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Fort Dix: Albanian Terror And The "Homegrown" Fort Dix Six
The Post Chronicle ^ | May 11, 2007 | John David Powell

Posted on 05/11/2007 7:23:01 AM PDT by John David Powell

Fort Dix: Albanian Terror And The "Homegrown" Fort Dix Six

By John David Powell May 11, 2007

As of this writing, we know that on May 7, federal authorities busted the so-called Fort Dix Six before the alleged Muslim terrorists launched their murderous attack on the military installation. Four of the six are ethnic Albanians. Three of the four are brothers.

And the fourth, according to authorities, was a sniper in Kosovo.

The arrests came after several months of surveillance, according to FBI director Robert Mueller. The feds became interested in the men after viewing a video of ten men shooting rifles at a remote Pennsylvania firing range while shouting about jihad. The FBI knows the identity of the other four, but doesn’t believe they pose a threat.

Mueller told reporters the FBI chose to arrest the six after they bragged about buying more weapons, including a Yugoslavian SKS assault rifle.

Geometry teaches that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. If the charges against the Fort Dix Six stick, then that line leads from ethnic Albanians in the U.S. directly to their terrorist counterparts in Albania and Kosovo.

One does not need a stretch of the imagination to draw the line. Law enforcement agencies in this country and in Europe have known for decades about the Albanian contributions to international terrorism. And sometimes, the good guys used the bad guys to promote shared political agendas, as happened in Serbia and Kosovo.

Nearly twenty years ago, The New York Times ran a story about the rising ethnic strife in Yugoslavia. The Nov. 1, 1987, story recounted how an ethnic Albanian soldier in the Yugoslav army killed four Slavic soldiers as they slept in their bunks. The army later found hundreds of ethnic Albanian cells within its ranks, according to the story.

The story also told of ethnic Albanians attacking Orthodox churches, poisoning wells, and burning crops.

The Kosovo Liberation Army, which the U.S. State Department no longer lists among the world’s terrorist organizations, was an ethnic Albanian guerilla group that led the battle for Kosovo’s secession from Yugoslavia in the late 1990s. The Clinton administration turned a blind eye to their activities designed to lure the Serbian government into armed conflict, thereby forcing the West to jump in under the pretext of preventing the slaughter of Muslims by Serbian Christians.

In early April of 1999, American officials and KLA leaders held secret talks about supplying the terrorists with heavy weapons and other support, according to the April 26, 1999, issue of U.S. News & World Report. Defense Secretary William Cohen later told Republican senators the KLA was no “choirboy circle,” according to the magazine.

Stories about the Balkan Connection have been around for more than twenty years. The Wall Street Journal reported on September 9, 1985, on heroin trafficking by a loosely organized group of ethnic Albanians centered in New York. U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency officials claimed the Balkan Connection moved as much as forty percent of the U.S. heroin supply, according to the WSJ.

The Observatire Geopolitique Des Drogues, a Paris-based narcotics-monitoring group, released a report in June 1994 that claimed Albanian groups in Kosovo were trading heroin for weapons for use in a brewing conflict. On June 9, 1998, Agence France-Presse reported that Italian police staged a nation-wide anti-drug operation and arrested a group of ethnic Albanians smuggling arms back to Kosovo to use in their battle against the Serbs.

Independence was not the only goal of the KLA and the drug traffickers, according to an unnamed Italian Special Operations Section source quoted in the Oct. 15, 1998, edition of Milan’s Corriere della Sera. “On the basis of phone calls that we have intercepted, we have discovered that the drugs are not only a source of wealth, but also a tool in the struggle to weaken Christendom,” the source said.

On March 24, 1999, just before the start of NATO’s air campaign against Serbia, The Times of London reported that Europol, the European police authority, was preparing a report for interior and justice ministers on a connection between the KLA and Albanian drug gangs.

According to The Washington Times of June 4, 1999, a secret intelligence report by NATO’s Office of Security said the KLA had received smuggled weapons paid for by money raised through the sale of drugs and sex. The 24-page report apparently included the United States among five countries that believed the KLA participated with an organized crime network to smuggle heroin into Western Europe and the U.S.

Jump now to Dec. 9, 2006. Serbian television reported that the director of the government’s media relations office asked the UN special envoy to Kosovo to condemn ethnic Albanian separatists and their bombing of the Zvecan-Kosovo Polje rail line. A week later, a Montenegrin newspaper reported that the FBI and the Albanian special prosecutor’s office issued wanted circulars for a terrorist group suspected of transporting 170 kilograms of radioactive material, enough to make a dirty bomb, to Albania from Montenegro.

On Jan. 12 of this year, a Greek terrorist group called the Revolutionary Struggle launched a rocket attack on the U.S. embassy in Athens. An embassy spokesperson said the war in Iraq and other conflicts, such as those in Kosovo, served as catalysts for the attack. And, the rocket launcher, according to investigators, almost certainly came from the Balkans or Albania.

Inter Pres Service reported in February on a study published by the International Strategic Studies Association that suggests a link between the KLA and the Revolutionary Struggle. It also predicts an increase in anti-U.S. activity in Greece led by proponents of an independent Kosovo.

The Fort Dix Six may be home-grown terrorists with no connection to any organized group, as the FBI says. It just may be a coincidence that four of them are ethnic Albanians and that one of them was a sniper in Kosovo. But then, a line comes to mind from the movie “Guys and Dolls,” the one where Sky Masterson says:

“One of these days in your travels, a guy is going to show you a brand-new deck of cards on which the seal is not yet broken. Then this guy is going to offer to bet you that he can make the jack of spades jump out of this brand-new deck of cards and squirt cider in your ear. But, son, do not accept this bet, because as sure as you stand there, you're going to wind up with an ear full of cider.”

John David Powell is an award-winning writer and Internet columnist, university lecturer, and contributor to the Christian History Project. His email address is johndavidpowell@yahoo.com.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: albanians; aliens; balkans; immigration; kosovo; serbia; terrorists; wot

1 posted on 05/11/2007 7:23:02 AM PDT by John David Powell
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To: John David Powell

Nothing “HOMEGROWN” about them!! They were REFUGEES that we took in!


2 posted on 05/11/2007 7:24:20 AM PDT by Suzy Quzy (Hillary '08...Her Phoniness is Genuine!!!)
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To: John David Powell

This group of people being allowed to immigrate to the USA is Bill and Hillary Clintons fault.
Our country, under Clinton, rushed to defend those Muslims, gave them safe haven in the US. And now they repay our good will with terrorism. How many more bad apples came over in the basket?


3 posted on 05/11/2007 7:28:59 AM PDT by o_zarkman44 (No Bull in 08!)
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To: John David Powell
The “Homegrown” Fort Dix Six???

3 were illegals....2 had green cards and only 1 was a citizen, so how does that make it homegrown.

more like Homer-grown


4 posted on 05/11/2007 7:34:15 AM PDT by Vaquero (time again for the Crusades.)
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To: John David Powell
Excellent article, JDP.

My father-in-law was on the Diocesan Council at the time (in the 80s) when they went before Congress begging for help for the Serbs in Kosovo as the albanians were burningd the wheat fields and poisoning the water wells.

IIRC, Congreemen Derwinski and James Moody were of great help.

5 posted on 05/11/2007 7:42:19 AM PDT by MadelineZapeezda (Madeline Albright ZaPeezda)
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To: MadelineZapeezda

My hope is that the public, because of this incident, will finally know what happened to the Serbs of Kosovo and what we are allowing to happen to us!


6 posted on 05/11/2007 7:54:15 AM PDT by AuntB (" It takes more than walking across the border to be an American." Duncan Hunter)
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To: Suzy Quzy

Our border enforcement and immigration system are in such dire need of fixing that I simply cannot wrap my brain around it. 5 and 1/2 years after 9-11, I DO NOT understand why this continues.

It is a minor miracle that we have not been inundated with terrorist attacks here at home. They are simply biding their time and making plans. Why they wait, I do not know.

I would like to highlight a different Albanian, though. This one was a hero from near my home. I learned of him last night, while reading Richard Jadick’s awesome book “On Call in Hell”. Gentian Marku died in Iraq as a Marine defending his adopted homeland. When I read his story, I cried.

http://legacy.com/WashingtonPost/Soldier/Story.aspx?personid=3098275

http://www.militarycity.com/valor/526929.html

He was killed in the Battle of Fallujah, clearing terrorists out of buildings throughout the city. I’m sure his parents knew about the scum that was running rampant in their native country and left to come to the U.S. for a better life. Gentian wanted to be a Police Officer and thought the Marines would be a good stepping stone. I never met him, but I will miss him, just the same.


7 posted on 05/11/2007 7:54:15 AM PDT by ODC-GIRL (Proudly serving our Nation's Homeland Defense)
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To: Vaquero
Hey, these illegals were just trying to do jobs Americans won't do.

They should be given amnesty, a social security card, all benefits, free schooling for their children, housing, medicine and everything else they want because this is what Americans do for illegal alien law-breakers.

Just ask any democrat, and you won't get too much resistance from a lot of Republicans either. Even W believes illegal alien law-breakers deserve to be here illegally.

8 posted on 05/11/2007 8:04:05 AM PDT by Cobra64 (www.BulletBras.net)
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To: John David Powell
Stories about the Balkan Connection have been around for more than twenty years. The Wall Street Journal reported on September 9, 1985, on heroin trafficking by a loosely organized group of ethnic Albanians centered in New York. U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency officials claimed the Balkan Connection moved as much as forty percent of the U.S. heroin supply, according to the WSJ.

This is presumably how clinton became involved in the first place. Clinton worked for the Dixie Mafia while he was growing up in Hot Springs, and he kept his drug mob connections all through his life. He was heavily involved while he was governor of Arkansas, and he was still heavily involved while he was in the White House.

No doubt there were other reasons why he decided to fight on the WRONG SIDE in Yugoslavia, including the NWO delusions of Gerhardt Schroeder and Tony Blair. But drug money was his primary motivation, I'm sure.

It is well known that clinton has made millions since retiring by giving speeches and living high off the hog. Less widely known is that he almost certainly retired from the White House with billions in Swiss bank accounts. His recent earnings are penny ante, but provide some cover for spending his earlier funds. Vince Foster was the bag man in the early days, and then Hillary took over when Vince had to be put down. You'd think billions would be enough to satisfy anybody, but that never seems to be the case. Clinton's sort of people always want more.

9 posted on 05/11/2007 8:09:09 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Kronos; Bokababe; FormerLib

Please ping the Balkan list!


10 posted on 05/11/2007 8:13:20 AM PDT by MadelineZapeezda (Madeline Albright ZaPeezda)
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To: John David Powell
Fort Dix Suspects Denied Bail

CAMDEN, N.J. - Six Muslim men suspected of plotting to massacre U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix were ordered held without bail Friday.

Prosecutors argued that the men, all born outside the United States, pose a flight risk. They are being held at a federal detention center in Philadelphia.

The men were arrested Monday night during what the FBI said was an attempt to buy AK-47 machine guns, M-16s and other weapons. They targeted Fort Dix, a post 25 miles east of Philadelphia that is used primarily to train reservists, partly because one of them had delivered pizzas there and was familiar with the base, according to court filings. Their objective was to kill "as many American soldiers as possible," the documents said.

The men have lived in and around Philadelphia for years, worshipped at moderate mosques and worked blue-collar jobs installing roofs, driving a cab, delivering pizzas and baking bread. Four are ethnic Albanians from the former Yugoslavia, one is from Jordan and one is from Turkey.

Defense lawyers for some of the men said they are considering attacking the prosecution's reliance on two paid informants who infiltrated the group more than a year ago and recorded conversations with the defendants.

Authorities said they first learned about the men in January 2006 after a tip from a clerk at a Mount Laurel electronics store. The clerk called police because a home video the men wanted transferred to a DVD looked like it might have terrorist links, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said.

Earlier this year, authorities said, the men took a training trip to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, where they fired weapons and played paintball to prepare for an attack.

Five of the men _ Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, 22; Serdar Tatar, 23; Dritan "Anthony" or "Tony" Duka, 28; Shain Duka, 26; and Eljvir "Elvis" Duka, 23 _ are charged with conspiring to kill uniformed military personnel, an offense punishable by life in prison.

Agron Abdullahu, 24, is charged with helping illegal immigrants obtain weapons. He could face 10 years in prison if convicted.

Abdullahu, who faces the least serious charges of the six, will have another bail hearing next Thursday.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

11 posted on 05/11/2007 9:47:54 AM PDT by Dragonfly
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To: John David Powell
Mister Powell:

My name is VIN and I am an Albanian.

I started reading this article with the believe that it was some sort of news, but I was disappointed with the content and the opinion expressed in this article.
Let me start with your geometry, because it seams that is totally screwed up. The shortest distance between two points is not always a straight line; it can be also a curved line just like time becomes a variable when the speed of light is reached. Therefore making the connection between the terrorist activities perpetrated here by 4 ethnic Albanians to the Albanian nation I would call it childish and Ignorant from your part.
Your claims about Albanians being connected and supporting terrorism make me believe that, either you hate Albanians and are Pro-Serbian or that you are a total Ignorant. You have to excuse me about the language I am using, but this article is totally unacceptable to me. Let me teach you something about history since it seams that you have no clue whatsoever.
Albanians are descendent of Illyrians and occupied the Balkan Peninsula since 2200BC. The lands that Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and part of Greece were all Illyrian land. The place named Kosova, which you so passionately speak in this article, was called Dardania and was part of the Illyrian tribe of the Dardanians. Illyria was occupied 600 years by the Romans then parts of it were occupied by the South Slavs which moved to the Balkans in 600-700AD. Most of the Illyrians were assimilated but Kosova, Albania, Chameria and part of Macedonia and Monte Negro still preserved their culture and language. At one point around 1300AD most of Kosova and part of Albania was under the occupation of Serbs. At this time they build some orthodox churches which were build on the foundation of the Albanian churches. I wan to remind you that Albania was Christian before the Turks invaded. The Turks stayed in Albania and the whole region for 500 years, but Albanians never lost their identity. Most of the Albanians converted or were forced to convert into Islam. In 1912, with the decay of Ottoman Empire the Serbs, Greeks, Italians and Montenegrins tried to partition and annex all the territory inhabited by Albanians. The only country that helped Albania in creating an independent country was the USA. Unfortunately, half of the Albanian territories were occupied by Greece (Chameria), Serbs (Kosova), Montenegro (Plava, Gucia) and Macedonia (Ilirida).

Somebodies Terrorist is someone else’s freedom-fighter. The KLA, which you claimed were terrorist supported by USA, did not kill women and children, but their try to defend their own people. Let’s not forget that the Serb military and Serb chetniks massacred 10.000 people, burned to ground hundreds of villages, raped thousands of Albanian women and expelled by force 1.000.000 Albanians from their home. In 1998 NATO coalition headed by USA intervened stopping the massacre and the expulsion of Kosovar Albanians from their land. It is with American help that the Kosovar Albanians survived the WAR and it is with American help that there are trying to get their INDEPENDENCE.
Albanian’s owe a great deal to the American people. They owe their survival as a country, as a people and the Kosovars will owe their Independence.

Albanians are forever in dept to USA; therefore we respect and love this country. We (Albanians) are ashamed for the action taken by 4 of our countrymen. Understanding the motives behind their action will be incomprehensible to every Albanian. This action came as a shock to the whole Albanian community residing in USA, but also to all Albanian Nation. To prove my point I will add a link which will show how Albanians feel about America and their 4 countrymen.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Albanian/petition.html

Generalizing a nation in the grounds of the action taken by 4 people is pure stupidity. I wan to remind you that Albanians are the most Pro-American people in Europe and that Albania was one of the first countries joining the fight against terrorism and having still troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is my believe that those people don’t have Albanian blood running in their veins, because not only are they damaging the image of Albanians throughout the world, but by wanting to commit this acts of violence on the American soldiers they damage the Albanian National interest. The only thing that I would expect from Albanian men is fighting and falling along an American. Terrorism is not part of our culture and belief, Albanism is sacred to us and so is Freedom

12 posted on 05/12/2007 3:27:40 PM PDT by Albdude
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To: Albdude

Dear Vin:

Thank you for responding. As you might imagine, this week’s column touched a nerve among some membes of the Albanian community in this country and in Albania. Except for two or three, the emails border on being hate mail. Yours is impassioned and thoughtful, and I appreciate that.

This week’s column was not meant to suggest that all Albanians are terrorists. In past columns I compared our nation’s war with terrorists with World War II when we fought Germans and Japanese. Not all Germans and Japanese were evil; only those who were trying to kill us. The same is true in this instance. Not all Albanians are terrorists; just those who maintain ties with terrorists, and who try to kill us.

Also, it is gratifying to see the quick response from leaders within the Albanian community in this country who condemned the alleged plans of the Fort Dix Six. The actions of those arrested damaged their families, friends, and community; however, I find it difficult to believe that no one in their families and in their Albanian community knew about their plans. The question becomes then: why did those who knew remain silent?

I appreciate you reading the column and taking the time to respond.


13 posted on 05/13/2007 9:00:54 AM PDT by John David Powell
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To: John David Powell

Bumping this thread on Sunday night....wish there would have been more replies


14 posted on 05/13/2007 8:27:45 PM PDT by MadelineZapeezda (Madeline Albright ZaPeezda)
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To: John David Powell

15 posted on 05/18/2007 10:13:30 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: Albdude

That’s nice, but can you guys stop dressing like Italians from the 1980s? The track suits and gold chains have got to go.


16 posted on 05/18/2007 10:15:39 PM PDT by Clemenza (Rudy Giuliani, like Pesto and Seattle, belongs in the scrap heap of '90s Culture)
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