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Lubbock man arrested: weapon of mass destruction charge
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=14133622
"WASHINGTON – Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and resident of Lubbock, Texas, was arrested late yesterday by FBI agents in Texas on a federal charge of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction in connection with his alleged purchase of chemicals and equipment necessary to make an improvised explosive device (IED) and his research of potential U.S. targets............"
Amish getting restless down in Texas
Last line of the story - lets remember folks
".........The charges contained in the criminal complaint are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty............."
Texas? That's Ranger Walker's territory.
Next?
Utah Bob
02-24-2011, 18:42
A Saudi student. I'm shocked!:rolleyes:
... a citizen of Saudi Arabia and resident of Lubbock, Texas ...
Yeah, if it doesn't involve drilling for oil, you know that story isn't going to turn out well.
... Aldawsari researched various targets and emailed himself information on locations and people, including the names and addresses of three American citizens who had previously served in the U.S. military and had been stationed for a time at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, 12 reservoir dams in Colorado and California, hydroelectric dams and nuclear power plants, and a nightclub.
No, no, .... not the nightclub!
Oh the humanity!
incarcerated
02-26-2011, 00:42
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/564353/201102251907/Saudi-Visa-Bombshell.htm
Saudi Visa Bombshell
Opinion
Posted 07:07 PM ET
Immigration: The Saudi charged in a plot to bomb U.S. targets entered the country under the same student visa deal we knocked President Bush for brokering with Saudi King Abdullah.
We warned in a series of editorials starting in November 2005 that the generous Saudi immigration program would import potentially more terrorists into the country. How right we were — Bush himself was one of the targets of Khalid Aldawsari.
The FBI last week arrested the 20-year-old Saudi college student in Lubbock, Texas, for allegedly plotting to bomb the ex-president's Dallas home, as well as nuclear plants and several other sites.
A key reason 15 Saudi hijackers "changed everything" a decade ago was because our embassy in Saudi Arabia rubber stamped U.S. visas for them. We vowed to never make that mistake again. Just four years after 9/11, however, Bush agreed to a request by Abdullah to expedite visas for young Saudi men to study in the U.S.
Bush believed exposing more Saudis to America and its education system would help repair U.S.-Saudi relations. Never mind that Riyadh was still schooling youth in anti-American hate, and still sponsoring al-Qaida terror.
"As part of the ill-advised immigration deal, Saudi Arabia over the next four years will send 21,000 students to the country they have grown up hating," we warned at the time. "If just 1% of the new crop of Saudi students are radical, that's 210 new potential terrorists inside our borders."
In 2008, the administration increased the risk by inviting even more Saudi students.
"We aim to increase their numbers to 30,000 over the next five years," U.S. Ambassador Ford Fraker chirped in a meeting with Saudi officials at the Al-Jouf Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Aldawsari was one of more than 10,000 Saudi students granted visas under the expanded program that year. The FBI says he planned to attack the U.S. when he applied for the special visa, which expires in 2014.
The "financial scholarship is the largest," Aldawsari wrote in his diary, "which will help tremendously in providing me with the support I need for Jihad, Allah willing."
Far from benefiting from any "cultural exchange," Aldawsari spent his three years in the U.S.:
• Obtaining bomb-making equipment and a Hazmat suit.
• Casing bombing targets across the country, including Dallas night clubs and New York City buildings.
• Renting cars to hide bombs in.
• Trying to obtain a forged a U.S. birth certificate and passport.
• Studying how to conceal explosives in realistic-looking dolls tucked into strollers.
And he did all of this under the radar of the FBI and Homeland Security, which didn't even notice he no longer attended the college he cited on his visa forms.
If it weren't for an alert freight company — which tipped off authorities after returning a suspicious shipment of explosive chemicals bound for Aldawsari — he might have hit his targets. In fact, his plan was in the advanced stages. Federal agents caught up with him only about three weeks ago.
In other words, the FBI got lucky.
More than 26,700 Saudi students got U.S. visas in 2010, up from 6,800 in 2001. How many other Saudis like Aldawsari are out there casing targets and plotting attacks? How many will overstay their visas and become sleeper agents?
Aldawsari may not have acted alone. He appeared to e-mail at least one other Arab man about his plans.
"One operation in the land of infidels is equal to 10 operations against occupying forces in the land of the Muslims," he wrote. "Therefore, it's incumbent upon Muslims to conquer infidels in their land."
President Obama has broadened these suicidal immigration policies. The State Department has resettled more than 82,000 Somali refugees over the past decade. Last year, more than 1,760 arrived, despite FBI warnings that young Somali-American men are joining al-Qaida.
Who will be held accountable when these programs backfire on innocent Americans again?
"........If it weren't for an alert freight company — which tipped off authorities after returning a suspicious shipment of explosive chemicals bound for Aldawsari — he might have hit his targets. In fact, his plan was in the advanced stages. Federal agents caught up with him only about three weeks ago.
In other words, the FBI got lucky................."
In other words, the FBI got lucky. Been hearing that a lot lately. Our side has to get it right 100%, their side only 1%. Not good when luck has to play such a part in a number of cases.
greenberetTFS
02-26-2011, 06:16
"........If it weren't for an alert freight company — which tipped off authorities after returning a suspicious shipment of explosive chemicals bound for Aldawsari — he might have hit his targets. In fact, his plan was in the advanced stages. Federal agents caught up with him only about three weeks ago.
In other words, the FBI got lucky................."
In other words, the FBI got lucky. Been hearing that a lot lately. Our side has to get it right 100%, their side only 1%. Not good when luck has to play such a part in a number of cases.
I concur completely.............:eek::p:rolleyes:
Big Teddy :munchin
I don't really consider it to be luck when alert citizens notice such behaviors and report them to the LEOs for investigation and it's acted upon as happened with this case.
And the guy was in Lubbock - he's the lucky one...lucky that they bothered to notify the FBI.
"You have reached the Amarillo field offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This call may be monitored. How may we help you?"
"I'd like to know where we need to bring the body of a terrorist we done found here in Lubbock. We're out here at 27 and 40 and need to know your address so we can deliver this body to y'all."
"Huh?"
"This here terrorist's body. You got hearing problems? We caught this here foreign exchange student in Lubbock trying to make some sort of WMD and threatening to go after one of our citizens of the Republic who by the way just happens to be an ex-POTUS...you may have heard of him...and so we caught him and tied him to the bumper of Justin's F-350 King Ranch Edition pickup to run him on up to y'all but his legs musta done give out around the half mile mark and we was listenin' to Robert Earl Keene and not paying him no never mind cuz Brendan ties good knots...he's a team roper, ya know...and so this terrorist he just got drug the rest of the way...and well...now where do y'all want us to bring that body?"
"Huh?"
And so it goes...
Richard :munchin
Buffalobob
02-26-2011, 14:55
The interesting questions in my mind is how many pounds of explosive such a black powder would you need to have for it to be labeled a weapon of mass destruction. The other thing is how many people do you need to plan to kill for it to be "mass destruction".
Just seems like he didn't have that much explosive and other statutes would have been better to charge him with.
craigepo
02-26-2011, 22:19
The interesting questions in my mind is how many pounds of explosive such a black powder would you need to have for it to be labeled a weapon of mass destruction. The other thing is how many people do you need to plan to kill for it to be "mass destruction".
Just seems like he didn't have that much explosive and other statutes would have been better to charge him with.
Here's an explanation from the US federal code:
Criminal (Civilian)For the purposes of US Criminal law concerning terrorism,[27] weapons of mass destruction are defined as:
■any destructive device defined as any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas bomb, grenade, rocket having a propellant charge of more than four ounces, missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one-quarter ounce, mine, or device similar to any of the devices described in the preceding clauses[28]
■any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals, or their precursors
■any weapon involving a biological agent, toxin, or vector
■any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life[29