Posted on 06/25/2010 6:50:17 PM PDT by Star Traveler
by Daniel Pipes
June 25, 2010
Jaw-dropping court testimony by Faisal Shahzad, the would-be Times Square bomber, singlehandedly undermines Obama administration efforts to ignore the dangers of Islamism and jihad.
Shahzad's forthright statement of purpose stands out because jihadis, when facing legal charges, typically save their skin by pleading not guilty or plea bargaining. Consider a few examples:
These efforts fit a broader pattern of Islamist mendacity; rarely does a jihadi stand on principle. Zacarias Moussaoui, 9/11's would-be twentieth hijacker, came close: his court proceedings began with his refusing to enter a plea (which the presiding judge translated into "not guilty") and then, one fine day, pleading guilty to all charges.
Shahzad, 30, acted in an exceptional manner during his appearance in a New York City federal court on June 21. His answers to Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum's many inquisitive questions ("And where was the bomb?" "What did you do with the gun?") offered a dizzying mix of deference and contempt. On the one hand, he politely, calmly, patiently, fully, and informatively answered about his actions. On the other, he in the same voice justified his attempt at cold-blooded mass murder.
The judge asked Shahzad after he announced an intent to plead guilty to all ten counts of his indictment, "Why do you want to plead guilty?" a reasonable question given the near certainty that guilty pleas will keep him in for long years in jail. He replied:
I want to plead guilty and I'm going to plead guilty a hundred times forward because – until the hour the U.S. pulls it forces from Iraq and Afghanistan and stops the drone strikes in Somalia and Yemen and in Pakistan and stops the occupation of Muslim lands and stops killing the Muslims and stops reporting the Muslims to its government – we will be attacking [the] U.S., and I plead guilty to that.
Shahzad insisted on portraying himself as replying to American actions: "I am part of the answer to the U.S. terrorizing [of] the Muslim nations and the Muslim people, and on behalf of that, I'm avenging the attacks," adding that "We Muslims are one community." Nor was that all; he flatly asserted that his goal had been to damage buildings and "injure people or kill people" because "one has to understand where I'm coming from, because … I consider myself a mujahid, a Muslim soldier."
When Cedarbaum pointed out that pedestrians in Times Square during the early evening of May first were not attacking Muslims, Shahzad replied: "Well, the [American] people select the government. We consider them all the same." His comment reflects not just that American citizens are responsible for their democratically elected government but also the Islamist view that, by definition, infidels cannot be innocents.
However abhorrent, this tirade does have the virtue of truthfulness. Shahzad's willingness to name his Islamic purposes and spend long years in jail for them flies in the face of Obama administration efforts not to name Islamism as the enemy, preferring such lame formulations as "overseas contingency operations" and "man-caused disasters."
Americans – as well as Westerners generally, all non-Muslims, and anti-Islamist Muslims – should listen to the bald declaration by Faisal Shahzad and accept the painful fact that Islamist anger and aspirations truly do motivate their terrorist enemies. Ignoring this fact will not make it disappear.
Mr. Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and Taube distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University.
I want to plead guilty and I'm going to plead guilty a hundred times forward because – until the hour the U.S. pulls it forces from Iraq and Afghanistan and stops the drone strikes in Somalia and Yemen and in Pakistan and stops the occupation of Muslim lands and stops killing the Muslims and stops reporting the Muslims to its government – we will be attacking [the] U.S., and I plead guilty to that.
Well..., he's getting his wish, as the US will be "outta there" pretty soon as this rate ...
Oh, I've no doubt there will be an endless number of reasons. Eventually they will get to "because you aren't Muslim", but it will probably take awhile.
WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "PAKISTANI TALIBAN LED TIMES SQUARE PLOT Recruiting More Agents for U.S. Attacks, Holder Warns" by David Eldridge (SNIPPET: "Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Sunday that the Pakistani Taliban directed the Times Square car-bomb plot and is actively recruiting more agents to carry out attacks on U.S. soil.") (May 10, 2010) (Read More...)
US DOJ.gov - justice.gov: Washington, D.C. - "Attorney General Eric Holder Testifies Before the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies" (SNIPPET: "On Monday, Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was arrested in connection with his alleged role in last Saturday's attempted car bombing in Times Square. On Tuesday, he was charged with acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, and other federal crimes. If convicted, he faces a potential life sentence in prison. During ongoing questioning by federal agents, Shahzad has provided useful information, and we will continue to pursue a number of leads as we gather intelligence relating to this attempted attack. Although this car bomb failed to properly detonate, this plot was yet another reminder that terrorists are still plotting to kill Americans.") (May 6, 2010)
NY DAILY NEWS.com: "FAISAL SHAHZAD CASE: HUNT FOR MONEY COURIER IN TIMES SQUARE CAR BOMB PLOT" (SNIPPET: "The accused Times Square terror bomber, broke and unemployed after returning from Pakistan, reportedly received cash to fund his deadly plot from an overseas courier. Investigators have a name for the suspect whose money helped Faisal Shahzad purchase an SUV, a 9-mm. handgun, bomb components and a one-way ticket out of New York, The Associated Press reported Friday.") (Published May 7, 2010;Updated may 8, 2010, 9:46 am)
ABC News.go.com (AP): New York - "SUSPECTED MONEY COURIER SOUGHT IN NYC BOMB PLOT Official: Authorities seek suspected money courier from overseas in Times Square bomb plot" (May 6, 2010)
THE JAWA REPORT - blog: "Simple Error Averted Times Square Tragedy" -Posted by "Barbarossa" (SNIPPET: "My NYPD sources have been quick to stress that Shahzad had clearly been trained." SNIPPET: "These are all standard counter-surveillance measures that show his training.") (May 6, 2010, 09:26 am)
MEMRI.org - Special Dispatch No. 2940: "REACTIONS IN THE ARAB WORLD TO THE TIMES SQUARE BOMBING ATTEMPT" (May 7, 2010)
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NY DAILY NEWS.com: "CONFESSED TIMES SQUARE CAR BOMBER FAISAL SHAHZAD BOASTS OF TIES TO NUMEROUS GLOBAL TERRORISTS" (SNIPPET: “Shahzad has been spilling his guts to interrogators, claiming he met with radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is accused of inciting violence in the past. He exchanged e-mails with Fort Hood, Tex., shooter Nidal Malik Hasan. And Awlaki may have met Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian who tried to blow up an airliner over the U.S. on Christmas Day. Shahzad is also insisting he met with Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, who has pledged to strike U.S. cities in revenge for CIA drone attacks - one of which almost killed him." SNIPPET: "Investigators are studying at least four extreme Islamist terror networks concentrated in Waziristan, Pakistan, where Shahzad said he received bomb-making training. The networks include the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistani militants behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks.") (May 7, 2010, 4:00 am)MEMRI.org: "TTP Declarations: TARGETING AMERICAN CITIES" (SNIPPET: "TTP LEADER HAKIMULLAH MEHSUD DECLARES: 'From Now On, the Main Targets of Our Fidaeen [Suicide Bombers] Are American Cities'") (May 3, 2010)
FOX NEWS.com: "TIMES SQUARE BOMB SUSPECT A 'FAN' OF PROMINENT RADICAL CLERIC, SOURCES SAY" by Catherine Herridge (SNIPPET: "Shahzad is a fan of Anwar al-Awlaki's CDs, which promote the cleric's extremist Muslim ideology, sources say, however, there is no known evidence yet that that Shahzad had direct contact with Awlaki") (UPDATED May 6, 2010)
DEFENSE.gov (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERIVCE: Washington - "Obama: Failed Attack Underscores Need for Vigilance" by Donna Miles (SNIPPET: "President Barack Obama today called the failed weekend terror attack in New York's Times Square a sobering reminder of the need to remain vigilant against terrorists committed to destroying America's way of life. "Around the world and here at home, there are those who would attack our citizens and who would slaughter innocent men, women and children in pursuit of their murderous agenda," Obama said at the start of his address to the Business Council here. Terrorists "will stop at nothing to kill and disrupt our way of life," the president said.") (May 4, 2010)
LONG WAR JOURNAL.org: "TIMES SQUARE BOMBING SUSPECT TRAINED IN PAKISTAN'S NORTH WAZIRISTAN" by Bill Roggio (SNIPPET: "A Pakistani intelligence official told the Express Tribune that Shahzad may have trained in a terror camp in Kohat, a district in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Al Qaeda and the Taliban were known to have operated 157 training camps in the province and the tribal areas as of the summer of 2008. Further links between Shahzad and Pakistan have emerged over the past 24 hours. Pakistani authorities have reportedly detained nearly a dozen people associated with Shahzad, most of whom are friends or family members. Among those detained are a friend named Mohammed Rehan, according to The Telegraph, and another named Tauseef, according to the Associated Press. Rehan is said to have been detained at a Karachi mosque that is associated with the al Qaeda and Taliban-linked Jaish-e-Mohammed.") (May 4, 2010, 6:21 pm)
Online.WSJ.com: New York - "TIMES SQUARE SUSPECT RECEIVED BOMB TRAINING" (SNIPPET: "Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad told interrogators that he received training in bomb making during a recent five-month trip to Pakistan, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with the matter. The official said Mr. Shahzad received his training in the tribal region of Waziristan bordering the Afghan border.") (May 4, 2010, 3:44 pm ET)
NY DAILY NEWS.com: "Faisal Shahzad: Who is the terror suspect behind the Times Square car bomb?" (SNIPPET: "Shahzad recently traveled to Pakistan, where he reportedly spent time in Karachi and Peshawar, an area known as a haven for Islamic militants, officials said. A married father of two small children, Shahzad moved to Bridgeport, Conn., with his wife, Huma Mian, last year." SNIPPET: "Neighbor Brenda Thurman, 37, said Shahzad dressed nicely and claimed to work on Wall Street.") (MAY 4, 2010, 3:06 PM)
Online.WSJ.com: Dubai - "THREE PASSENGERS PULLED OFF DUBAI-BOUND FLIGHT" (SNIPPET: "Dubai-based Emirates Airline said Tuesday that flight EK202 bound for Dubai was called back before taking off from New York and that three passengers were removed from the aircraft as part of an investigation into a failed bomb attempt in Times Square.") (May 4, 2010, 5:30 am ET)
NY DAILY NEWS.com: "PAKISTANI-AMERICAN FAISAL SHAHZAD, SUSPECT IN FOILED TIMES SQUARE BOMB PLOT, ARRESTED AT JFK" (SNIPPET: "He is believed to have links to international terrorists and was already under surveillance for two days when the feds moved in." SNIPPET: "Sources told The News early Tuesday that the feds are tracking three associates who may have helped the suspect.") (Updated May 4, 2010, 3:31 am)
US DOJ.gov - Justice.gov/opa - Press Release: "STATEMENT OF THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, AND THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT ON AN ARREST IN THE TIMES SQUARE INVESTIGATION" (SNIPPET: "...Faisal Shahzad was taken into custody." "...arrested Shahzad for allegedly driving a car bomb into Times Square on the evening of May 1, 2010. Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport after he was identified by the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Customs and Border Protection while attempting to take a flight to Dubai.") (May 4, 2010)
POLITICO.com: "CELLPHONE LED FBI TO TIMES SQUARE CAR BOMB SUSPECT ARREST" by Mike Allen (SNIPPET: "The number from a disposable cellphone led FBI agents to the suspect arrested Monday night for allegedly driving a car bomb into Times Square on Saturday evening, according to a senior official. "They were able to basically get one phone number and by running it through a number of databases, figure out who they thought the guy was," the official said.") (May 4, 2010, 7:16 am EDT)
FOX NEWS.com: "POLICE WON'T RULE OUT 'SOUTH PARK' LINK IN TIMES SQUARE BOMB ATTEMPT" by Joshua Rhett Miller (SNIPPET: "Younus Abdullah Muhammed, who runs the website RevolutionMuslim.com, told the New York Daily News he was in Times Square when the bomb-packed SUV was found, but he said he was not involved in the failed terror attack. "What do you think, I commanded somebody to blow up a building in the middle of Times Square?" Muhammed told the newspaper. "It had nothing to do with the 'South Park' controversy. It was not an attack targeting Viacom," he said. He could not be reached for further comment early Monday.") (Updated May 3, 2010)
FOX NEWS.com: "NEW YORK CITY POLICE EXAMINE SEVERAL LEADS IN FAILED TIMES SQUARE CAR BOMBING" (SNIPPET: "A monitoring group said Sunday that the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bomb but Kelly said there is "no evidence" linking the group to the bomb..." SNIPPET: "Kelly said during a press conference Sunday that the NYPD is analyzing a surveillance video showing a unidentified white male in his 40's fleeing the scene.") (Updated May 2, 2010)
NY DAILY NEWS.com: "3 COPS, STREET VENDOR STOP TIMES SQUARE BOMB FROM DETONATING; GAS, CLOCK FOUND INSIDE CAR" (SNIPPET: "What they found was stunning: a running SUV packed with three propane tanks, two red 5-gallon plastic jugs of gasoline, a clock, electrical components and a canister of gunpowder, police sources said.") (Originally published May 1, 2010;Updated May 2, 2010, 3:20 am)
CBS NEWS.com: "FAISAL SHAHZAD ON HOMELAND SECURITY LIST SINCE 1999" -Posted by CBS News Investigates (SNIPPET: "Sources tell CBS News that would-be Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad appeared on a Department of Homeland Security travel lookout list - Traveler Enforcement Compliance System (TECS) - between 1999 and 2008 because he brought approximately $80,000 cash or cash instruments into the United States.") (May 5, 2010, 5:22pm)
America needs to WAKE UP.
He really lays it out there. And still some in our leadership refuse to believe.
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