Ineffable stupidity. At best.
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/05/philip-mudd-former-deputy-director-of-national-security-fbi-counterterrorist-center-for-the-ciai-don.html
May 08, 2013
Philip Mudd, Former Deputy Director of National Security, FBI & Counterterrorist Center for the CIA: "I don't necessarily think these are real jihadi terrorists. I think they're angry kids"
Philip Mudd is the former Deputy Director of National Security, FBI and the former Deputy Director of Counterterrorist Center for the CIA.
Is it any wonder that we are in the trouble we are in? Expect more bodies blown to bits in American streets with jackasses like the appropriately named Mudd.
The sophistication of the bombs points to training and involvement of others but Mudd says he believes them when they say they acted alone. And in the same breath he then says he doesn't believe them when they say it was jihad ("My judgment is, what they say is not necessarily what I believe"). The reason he doesn't believe them? Because the bomber "doesn't have much of an ideological background." He's a Muslim who went operational -- what more ideological background does he need?
Photograph by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
"I don't necessarily think these are real jihadi terrorists. I think they're angry kids."
Q&A Charlie Rose Talks to Philip Mudd Business Week, April 26, 2013, Business Week, thanks to Shy Guy
What's your initial take on these two brothers, what they did, the connection to where they came from?
I take the younger kid's word [that they acted alone], not because of what he says but because I look at the characteristics of the event, where you have a kid who didn't try to hide himself in front of surveillance cameras. They didn't seem to have an after-action plan. They picked about the softest target you could find in Boston. If they had an operational linkage back home, I can't figure out what kind of capabilities it offered them. The other thing is, if you bookend this from where we started 12 years ago, you had 19 guys and an organization that had ideology. It had fundraisers. It had trainers. It had bin Laden. It had three years of planning to take down all those aircraft.
What does that tell you? What's between those bookends?
It's telling us that we went from ideologically motivated people who had a whole architecture to build global terrorism to two brothers who could do a basic attack and then went to a party afterwards.
And told people they'd done it.
That wasn't surprising. That is, both with formal terrorist organizations and with youth like this, it's almost like the event is the thing. It's not what happens after the event. In other words, once you pop the bubble, it's sort of, "All right, we did our thing. Where do we go next?" They often—and it's not just kids who are unorganized—don't know what to do afterwards. That was sort of emblematic of what we've seen in terrorism elsewhere.
What's your judgment on motive?
My judgment is, what they say is not necessarily what I believe. They're going to talk about a broader jihadi goal, which is evidently what the younger brother says. I'm suspicious about this. The reason is, first, he doesn't have much of an ideological background. Second, these kids know they've done something heinous. They want to explain that they did it for a higher good. I think in some ways the explanation is much simpler, especially if you contrast it to what we saw with ideologically motivated terrorists 12 years ago. And that is, two kids are pissed off. They may be disenfranchised. They may have had a bad experience at school. They may not have friends, and they say, "Look, we want to do something." This tactic of terrorism is a tactic of the 21st century. I don't necessarily think these are real jihadi terrorists. I think they're angry kids.
Angry at what?
Angry, for example, at their inability to find a place in American culture. Angry maybe that they don't have great friends. They may have some vague religious notions. Psychologically, this has characteristics of Columbine as much as characteristics of al-Qaeda. One quick point on that: The first al-Qaeda guys we had at CIA detention centers were ideologues. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah, they were very smart guys who had built up an understanding of what they wanted to do that was intellectual. And they were flavored with emotion. Over the course of 12 years, with homegrowns like these kids, you have emotionally driven kids who have just a flavor of ideology. That really is a fundamental shift in the war on terror.
So what's more dangerous for us: people who are organized or those like these two brothers?
Al-Qaeda's more dangerous strategically … because of that massive organization. It also gives you a tremendous vulnerability. By contrast, these guys, like we saw in Boston, are less of a strategic threat, but think about the challenges for somebody like me in finding vulnerabilities between two brothers who are talking in one apartment. Where am I supposed to find an edge that will allow me to identify them? That's pretty tough.
But there were warnings here, right?
You've got to do an after-action. Regardless of what Congress says, was there an intelligence failure? Any professional is going to sit down and say, "OK, I want to see this charted on a timeline from A to Z. In a reasonable world, where we have limited resources, was there something different to do?"
What's your response to those saying that the war on terror has recruited more jihadists than it's stopped?
Let me ask them one question: If that's the case, where are all these dudes? Sept. 12, 2001, you sit down and say, "The most significant attacks in the next 12 years are two young people in Boston who don't have an al-Qaeda affiliation, and one shooter, Major Hasan in Texas at a military base, who had an episodic e-mail contact with a radicalizer in Yemen." I'd say, "Are you kidding me? No way."
Really? pWhat about the plot by a jihadist to plead guilty in plot to bomb NY Federal Reserve, the jihadi attack on a church Easter Sunday in March, the Muslim charged with jihad in New York, muslim gets ten years for plotting to blow up NY synagogues and slaughter Jews, a Washington Muslim convert who has stated his "willingness to die for Islam" stabs two people after discussion of religion, the Oregon Muslim charged with assisting homicide bomber who killed 30, the Florida Imam Hafiz Khan guilty in terror case, Yusuf Ibrahim, a 27-year-old Egyptian immigrant who on Feb. 5 allegedly beheaded two Coptic Christians living in New Jersey, Ali Syed, a 20-year-old Muslim who allegedly randomly killed three people in Southern California on Feb. 18 before killing himself, Ammar Asim Faruq Harris, a 26-year-old reported black Muslim convert who on Feb. 21 is said to have killed three people in Las Vegas, the Muslim who forced daughter into arranged marriage suspected in murders of relatives who helped her escape, the jihadist who tried to blow up the Oakland Bank of America, the NY Muslim arrested for series of 20 bomb threats, the Oregon Muslim who tried to detonate an 1,800 bomb at a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony targeting 25,000 families (check out his jihad tape), the Chicago Muslim who got 35 years for Mumbai jihad slaughter, the three NY Muslims charged with training to be jihad-martyrdom suicide bombers, the Florida Muslim planned to blow up NYC landmark, the Chicago Muslim gets ten years in prison for jihad plot, the Alabama Muslims arrested on terror charges, plotted to wage jihad in Africa, the Texas jihadi bomber Who was one chemical Away from building a bomb, the Muslim arrested for bombing Arizona Social Security office with IED, the two Florida Muslim brothers arrested on jihad charges "to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives) against persons and property within the United States", the four California Muslims arrested in plot to wage 'violent jihad' on America: plotting to kill Americans, bomb government facilities and public place, the Massachusetts Muslim who got 17 years for jihad plot to blow up Pentagon and US Capitol, a former U.S. soldier charged with conspiring to use destructive device while fighting with Al Qa'ida affiliated group in Syria, Ahmed Warsame pled guilty in NY for providing material support to al-Shabaab and AQAP, Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif sentenced for plot to attack Seattle military processing center, Abdel Hameed Shehadeh convicted of false statements in terror case, Al Shabaab's Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed sentenced in SDNY to 111 months for conspiring to support and receive military-type training from a FTO, Federal grand jury probing double-murder in Pakistan - may have been ordered by NYC cabbie, the Texas Muslim arrested with fake military ID, weapons, access to chemical agents, the US Muslim Teen arrested in jihad bomb plot using weapons of mass destruction, targets included military recruiting centers, bars, malls, and other tourist attractions in Chicago, the "Active" terror plots linked to Iran, Hizballah in Los Angeles area,the Florida Muslim pleads guilty to terror plot to kill high ranking US military brass, the Muslim soldier who got a life sentence for second Fort Hood jihad plot, the Chicago Muslim homicide bomber that plead guilty, and of course the Muslim accused in US bomb plots including dams, nuclear plants and home of President Bush: "Time for Jihad", the Queens NY Muslim convicted of plotting to wage jihad on New York City, the Chicago Muslim who pled guilty to Wrigleyville bomb plot, the Massachussets Muslim who lived a double life," appearing as a "dutiful and scholarly young man" to his family and community, but in reality, he "was a proponent of violence as a means of achieving political Islamic goals" -and conspired to help Al Qaeda, the NYC Muslim centenced to 27 Years, convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and other charges in the cause of jihad, the Muslim homicide Bomber arrested on his way to blow up one of our nation's most symbolic landmarks, caught after leaving mosque,m the Muslim charged with the attempted car bombing in Florida, the American Muslim Pleads Guilty in Bomb Plot of Maryland Military Recruiting Center, the convicted North Carolina jihadist accused of plotting to behead witnesses, the Colorado Muslim arrested on Islamic terror charges, the American Muslim: who went from US boarding school to Al Qaeda homicide bomber, the Alabama Muslim who staged a shootout with cops "to draw attention to Islam"
(there's more, much more here -- scroll) and these:
BROOKLYN BRIDGE Iyman Faris, a U.S.-based, al Qaeda operative, planned to cut the bridge's support cables but was deterred, in part, by the NYPD's 24-hour coverage of the bridge. Faris sent al Qaeda leaders a coded message that, "the weather is too hot," indicating he could not carry out the mission. He was arrested in 2003, pleaded guilty and sentenced to federal prison.
SUBWAY CYANIDE - A plot to disperse cyanide gas in the subway system was called off at the last minute by Iyman Zawahiri for what he said was "something bigger."
NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE & CITIGROUP HEADQUARTERS - Al Qaeda plot to use vehicles to bomb the New York Stock Exchange, Citibank, and other financial institutions. NYPD tactical teams were deployed to high-threat locations, and vehicle inspections were increased in response. Dhiren Barot/Issa al-Hindi, an associate of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, pleaded guilty in 2006.
GARMENT DISTRICT PLOT The NYPD and FBI arrested Uzair Paracha for material support of terrorism in New York based on intelligence developed overseas. Paracha is reported to have discussed with top al Qaeda leaders the prospect of smuggling weapons and explosives possibly even a nuclear deviceinto Manhattan's Garment District through his father's import-export business.
HERALD SQUARE SUBWAY STATION An NYPD undercover officer helped disrupt a 2004 plot to bomb the Herald Square subway station by lone-wolf admirers of Al Qaeda. Shahawar Matin Siraj and James Elshafay conspired to blow up the 34th Street subway station, including surveilling the subway station, choosing the location for their bombs, and diagramming entrances and exits.
PATH TRAIN and WTC RETAINING WALL A multi-agency investigation disrupted a plot to attack NYC's underground transit link with New Jersey in 2006. Law enforcement monitoring international chat rooms discovered suspects' plan to destroy a PATH train tunnel and the retaining wall at Ground Zero, to flood the New York Financial District. The main operative was taken into custody in Lebanon and admitted to plotting the attack.
JFK AIRPORT/BUCKEYE PIPELINE - Al Qaeda sympathizers plotted to bomb the fuel tanks and pipeline at John F. Kennedy Airport, through which jet fuel is transported from New Jersey through Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens. Four suspects were arrested in New York and Trinidad in 2007; three were later sentenced to life in prison.
TRANSATLANTIC PLOT A British-based plot to destroy seven commercial aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean or fly one or more of them into East Coast targets including New York City resulted in multiple arrests in London.
LONG ISLAND RAILROAD - A plot to bomb a Manhattan-bound LIRR commuter train was discussed at the highest levels of al Qaeda operational leadership. See Bryant Neal Vinas, of Long Island.
BRONX SYNAGOGUES Disrupted in May 2009, the Riverdale plot targeted two Jewish centersa synagogue and a Jewish community centerin the Bronx, and Stewart Air Base in Newburgh, NY. The NYPD and FBI arrested four men who were convicted in 2010.
NYC SUBWAY & TRANSIT HUBS - In September 2009, Najibullah Zazi and others planned a series of coordinated suicide bombings of NYC subway transit hubs at rush hour.
TIMES SQUARE Faisal Shahzad attempted on May 1, 2010 to detonate a bomb inside an SUV parked in Times Square on a busy Saturday night.
MANHATTAN SYNAGOGUE - The NYPD disrupted a plot by two Queens men, Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh, to bomb a synagogue in Manhattan in May 2011.
JOSE PIMENTEL - Muslim convert Jose Pimentel was arrested in November 2011 in Manhattan as he constructed bombs and plotted to killer soldiers returning home to New York from Afghanistan and Iraq. He had followed instructions in an article from Al Qaeda's English-language magazine "Inspire" on "How to Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom."
JESSE MORTON; REVOLUTION MUSLIM: The case of Jesse Morton, a New York City-based Muslim convert, resulted from NYPD monitoring, combined with the investigative and prosecutorial expertise of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Virginia. Morton was apprehended in Morocco and pleaded guilty in Feb. 2012 to soliciting murder and encouraging violence via the Internet; Morton was sentenced in June to 138 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, for using his position as a leader of the "Revolution Muslim" organization's internet sites to conspire to solicit murder and encourage violent extremism. His partner Zachary Chesser was sentenced for providing material support to al Shabaab, communicating threats and soliciting acts of extremism, including against the creators of South Park. Chesser and Morton were associates of Mohamed Alessa and Carlos Almonte, two New Jersey men who pleaded guilty in March 2011 to conspiring to murder individuals overseas on behalf of a foreign terrorist group.
Comments
Debi Brand said...
Ineffable stupidity. At best.
Thursday, May 09, 2013 at 12:18 AM
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