A nice "stockade stuffer" for the U.S. government, just in time for the holidays. From CBN News:
CAMDEN, N.J. -- Five Muslim immigrants were convicted Monday of plotting to massacre U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix in a case that tested the FBI's post-Sept. 11 strategy of infiltrating and breaking up terrorist conspiracies in their earliest stages.
The men could get life in prison when they are sentenced in April.
The five, who lived in and around Philadelphia for years, were found guilty of conspiring to kill U.S. military personnel. But they were acquitted of attempted murder, after prosecutors acknowledged the men were probably months away from an attack and did not necessarily have a specific plan. Four defendants were also convicted of weapons charges.
This case is important for three reasons. 1) A major and imminent attack was stopped by authorities in the planning stages, before it became operational. 2) Prosecutors were able to score a conviction, something that has been difficult at times for the U.S. government in terrorism cases since 9/11. 3) The case proves yet again the danger posed by homegrown Islamic terrorism. Though born abroad, these men spent their formative years in the U.S. Yet despite being exposed to all the freedoms America has to offer, they still became radicalized. They were inspired by the Al Qaeda ideology, but had no direct ties to the group. You can mock them and call them copycats, amateurs, wannabes, whatever. But at the end of the day, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to walk into a shopping mall, yell "Allahu Akhbar," and start firing a rifle at shoppers. Granted, it obviously helps to have a larger force behind you (for funding, guidance and training) if you are scheming to carry out an attack like the one planned on Fort Dix. But deadly intent, a gun and some explosives can get a motivated, committed jihadist a long way as well. By the way, these guys trained for jihad by playing paintball. Where have we heard that before?
Ok, enough about jihad for one day. I can't leave for my mini-Christmas vacation without bringing you some good cheer, too. All of us know and love "Jingle Bells," Silent Night" and "the Little Drummer Boy" (especially the Bowie/Bing Crosby version). But here is my favorite "non-traditional" Christmas tune. The video is extremely grainy, but hey, we're all about gritty authenticity at this blog, so we'll take it. It's got the right amount of attitude, irreverence and fun for this old Philly rocker, and comes from a very underrated band. So enjoy, Merry Christmas, and talk to you all again next week.