The details of the case have been reported on in detail. The plot centers around Daniel Patrick Boyd (AKA ‘Saifullah’ or Sword of God), a Muslim convert and veteran mujahid of the Soviet-Afghan War. Allegedly, over the past 3 years he recruited this group of men, which included two of his sons.
What bothers me is this quote from AG Eric Holder (courtesy Reuters): ‘The constant scream of threats, the kind of things you have to be aware about, the whole notion of radicalization is something that didn’t loom as large a few months ago … as it does now.’
There is this notion in the popular discourse in the US that radicalization is a new problem for America – that it is something that had been confined to the Islamic world and Europe up until recently. But radicalization in the US has been a constant for years.
This current cell has a number of similarities with the so-called Virginia Paintball Jihad network, a group of Muslim-Americans (including some US military veterans), who convened under the spiritual leadership of Virginia imam Ali al-Timimi after 9/11 and agreed to join with the Taliban abroad to fight the impending American invasion.
There have been numerous plots since, some involving Muslim-Americans seeking to launch attacks abroad and others at home: the Lackawanna Six, Lodi, Omar Ahmed Abu Ali, Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh, the JFK plot, the Fort Dix plot, I could go on…
I understand this NC plot, the Bronx plot, and al Shabbab recruiting in Minnesota have made an impression on Mr. Holder, but how is this something that did not loom as large a few months ago?
This plot fits right in with a pattern we have seen for nearly a decade and I am disappointed our Attorney General is not familiar with what the FBI and Justice Department were up to before his appointment.