Article

2012-06-17 Terror Networks

US-born terror boss Awlaki e-mailed accused Fort Hood gunman

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Posted by trailing wife 2012-06-17 00:00|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top
File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia

#1 Test

Posted by Besoeker 2012-06-17 05:49|| 2012-06-17 05:49|| Front Page Top

#2 Anwar al Awlaki's communications with MAJ Hasan were investigated by the San Diego field office of the FBI's JTTF for an as yet unspecified period of time, but generally referred to as "years". This is a "blame game" between the Field Office and the Bureau in Washington, and quite likely a very shabby administration and DOJ cover up. Most will recall, whilst the principal was the subject of a lengthy investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the administration was initially reluctant to classify the Fort Hood shooting as an act of terrorism.

California was one of six states to initially test the DHS Homeland Security Information System-Intel(HSIN-Intel) pilot, which allows fusion centers to directly share classified information to identify trends and patterns that may represent links to terrorism. San Diego and L.A. use the Intelligence & Terrorism Alert Network for Southern California (TITAN), which is an info and sharing initiative owned and operated by the California JTTF.

The notion that for years no one in the San Diego JTTF permitted Anwar al Awlaki and MAJ Nidal Hasan intelligence collection to be TITAN fused and shared with DoD is quite difficult if not impossible to fatham. What we do know is that al Awlaki was killed by a CIA/JSOC drone strike in Sept of 2011, and is no longer available to testify or provide additional information.

The 40-year-old al-Awlaki had been in the U.S. crosshairs since his killing was approved by President Obama in April 2010, making him the first American placed on the CIA "kill or capture" list. The shooting at Fort Hood took place on 5 Nov 2009. Again, Anwar Al Awlaki was pushed to the top of the "drone zap" list and was killed in Sept of 2011. Evidently further exploitation of Anwar Al Awlaki's extensive network of terrorist contacts was no longer desired.

Quite obviously, MAJ Hasan was a valuable intelligence source and link to Anwar Al Awlaki and his followers. Permitting MAJ Hasan to graduate from terrorism sympathizer to terrorist operator could have been prevented through his detention on any number of illegal activities not the least of which, encouring Muslims via his web site, to kill US soldiers. Unfortunately, this apparent failed source operation resulted 13 soldiers paying the ultimate price and another 30 being seriously wounded.

At least in my view, in the category of botched US intelligence operations, the MAJ Hasan case leads the pack. The death of Anwar Al Awlaki however, provided the opportunity for a total cock-up to be transformed into a terrorism head-count victory. A victory for some anyway.

Posted by Besoeker 2012-06-17 05:54|| 2012-06-17 05:54|| Front Page Top

#3 A useful analysis, well written. Thank you, Besoeker.

Posted by trailing wife 2012-06-17 09:18|| 2012-06-17 09:18|| Front Page Top

#4 I'm sure all he did was encourage office violence - not jihad.

Posted by Hellfish 2012-06-17 13:53|| 2012-06-17 13:53|| Front Page Top

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