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D.C. Muslims rejected by al-Qaida due to lack of references.
Five young American Muslims arrested in Pakistan met with representatives of an al-Qaida-linked group and asked for training but were turned down because they lacked references from trusted militants, a Pakistani law enforcement official said Thursday. You're from Washington D.C. and you're here to help? Stand over there please. Another senior officer said the men wanted to fight jihad, or holy war, in northwestern Pakistan and against American troops in Afghanistan. A common theme, always ask for references. They could be CIA or Xe. The young men apparently first tried to contact jihadist groups through Facebook and YouTube, then traveled to Pakistan to attempt personal meetings, a Pakistani diplomat in Washington said. The case is another worrisome sign that Americans may be susceptible to recruitment to terrorist networks from within the United States. It comes on the heels of charges against a Chicago man accused of plotting international terrorism. Yet in contrast to the Chicago case, police say the five Americans captured in Pakistan failed to catch on with any terror network, and succeeded only in raising suspicions among locals, who reported them to Pakistani police. U.S. officials in Pakistan have now visited the men in custody. Their disappearance from the Washington, D.C, area late last month -- with one of them leaving behind a militaristic farewell video saying Muslims must be defended -- prompted a frantic search by friends and family and an investigation by worried counterterrorism officials. More at the link. Posted by: Besoeker 2009-12-11 |
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