Terrorism Arrests In New York

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May 20 2009, 10:52 pm by Marc Ambinder

On the eve of his first major speech about national security policy, the first new major terrorist case of Barack Obama's administration is foiled. The arrested men claim to have a connection to Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Pakistani terror group that has focused mainly on attacks against India and operates mainly in Kashmir. The FBI has been on the case for a year; the suspects seem like serious bad guys. Read the criminal complaint here:
Arrests.pdf

Comments (3)

Elrod May 21, 2009 12:46 AM

Actually, the suspects seem like homegrown dopes and Jaish Mohammed wannabes. The FBI was tracking them the whole time and set them up with a sting operation, using a fake bomb. It looks like a great victory for the Obama Administration, but these guys just weren't all that major of a threat.

HankNY May 21, 2009 1:24 AM

I completely agree.

From the NY Times:

"A federal law enforcement official described the plot as “aspirational” — meaning that the suspects wanted to do something but had no weapons or explosives — and described the operation as a sting with a cooperator within the group.

“It was fully controlled at all times,” a law enforcement official said."

Let's just hope we uphold the Constitution this time.

Charge them, give them lawyers, prosecute them in public. If convicted, may they suffer the harshest legal punishment.

jb (Replying to: HankNY) May 21, 2009 2:24 PM

Well it is only a victory for the Obama Administration in that it ended under his watch...but the operation began under the Bush Administration.

As this is a domestic activity, with US citizens acting inside the borders of the US the rules are very clear. It isn't quite so clear with regards to the rules in the Middle East...but trust me, non-domestic terrorists do NOT have protection under the US Constitution.