By Micah Halpern
Monday November 29, 2010
I've Been Thinking:
About: the Foiled Portland Terror Plot
aka a non-event turned into a successful publicity stunt for the Feds
The whole story highlights and is emblematic of some of the biggest problems with counter terror:
Was it important that they found, caught and arrested this 19 year old potential terrorist?
Certainly.
But ...
Like in so many cases, the "terrorist" had the bomb because the feds provided him with a bomb.
Yes ...
He had the will to murder masses, but had no ability and no technical skills to garner the money or the means to perpetrate an attack on his own.
I am not suggesting that he was entrapped.
But ...
If I was his lawyer, that would be my strategy - there would not have been any potential terror planned, had the Feds not provided the "terrorist" with all the necessary accoutrements to plan an attack.
The most important part of any terror bust is to find the connections to bigger fish and future cells - to get leads to controllers and operators outside the country and their links and organizations here at home.
This bust shows the dangers of the lone wolf and the intelligence limitations of the lone wolf. We have gained nothing other taking a would be killer off the streets on an attempted mass murder charge.
Plastering the story on the front pages does help raise awareness.
In other words, this was a non-event and a successful publicity stunt for the feds.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=halpern%2C+micah
I've Been Thinking:
About: the Foiled Portland Terror Plot
aka a non-event turned into a successful publicity stunt for the Feds
The whole story highlights and is emblematic of some of the biggest problems with counter terror:
Was it important that they found, caught and arrested this 19 year old potential terrorist?
Certainly.
But ...
Like in so many cases, the "terrorist" had the bomb because the feds provided him with a bomb.
Yes ...
He had the will to murder masses, but had no ability and no technical skills to garner the money or the means to perpetrate an attack on his own.
I am not suggesting that he was entrapped.
But ...
If I was his lawyer, that would be my strategy - there would not have been any potential terror planned, had the Feds not provided the "terrorist" with all the necessary accoutrements to plan an attack.
The most important part of any terror bust is to find the connections to bigger fish and future cells - to get leads to controllers and operators outside the country and their links and organizations here at home.
This bust shows the dangers of the lone wolf and the intelligence limitations of the lone wolf. We have gained nothing other taking a would be killer off the streets on an attempted mass murder charge.
Plastering the story on the front pages does help raise awareness.
In other words, this was a non-event and a successful publicity stunt for the feds.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=halpern%2C+micah
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