May 12, 2009

Guilty! Five Convicted in Sear's Tower Plot

After two mistrials, five of the six Florida men involved in a conspiracy to blow up the Sear's Tower have been convicted. ChiTrib:

Ringleader Narseal Batiste, 35, was the only one convicted of all four terrorism-related conspiracy counts, including plotting to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to wage war against the U.S. Batiste, who was on the vast majority of hundreds of FBI audio and video tapes, faces up to 70 years in prison.

Batiste's right-hand man, 29-year-old Patrick Abraham, was convicted on three counts and faces 50 years behind bars. Convicted on two counts and facing 30 years are 24-year-old Burson Augustin, 25-year-old Rotschild Augustine and 33-year-old Stanley Grant Phanor. Naudimar Herrera, 25, was cleared of all four charges.

And since prosecutors at all levels are reluctant to push for indictments against those they think will probably walk, this would then send a signal to the FBI and local law enforcement not to arrest would-be terrorists since they also do not want to waste valuable resources arresting people who won't be convicted.

I don't know if the ring of Miami Muslim wannabe terrorists were serious about wanting to inflict mass casualties. They may even be telling the truth when they claim they would never have carried out their plans. Nevertheless, if 9/11 taught us anything it is that we cannot and must not wait until the actual attack happens to respond. By then, it's too late.

Much of my criticism of the Left's preferred law enforcement model of counter-terrorism comes from the fact that the vast majority of law enforcement is reactive rather than proactive. If the law enforcement model is to have any chance of preventing terrorist attacks by homegrown jihadis then it is essential that juries convict on conspiracy charges.

In the post 9/11 world such plots must be nipped in the bud long before they ever come to fruition. And for that, any discussion about blowing up the infidel or pledging allegiance to Osama bin Laden -- as Batiste and his group did -- not followed by some serious chuckling or just kidding, bad sarcasm, my bad should be considered enough for an arrest, speedy trial, and a stint in a federal pound-me-in-the-ass facility.