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Dr. Walid Phares
First Jihadi Cell of 2009 Busted In the US: What
Does It Mean?
May 26, 2009
A successful counter-terrorism operation led by the
FBI and the New York City Police Department ended
with the arrest of four New York City men in
connection with plots to bomb Jewish synagogues and
gun down military planes in upstate areas.
According to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly the
suspects, identified as James Cromitie, David
Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen allegedly
"wanted to commit jihad.” A first reading of the
material made available by authorities and
statements issued by officials help us ask several
questions and raise a number of points for debate.
A Victory for Law Enforcement
The first thing to acknowledge is the success of the
operation conducted by the counter-terrorism
agencies to stop a "jihadi” attack against the
country.
According to the Associated Press, the arrests came
following a nearly yearlong undercover operation
that began in Newburgh, N.Y., roughly 70 miles north
of New York City. The patience, professionalism and
sophistication of the law enforcement procedures in
engaging the "cell” until it is trapped tell us that
the first lines of defense are efficient. Since the
9/11 attacks the New York task forces have been able
to arrest suspects in a number of plots including
against the Fort Dix New Jersey military base, John
F. Kennedy Airport, the Herald Square subway station
in Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.
This leads us to realize that in fact both New York
and the nation have been attacked but the shield has
worked well, so far. The dismantling of the first
cell of 2009 is certainly good news and an
additional victory to be credited to the
counter-terrorism units but it should be a stark
reminder that we –- as a nation — are still under
attack, eight years after the September 11
massacres. And if we are under attack, it only means
that we are still at war, a real one, not a
"man-made disaster.”
New York Targeted?
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said rightly so that the
alleged plot shows "that the homeland security
threats against New York City are sadly all too real
and underscores why we must remain vigilant in our
efforts to prevent terrorism.” However, even though
the Big Apple (and the NY state) seems to get the
largest share in Jihadi terror attempts, we need to
remember that the United States as a whole is really
targeted and our guards must not let go elsewhere.
The radical forces we’re confronting worldwide and
the ideology that is behind the attacks do not have
a private feud with the city of New York, but their
penetration of the largest metropolitan area of
America happens to be the greatest.
Jewish Targets?
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters
outside the Bronx temple that one of the men said,
"If Jews were killed in this attack … that would be
all right.” Undoubtedly American Jewish target are
of prime choice to the Jihadi terrorists, homegrown
or infiltrated. With the extreme anti-Semitic
material the terror propaganda machine is producing,
the brainwashing of recruits against anything Jewish
is only the logical result. This is additional
evidence that the war of ideas waged by the
propagandists on TV and online is inherent to the
terror campaigns against civil societies. Where
would the four terror apprentices get the scheme
that destroying Jewish temples and killing faithful
is "all right”? Well, from the ideologue who is
writing or speaking to them via the networks. But
let’s be attentive to the scope of targeting. Even
if this plot was sensationally aimed at Jewish
targets, military planes were to be shut down and
civilians were to be killed indiscriminately. The
Jihadi guidelines are against all Americans, from
all creeds. Al Qaeda, the Taliban and their allies
have decreed the "duty to massacre up to four
million Americans.” So far, we haven’t heard of a
counter order yet from these folks. The orders are
still on. Mayor Bloomberg, who stressed that
Riverdale Temple "is open to people of all faiths,
including a Muslim girl who sometimes pray there,
warned against stereotypes. Bloomberg, Kelly and
other city leaders met privately with congregants
early Thursday to alleviate security concerns. Sadly
NY officials should not be too worried about the
so-called sectarian back clash. First, Americans are
by now well aware of the difference between
Jihadists and common Muslims. Second, the Jihadists
have targeted Muslims in huge numbers around the
world. Unfortunately every day this year a Jihadi
terror action is killing at least one member of a
Muslim country. Interfaith is not what worries the
perpetrators.
Who Are These Terrorists?
NBC New York aired underscored that the four men are
Muslim, all citizens and one of Haitian descent.
Being Muslim is not the issue here. The problem is
that they are "Jihadists” and US citizens at the
same time: Which means that we’re dealing with what
many calls homegrown terror cell. As I warned in my
book Future Jihad, the type of cells we have been
witnessing and will unfortunately see for a while is
mutating with time. They can be of all ethnic
backgrounds and their knowledge of faith and
ideology can also be at different levels. But one
common ground to all: They have been touched at some
point by an "ideology” which we have been warning
about. Note that original nationality is also
exploding the stereotype: Haitian, Albanian, Asian,
African, European, Middle Eastern, etc.
Motives: Be careful How You Detect Them
According to a criminal complaint, "Cromitie began
working with an FBI informant in June 2008 when he
told the official that his parents has lived in
Afghanistan and that he was upset with the ongoing
war there, including the deaths of many Muslim in
Afghanistan and Pakistan by U.S. military forces.”
Compare this statement with many statements made by
previously stopped cells: they are the same, almost
to the word. They are produced by the same
"ideological war room.” Cromitie didn’t mention the
killing of more Muslims by the Taliban, al Qaeda and
the likes. Same goes for all previous arrests. Isn’t
it interesting? We need to be careful and not buy
the propaganda served by the alleged terrorists but
at the same time we need not to be naïve. NBC NY for
example said "the motives behind the alleged plot
are not yet known, but authorities said that
Cromitie was apparently upset over the war in
Afghanistan.” After eight years of conflict with the
Jihadists and dozens of cells dismantled, their
literature reviewed there is no question about
"motives.” It is a war, and in each one of its
attack, there is the overarching motive, ie, the
ideology.
Urban Jihad
From all what we know relating to the previously
stopped plots in the Fort Dix, Virginia Paintball,
Miami Sears Tower group, Oregon training and much
more, and in light of what we witnessed in Mumbai
few months ago, we need to realize that the
developing trend and the threats to come will most
likely look like a combination of all the above. It
is an urban Jihad, as I described it as of 2005.
The Bottom Line
These arrests, added to all previous arrests tell us
one thing: The Jihadists are still at war with
America and all other democracies. They haven’t
stopped, they will continue to try, citizens or not,
of all ethnic background, united under one ideology,
protected by our Laws and taking full advantage of
our wrong debate on national security. If we don’t
see them as an "army” spreading across the country
and if we do not educate our public as much as
needed about them, one day and despite the bravery
of our law enforcement people, one cell will not be
stopped. Hopefully that day won’t come. |
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