that State and local law enforcement officers will more often be in the first position to notice the signs of a planned attack.”
While many have criticized Congress member King for singling out Muslims in his series of hearings, he vows to stand firm, saying today in a statement he “will not allow political correctness to obscure a real and dangerous threat.” King’s targeting of Muslims isn’t new. Civil liberties advocates have been fighting discriminatory policies and practices since the September 11th terrorist attacks. One controversial policy is law enforcements’ use of FBI informants and entrapment. For more, we talked to Professor Sahar Aziz from Georgetown Law Center about the implications of a recent supreme court ruling and the flaws of a preventive paradigm of countering terrorism. She recently spoke on a panel at a day-long conference on Muslim civil rights in Washington, DC.
Plot suspect considered shooting: FBI
By Maria Glod
A Baltimore man accused of plotting to blow up a military recruiting station in Maryland had at times discussed burning down the building, shooting people inside and using propane tanks in the attack, according to newly released court papers.
Antonio Martinez, 21, rejected the idea of targeting a train station because he worried it would "turn public opinion against" him, according to the documents filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
He told an informant it was wrong to target innocent people, such as riders on a train, but wanted to send a message that "whoever joins the military will be killed."
Martinez, who recently converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Hussain, saw the military as a threat to Muslims, according to court papers.
The FBI learned of Martinez's radical leanings on Facebook and through an informant. Authorities secretly joined the plot and supplied Martinez with a fake car bomb he tried to detonate in December outside a recruiting center in Catonsville.
In a recently unsealed affidavit for a search warrant seeking information on Martinez's Facebook account, FBI Special Agent J. Joseph Galietta wrote that Martinez told an informant he worried he might freeze up during the planned attack, and that the killings were "for the sake of Allah."
Martinez is awaiting trial in federal court in Maryland on charges of attempted murder of federal officers and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.In previous court hearings, Martinez's attorney has said there is a "very legitimate issue as to whether the government entrapped" his client.
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Wed, 02/09/2011 - 15:30
- Length: 8:55 minutes (8.16 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)
Republican Congress member Peter King started the first of a series of controversial hearings today focusing on domestic terrorist threats and the radicalization of Muslims in the U.S. He said while militant Islamic groups like al Qaeda are now less likely to make a direct attack on the U.S., they’re still a threat.
“They have adapted their strategy and their tactics so they are now recruiting from within the country and they’re looking people who are under the radar screen, people who are living here legally, people who have green cards, people who are citizens, people who have no known terrorist activity.”
Today’s witnesses included National Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who said while progress has been made, the threat from terrorism has evolved and is at “its most heightened state” since September 11th.
“This means that the threat has evolved in such a way that we have to add to our traditional counter terrorism strategies which in the past have looked at the attack as coming from abroad. The realities of today’s threat environment also means that State and local law enforcement officers will more often be in the first position to notice the signs of a planned attack.”
While many have criticized Congress member King for singling out Muslims in his series of hearings, he vows to stand firm, saying today in a statement he “will not allow political correctness to obscure a real and dangerous threat.” King’s targeting of Muslims isn’t new. Civil liberties advocates have been fighting discriminatory policies and practices since the September 11th terrorist attacks. One controversial policy is law enforcements’ use of FBI informants and entrapment. For more, we talked to Professor Sahar Aziz from Georgetown Law Center about the implications of a recent supreme court ruling and the flaws of a preventive paradigm of countering terrorism. She recently spoke on a panel at a day-long conference on Muslim civil rights in Washington, DC.
Plot suspect considered shooting: FBI
By Maria Glod
A Baltimore man accused of plotting to blow up a military recruiting station in Maryland had at times discussed burning down the building, shooting people inside and using propane tanks in the attack, according to newly released court papers.
Antonio Martinez, 21, rejected the idea of targeting a train station because he worried it would "turn public opinion against" him, according to the documents filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
He told an informant it was wrong to target innocent people, such as riders on a train, but wanted to send a message that "whoever joins the military will be killed."
Martinez, who recently converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Hussain, saw the military as a threat to Muslims, according to court papers.
The FBI learned of Martinez's radical leanings on Facebook and through an informant. Authorities secretly joined the plot and supplied Martinez with a fake car bomb he tried to detonate in December outside a recruiting center in Catonsville.
In a recently unsealed affidavit for a search warrant seeking information on Martinez's Facebook account, FBI Special Agent J. Joseph Galietta wrote that Martinez told an informant he worried he might freeze up during the planned attack, and that the killings were "for the sake of Allah."
Martinez is awaiting trial in federal court in Maryland on charges of attempted murder of federal officers and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.In previous court hearings, Martinez's attorney has said there is a "very legitimate issue as to whether the government entrapped" his client.
2011
02
09
15
01