December 03, 2009
DHS: al Qaeda in US, Preparing Attacks
Wow, the fact that Napolitano said this out loud makes me wonder if I've been too cautious in my own assessments of Islamist intentions and capabilities in the US?
Politically there's no upside for the administration to admit that the threat of a domestic terror attack is a real possibility. That's a losing issue for Democrats. Always has been, always will.
So, if there's even the smallest bit of doubt that an act of violence wasn't motivated by jihad you will see them jump on it. Recall how every one was grasping at even the most illusory of straws in the hope that Nidal Hasan wasn't motivated to kill by jihad tendencies. Perhaps the best of this lot being the pre-post-traumatic stress syndrome theory.
If they are now admitting we have a serious problem among some segment of our own population then I'm inclined to believe that it is worse. Much worse.
I'll send you to Jihad Watch with this teaser:
Al-Qaeda followers are inside the United States and would like to attack targets here and in other countries, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday night. ...Ouch."The fact is that home-based terrorism is here. And like violent extremism abroad, it is now part of the threat picture that we must confront," Napolitano said. "Individuals sympathetic to al-Qaeda and its affiliates, as well as those inspired by their ideology, are present in the U.S., and would like to attack the homeland or plot overseas attacks against our interests abroad."
But how bad is it? Not only are domestic terrorists plotting against targets within the US, but they are now using their freedom here to plot against targets abroad.
Consider once again the case of David Headley, the Chicago man indicted for plotting revenge for the Mohammad cartoons by attacking the Danish headquarters of the newspaper that first printed them. Even worse, there is substantial evidence now linking Headley to last year's Mumbai bombings.
