Social media snags 4 U.S. residents allegedly supporting Taliban

The FBI has arrested 4 men who allegedly were planning on attacking Americans in support of jihadists.

These folks were using social media (facebook) to post radical video/audio files, according to the FBI.

They were apprehended after 3 of the suspects sold personal belongings and bought airline tickets to travel from Mexico City to Istanbul, Turkey, on November 18. Their final destination was Afghanistan according to the FBI.

www.cnn.com

Jihadist social media postings helped lead to the arrest and charging of four Los Angeles area men, who were allegedly on their way to Afghanistan to train with the Taliban and join al Qaeda, federal officials said.
They were also plotting to kill American soldiers and bomb government installations, according to a joint statement Monday by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles.
One of the men, a U.S. citizen born in Afghanistan, encouraged two of the others to embrace violent Islamic doctrine by introducing them online to radical teachings, including those of deceased U.S.-born al-Qaeda imam Anwar al-Awlaki.

Related articles:

www.reuters.com...

latimesblogs.latimes.com...

www.cbsnews.com...





On one hand, I am pleased that these four were apprehended prior to doing harm, on the other, I am wondering if there is another route to go to save these young folks from being drawn into this radical ideology? Most seem so young and perhaps just need to be taken away from that kind of influence, especially if they have been monitored for over a year..

If they really were planning to murder Americans, then it's a good job they were stopped.

However, people can be...well, dickheads..and write and say things online that they would never carry out in reality..a little like forums being an outlet for fantasy and armchair ramblings.

Although, selling possessions and buying air tickets etc..points to them actually being guilty of real planning and so it looks like a good collar by the FBI.

He allegedly engaged in chat conversations with an FBI "online covert employee" and confirmed his desire to join al Qaeda.

An unnamed "confidential source" working for the FBI won the trust of Santana and Deleon, according to the complaint, spent time with them and recorded many of their conversations.

Yay, another FBI trap. Probably. How convenient with the current middle east problems.

(My cynical opinion only and not backed with anything as trivial as proof. Obviously).

reply to post by JacKatMtn


A lesson should be learned here for all those that enjoy fomenting, supporting, and passing on the Anonymous, and other sorts of similar messages.

If you're up to no good, feel free to broadcast your intentions to everyone that will listen.

There's certain to be someone somewhere VERY interested in how far you're willing to take whatever cause you think you might be justified in supporting to whatever ends.

Support them in Syria, train to be like them...what is the difference? You train and supported them anyways. Blowback is a bitch.

reply to post by khimbar


That's the part that get's me..

Wouldn't it be better to try and save some of these young folks from being sucked into that radical frame of mind?

Instead of watching them head down the wrong path..

Save them from themselves? Something must be going wrong with them to be willing to drive a truck bomb into a military base in just over a year of indoctrination?

Seems a crime to allow them to ruin their lives, if there was ever a chance to get them away from that influence?

this may be one of the first fbi sting ops that doesn't seem as being more a situation of aiding and abetting as opposed to actual investigation and apprehension.

a good one for the federal bureau of incompetence, if you ask me.

[ETA]

seeing your follow up reply, JacK, I'd agree with you entirely. there should have been, at some point, an opportunity or at least, attempt to deter their course, so to speak.

reply to post by JacKatMtn


Yep, undoubtedly.

But there are times when you need to unite a country against a common enemy, and to have everyone in the right place for their Two Minutes Hate. So rather than educate and help, it's 'better' for the FBI to encourage this behaviour, solicit what they need, make the arrest and be hailed as heroes.

Doesn't hurt that it helps demonise Muslims and can be used to more social media control and monitoring either.

Man, I'm cynical.

Does the FBI have any credibility when it comes to these types of arrests?

My first thought: is this yet another case of entrapment?

Originally posted by 12m8keall2c

seeing your follow up reply, JacK, I'd agree with you entirely. there should have been, at some point, an opportunity or at least, attempt to deter their course, so to speak.

edit on 11/20/2012 by 12m8keall2c because: (no reason given)

These days, they usually try to avoid entrapment by giving the mark multiple chances to change his plans, explaining that there are many ways to follow their religion peacefully, but I always imagine the conversations are a little more emotionally loaded than is reported, more like "So you're sure you want to do this, right? You're not backing out on us?"

Originally posted by sepermeru
... but I always imagine the conversations are a little more emotionally loaded than is reported, more like "So you're sure you want to do this, right? You're not backing out on us?"

same here, thereby making it far more unlikely that the individual will backout or away from their 'intended' path.

reply to post by JacKatMtn


The could just been stupid pranksters boasting crap on the so popular site as most youngsters in the US been unemployed have nothing else to do, but I forgot they were men, so I guess I trust the FBI, homeland of deception to protect me after all.



I don't trust any social media and the only place I ever post is here in ATS, maybe once on the Military. com forum to show my disappointment to the increases of charges in Tricare.

Beside that I see no reason why spewing my beans on social media like Facebroke, I mean face book.

Stupidity is what I call anybody that uses this places to like if they were their private diaries.

I think the FBI functioned far better when they were basically a 'uniformed plain clothes' law enforcement agency in the strictest sense of that term. Bank Robbery, Human Trafficking and the variety of other hard and solid crimes that were their stock and trade. They really are getting muddier and muddier for just what they are doing and where the lines are as they've left the traditional role and gone to playing outright detective / counter terrorist / swat team roles as a regular thing. Whatever else Hoover was, he was right to keep them almost comically straight and narrow types as I've read about it.

I'd say we need a new agency for things like bank robbery and human trafficking but then really, the absurdity of it is sitting right there.

How many whole agencies do they actually need keeping us safe from what they either create or ...in this case...fail on the 'serve' side of what that job is supposed to be in deterring outright stupid, IMO.

Another point on this, I won't dispute real threats exist...but Americans off to Jihad in Afghanistan sounds almost like stopping them was a favor....It's almost a case of no need to pile on with destroying them totally and I'm only half joking. I wonder how many Americans have gone on their own with ideas of either side (Jihad or dreams of bounties)....and never were heard from again?

The Federal beareau of Incrimination strikes again!


I would be willing to bet that the FBI bought them their ticket to Afghanistan.....er ....well maybe just loaned them the monsy while patting them on the back and telling them to go for it.......(I can see some agent buying up their possessions with handfuls of bills)
The FBI has ZERO credibility.
They have degenerated into a black ops arm of the goverments various agendas.....
The Retarded Goons and the Sellouts stay in, and the really good people get out......
Thus the drop in the intelligence level of agents, and the lameness of their "cases".
How many COPS does AMERIKA NEED? Enough to be able to entrap teenagers into life sentences it seems......
In a country of armed citizens....the need for excessive numbers of law enforcement is moot.
The truth is that these LEOs are the hidden army of goons which the PTB will use against the people when its time.
They will happily shoot US citizens (as they have proven many times over......)
They seem to enjoy their power and authority far too much......and their trained in the arrogant stance they take.....and the violently psychopathic, knee jerk reactions they exhibit when encountering citizens versed in the constitution are a product of their brainwashing.