Terrorist threat most significant since 9/11/01
Speaking before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee, senior national security officials said that homegrown terrorism in this country is on the rise, as evidenced by a "recent spike" in terrorist cases.
As ABC News points out, in the last 18 months, around 63 Americans have been arrested or convicted of terrorist charges--an extraordinary number. In this news segment Diane Sawyer noted that "The danger is as grave as it has been since September 11th."
At the committee hearing, National Counterterrorism Chief Michael Leiter focused on the intensity of the threat:
During the past year our nation has dealt with the most significant developments in the terrorist threat to the Homeland since 9/11...The attack threats are now more complex, and the diverse array of threats tests our ability to respond, and makes it difficult to predict where the next attack may come.
Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, spoke about the rise of homegrown terrorism.
Homegrown terrorists represent a new and changing facet of the terrorist threat...To be clear, by homegrown, I mean terrorist operatives who are U.S. persons, and who were radicalized in the United States.
And FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III also picked up the theme of homegrown terrorism, saying:
Groups affiliated with al Qaeda are now actively targeting the United States and looking to use Americans or Westerners who are able to remain undetected by heightened security measures...It appears domestic extremism and radicalization appears to have become more pronounced based on the number of disruptions and incidents.
Apparently, al Qaeda will continue to attempt smaller scale attacks in the United States--a la the Times Square and Christmas Day bombers. But, Napolitano warned, "Unlike large-scale, coordinated, catastrophic attacks, executing smaller-scale attacks requires less planning and fewer pre-operational steps...Accordingly, there are fewer opportunities to detect such an attack before it occurs."
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Re: Terrorist threat most significant since 9/11/01
The tergivisations they go through in these news reports to avoid mentioning the word "Islam" are quite extraordinary, aren't they. Count the euphemisms! You know me, I'm the first to say that not all Moslems are terrorists, and I mean that with all my heart. But the utter refusal to say the obvious--these terrorists are all Moslems!--really is just extraordinary. You'd think from the delicacy of the phrasing that we were equally worried about the threat from the Tamil Tigers and the Shining Path.
Aug '10
Re: Terrorist threat most significant since 9/11/01
Gee, what a shock.
We're not allowed to call attacks anything but "man-caused disasters"; Obama doesn't notice a threat, and there's no longer any such thing as IslamoNaziism; the Fort Hood shooting, the Christmas Day bomber, and the Times Square bomber all scored a success in that they showed how easy it is to penetrate the U.S.; and if caught, the killers know they'll get the best attorneys America has to offer. They will probably be tried in public with full media coverage, glitz, and glamor, guaranteeing a worldwide audience for radical Islamists to preach jihad.
It's amazing we haven't yet been hit, and hit hard.
Jul '10
Re: Terrorist threat most significant since 9/11/01
When the attitude of the man on top is that another terrorist attack (by whom he will not say) will make us stronger, it is small wonder that our enemies are emboldened.
Re: Terrorist threat most significant since 9/11/01
Ragnarok, I too was thinking again about that Obama quote, which, as Mollie pointed out, is in Woodward's new book. Here's that quote again:
"We'll do everything we can to prevent it." If you take Napolitano's word, it sounds like it might be impossible to prevent these smaller-scale attacks that al Qaeda and homegrown radicals are planning. And it almost sounded like a disclaimer when she said,
Re: Terrorist threat most significant since 9/11/01
Claire, that's a great point. It reminds of when the US Military issued an 86 page report about the Fort Hood shooting without mentioning Islam even once! Nor did it mention the shooter's name (Nidal Hasan), nor his Muslim faith. Ay caramba....
Re: Terrorist threat most significant since 9/11/01
I'd be curious to know more about the legal debates surrounding the American citizenship of homegrown terrorists--for instance: whether, after they've attempted an attack, they should be afforded the same legal rights as Americans in a court of law.
River: Gee, what a shock.
We're not allowed to call attacks anything but "man-caused disasters"; Obama doesn't notice a threat, and there's no longer any such thing as IslamoNaziism; the Fort Hood shooting, the Christmas Day bomber, and the Times Square bomber all scored a success in that they showed how easy it is to penetrate the U.S.; and if caught, the killers know they'll get the best attorneys America has to offer. They will probably be tried in public with full media coverage, glitz, and glamor, guaranteeing a worldwide audience for radical Islamists to preach jihad.
It's amazing we haven't yet been hit, and hit hard. · Sep 23 at 6:00am