AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
Last year, ABC News reported on Naser Jason Abdo, a soldier who had applied for conscientious objector status after he came to believe a Muslim could not serve in the U.S. military while it engaged in conflict with Muslim forces. Last month, the Associated Press reported that he'd received that status but was pending court martial on child porn charges.
Today we learn that Abdo was arrested after admitting he planned an attack on Fort Hood in Texas, the same base where 13 people were killed in a 2009 terror attack.
The 21-year-old Private First Class was arrested yesterday:
When he was arrested, Abdo was in possession of large quantities of ammunition, weapons and what appeared to be the makings of a bomb, according to early accounts from law enforcement. He had also apparently purchased an Army uniform with Fort Hood patches from a local surplus store.
Abdo told ABC News in 2010 he was Muslim and should not have to participate in what he called an "unjust war" in the Middle East.
"Any Muslim who knows his religion or maybe takes into account what his religion says can find out very clearly why he should not participate in the U.S. military," Abdo said then.
Thank God that this plot was discovered -- thanks to the clerk at the ammo store, by the way, who felt the quantity of the purchase and the demeanor of the suspect were suspicious -- before anyone got hurt. But I'm beginning to be concerned about our military's inability to effectively identify problems in its midst.
The dude is giving interviews to the media about how America is involved in an "unjust war" in the Middle East. He's received his conscientious objector status. And he's been accused of having child porn on his computer.
If they're this bad at keeping track of known problem cases, how effectively are they handling those soldiers who are better at cover ups?
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Comments :
Apr '11
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
This is simple. It's more important to preserve multi-culturalism and diversity in the military than to have an effective fighting force. You can't really find what you're not willing to look for!!
Nov '10
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
"Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse."
~ General Casey on the Fort Hood massacre
Head, meet sand.
Sep '10
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
Layla: "Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse."
~ General Casey on the Fort Hood massacre
Head, meet sand. · Jul 28 at 8:57am
The Norwegian Categorical Imperative.
Sep '10
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
We tend to hold the military in high esteem and not unjustly so. But I think that we respect them because of their bravery and sacrifice, not because of their great competency. I don't mean to malign them, but most in the military are aware of the wacky and messed up way the military often operates (e.g. the right way, the wrong way, and the army way). Their job is to win wars and kill the enemy, not to be efficient book keepers or low cost suppliers ($400 hammers anyone?).
So I am not surprised that they are not good at figuring out who their enemies from within are.
Jul '10
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
Bringing attention to a "problem" Muslim in today's military is a career risk for the officer bringing the attention. An unforced error that suggests this officer may not be a fit for today's diverse armed forces. After all, CAIR (the Hamas/Muslim Brotherhood front group conducting a dawa campaign against us, and under W the key briefing source on American-Muslim relations) has assured us that 99% of Muslims are not at all like the terrorists. And the chance of a warning sign leading to actual problems are probably worse than one in a thousand.
What military career suffered for the Fort Hood shootings? Aside from those of the victims.
Nov '10
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
While the TSA is busy violating innocent men, women and children, we continue to allow Muslims to serve in the U.S. military.
There, I said it. Anyone who believes that Islam solely functions in this day and age as a set of peaceful religious beliefs should contact Ayaan Hirsi Ali; I'd wager she'd take your call collect.
National security is the # 1 priority. We can and should fill our military ranks with those brave men and women who share our cultural affinities.
Jul '10
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
Elizabeth Dunn: While the TSA is busy violating innocent men, women and children, we continue to allow Muslims to serve in the U.S. military.
There, I said it. Anyone who believes that Islam solely functions in this day and age as a set of peaceful religious beliefs should contact Ayaan Hirsi Ali; I'd wager she'd take your call collect.
National security is the # 1 priority. We can and should fill our military ranks with those brave men and women who share our cultural affinities.
There are Muslim patriots in government and military service today. Their opinion of these monsters is no more charitable than yours or mine. Given that some of these patriots provide key translation, interpretation, intelligence, and liaison services, we would be sacrificing thousands of critical resources to avoid the risk of the few. We would be far worse off without these fellow countrymen in service than with them.
I know Ayaan Hirsi Ali's story, and a thousand others like it. And I know that in some neighborhoods here, as in many neighborhoods in Europe, that darkness rules. But, the Muslim Brotherhood notwithstanding, many embrace this country and our good fellowship.
Sep '10
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
Competency is not questioned in my opinion, the problem in my is opinion is that the pentagon let Muslim Brotherhood/CAIR types write the PC culture climate of the officer corps. It is Complacency.
Nov '10
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
Sisyphus
Elizabeth Dunn:
There, I said it. Anyone who believes that Islam solely functions in this day and age as a set of peaceful religious beliefs should contact Ayaan Hirsi Ali; I'd wager she'd take your call collect.
National security is the # 1 priority. We can and should fill our military ranks with those brave men and women who share our cultural affinities.
There are Muslim patriots in government and military service today. Their opinion of these monsters is no more charitable than yours or mine. Given that some of these patriots provide key translation, interpretation, intelligence, and liaison services, we would be sacrificing thousands of critical resources to avoid the risk of the few. We would be far worse off without these fellow countrymen in service than with them.
This is an excellent point but I think American intelligence services could be more heavily funded to train "natives" for these jobs. I recall reading that it takes up to 12 years to train a CIA agent for Middle Eastern duty and that we lost a lot of time during the Clinton years because of defense cuts.
Jul '10
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
Elizabeth Dunn
...
This is an excellent point but I think American intelligence services could be more heavily funded to train "natives" for these jobs. I recall reading that it takes up to 12 years to train a CIA agent for Middle Eastern duty and that we lost a lot of time during the Clinton years because of defense cuts.
So kick out the ones we've invested up to 12 years of training in? And, frankly, the US has a serious shortage of personnel that can translate or interpret Middle Eastern languages as it is. There are tricky dialect issues everywhere you look, and nobody is taking this stuff in high school. Even special ops, which train by immersion, need that native speaker to jump start their work.
And it's not just the CIA, it's State, it's the DIA, the NSA, DoD, all bidding against oil companies and others in the private sector with similar requirements.
If there were one single, monolithic thing called Islam that embraced all the murderous horror and thuggery I would join the call today for mass deportation. But it isn't that simple, nor in our interests to do so.
Jul '10
Re: AWOL Soldier Arrested In Fort Hood Plot
Aelreth
Competency is not questioned in my opinion, the problem in my is opinion is that the pentagon let Muslim Brotherhood/CAIR types write the PC culture climate of the officer corps. It is Complacency.
It is the briefing culture of Washington. Unless our SESes and top tier GSes have a firm grounding in a topic, what they "know" comes from their official briefings on the topic. Much to the consternation of certain investigators in the FBI, the Bush White House decided that all federal agencies with facing to Muslim populations needed to be briefed on Islam by CAIR, a Hamas front. A lot of us sound the alarm, but gained no traction until CAIR was finally named an unindicted co-conspirator in a charities for terror case in 2008. I don't believe that the Regime, with its bizarre embrace of the Muslim Brotherhood, has done much to provide a corrective.
I think Allen West is top notch because he emerged from that culture unfettered.