The risk of making terrorism a criminal matter

We are a nation at war. The near bombing of Northwest 253 on Christmas day serves as a stark reminder that this is not some foreign conflict, but rather one that essentially contains many fronts that all arrive on our streets eventually. It is the men and women in law enforcement and the intelligence community that are tasked with a difficult duty of allowing no margin for error. As witnessed in the Christmas day incident, it took just one lapse in the system to jeopardize the lives of nearly 300 people aboard that plane.


We face an enemy that is by all standards, an anomaly. Without an Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida will still live on. Without Al-Qaida, the war against jihadists will still remain. There is no domino effect in this to eliminate the motivations of this enemy.


While the intelligence community is under scrutiny for its shortcomings with the Christmas day plot, there is a much greater vulnerability in our system that is inadequate at handling terrorism cases. With the Obama administration's move to put terrorists like Abdulmutallab or Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in American courtrooms, the natural pattern will be that they will end up in American jails eventually. This ultimately may benefit the spread of the jihadists and will most certainly place severe strains on the corrections system.


One does not need to look far to see the impacts of housing jihadists among general population prisons. In the UK, a study by the Quilliam Foundation found severe lapses inside jails that housed radical Islamists. Among those listed:

"Prominent pro Al-Qaida ideologues such as Abu Qatada have been able to smuggle messages out of prison to their supporters"

"In 2008 and 2009, two of the most prominent Arab jihadists imprisoned in the UK released pro-jihadist propaganda and fatwas from within Long Lartin prison"

"..a leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, produced written pro-jihadist tracts from within prison aiming to refute criticism of Al-Qaida, while Abu Qatada issued fatwas from within prison which legitimised jihadist attacks worldwide"


In 2006, Belmarsh jail in the UK was reportedly "taken over" by a Muslim gang called "The Muslim Boys." The group reportedly attacked those who failed to convert to Islam with everything from hot water to razor blades attached to brushes. Guards also fell victim to attacks during the group's weekly "religious meetings." At the services being held, guards sat idly by not understanding a word said by Al-Qaida members housed in the jail. There was significant concern that the group may have been capable of using such a time to discuss plots. One official stated,

"We can't even tape the service and get it translated because it is against human rights. It's frightening."

At a separate prison, Whitemoor, a similar report in May 2008 found almost identical concerns amongst staff who reported that the nearly 200 Muslim prisoners had become "more of a gang than a religious group." Both reports addressed fears that jihadists housed inside the facilities were actively recruiting members from within the prison population.


The simple fact is that prisons are made up of a diverse community that are all commonly linked by their criminality. The potential to exploit anger of a common criminal towards the American justice system by a jihadist remains. If these people enter back on the streets after being indoctrinated with a hatred for a government that put them in a jail and a belief that Islam calls for them to wage jihad on America, we are adding to the enemy rather than containing it. This is not a question of denying people rights, but rather doing what is best to stop the spread of radical Islam. By treating jihadists as separate militants and isolating them from a general population, we are eliminating their potential to breed more militants. Without containment the jobs of all those involved in the fight on terrorism expands even greater, allowing the potential for more Abdulmutallabs to slip through the cracks.

What should be noted about the failed Christmas Day attack

As the media continues into day three of its coverage of trying to find somebody to blame for the Christmas Day attempt on the Northwest Airlines flight, this finally has showed us how vulnerable we still are. This is not something that was a result of a new administration over the next twelve months, but rather an exploitation of where our Homeland Security Department is lacking. Had the bomb worked and passengers not been able to bring down Abdulmutallab, this attack would have been successful. Nowhere in that equation did the Homeland Security Department factor into stopping it until the pilot landed the plane.


What should be shown is just like with the Fort Hood shootings, the databases that we have are not serving any real purchase by placing suspect individuals into three categories. Major Hasan was disqualified because he exceeded the age parameters set by DHS that is based from the 20-30 year-old age range of the 9/11 attackers. In the case of Abdulmutallab, he was in one of the databases for possibly having suspect contacts, but apparently was not investigated further.


Ironically the highest threat level category is for those who travel to Pakistan or other countries where they could potentially receive training. In the age of Youtube and self-indoctrination, our classification system with these databases is outdated and as with all of our security measures, created as a reaction and not a preemptive intervention. If these are two individuals who can slip past our intelligence, how many more are out there?


The other factor in this attack is how Abdulmutallab was treated at the airport. With DHS money flowing to big cities like New York and Los Angeles, smaller cities are sometimes the last to receive advanced training and funding in DHS programs. Abdulmutallab had significant aspects of concern that should have been recognized beginning at the ticket counter. Why should a person making a nearly 8,000 mile trip travel with only a carry-on bag? The TSA has trained individuals who are meant to blend in at airports and spot potential red flags, however this did not factor in at all with this international flight.


Furthermore, the suspect's father voluntarily came into the U.S. embassy to warn that his son had been out of touch with him and he feared his connections. Apparently, this information did not get used to further investigate Abdulmutallab's travels and contacts and discern whether he was indeed a threat. Ultimately, his visa status was never questioned and he obviously was allowed to get on a plane to enter the U.S.


What the media is finally beginning to discuss is Abdulmutallab's background. The son of a wealthy Nigerian family, he lived a very privileged life. He had generous aspects to him, reportedly giving money to an orphanage rather than buy souvenirs on a class field trip to London. This incident verifies that economic status does not drive someone to jihad. It is their hatred for a way of life that the West believes in, where there are freedoms afforded in every aspect of life.


The enemy we are fighting should be taken seriously, it is not a group of insane schizophrenics. They are skilled fighters who train similar to militaries and are prepared to fight for their religion. The Islam they fight for they have perverted and it is essential that we understand that Muslims are not violent, but there are those present who seek to do harm. Examining a person with suspect ties is not a crime, and we need to be more aggressive in pushing the DHS out of the era of political correctness. Whenever anyone comes forward with information regarding terrorism, they should be taken seriously just as any local police force would take involving a criminal investigation. Greater standards need to be in place to categorize the individuals inside the present database system and make sure that information is continuously collected to either exonerate or elevate a person's presence on such a list.