Alleged Terrorist Supporter Arrested at El Paso Bridge

KVIA ^ | 11-09-04 | KVIA

[FITZ]

EL PASO, Tx - An alert officer at the El Paso border crossing contributes to America's war against terrorism. Customs and Border Protection Officials announce the arrest of a man who allegedly planned to help foreign terrorists.

Tens of thousands of vehicles pass through El Paso's borders every day. A spokesman for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says an officer at the Paso del Norte crossing recalled a description of Mark Robert Walker from a daily briefing.

According to the US Justice Department, Walker was arrested Saturday on a Federal charge of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Authorities say Walker was planning to travel to Somalia to fight for an Islamic group.

They believe he was going to buy and take night vision goggles and bullet-proof vests to a radical terrorists group that has worked with al-Qaeda in the past.

Roger Maier, CBP Spokesman says "there was a lookout on a specific type of vehicle. There were some indicators on that vehicle and the officer was able to key on that and remember that from the information he received earlier and was able to effect the arrest."

[FITZ]

Are you willing to submit to highway checkpoints and vehicle searches even well *inside* the borders in order to catch illegals?

We already have them --- maybe not to catch illegals but American citizens are already forced to stop and allow vehicle searches well within the border. Americans using the main routes along the border know these checkpoints well --- but of course the Mexicans use the less traveled routes with no checkpoints --- everyone knows they do so I don't think the checkpoints are to catch illegals.

[Grampa Dave]

What is scary is this institute with ITT offers a special IT security program BS degree via the internet:

http://www.directoryofschools.com/criminal-justice-information-security-IT-Tech-School.htm



ITT Tech School
Online Bachelor of Science Degree
Information Systems Security Criminal Justice Bachelor's Degree
Information Systems Security

In our ever changing world criminal activities are constantly expanding even reaching far into our computers and networks through acts of espionage, hacking, malicious introduction of virus and acts of terrorism. IT Managers are teaming up with police services and criminal justice specialists forming new elite teams of cyber cops and information security specialists to combat the assault on our computers.
The ITT Technical Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana offers an online program** leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Security.

Students will study the essentials of information security and the security aspects of common information technology platforms. Students will be exposed to techniques used to deploy and manage security systems and configure security solutions. Roles will cover a range of activities spanning from analysis, to design and implementation of security systems, to security monitoring and countermeasures and ongoing administration.

** ITT Technical Institutes only offers this online program in the following states; Alaska, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wyoming." **



I wonder what his posting name here was before he got banned.

[Chani]

ping

[Cindy]

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2004/11/003879print.html

November 11, 2004


"Wyoming: Student 'obsessed with jihad'"


ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Funny thing: last night I received a hate note that said: "I am appalled at the ignorance demonstrated by the intent and content of this site. Your definition of jihad is incorrect: it means 'stuggle' in arabic, not 'Holy War' (many will even say it is difficult to define)." Of course, I have never defined jihad flatly as "holy war"; at left I state that jihad means many things, and ironically, just the other day I mentioned in a post that jihad means "struggle." But don't give those who charge ignorance credit for any intelligence: the charge that non-Muslims are actually ignorant of Islam, and don't know that jihad really means nothing violent, is common from jihadist Muslims and Islamic apologists, although it flies in the face of the reality of stories like these. In the mosques, radical Muslims are preaching jihad, and they don't mean spiritual struggle -- as this young convert discovered (as he evidently embraced wholeheartedly the idea of jihad as warfare against unbelievers). From the Casper Star Tribune, with thanks to Ali Dashti:

A Wyoming Technical Institute student charged with attempting to help terrorists in Somalia reportedly said he wished he had flown a hijacked plane during the Sept. 11 attacks, federal authorities said.

Mark Robert Walker, 19, of Rochester, N.Y., had become interested in Islam at a mosque in his hometown, said one official familiar with the case, according to the Washington Post.


"He seems like a lost guy who got obsessed with jihad," the official told the newspaper.


Federal prosecutors accuse Walker of planning to supply Ittihad al Islamiya -- which wants an Islamic government in Somalia -- with night-vision goggles and bullet-proof vests. Charging documents say he used the computer of a roommate at the Laramie school, also known as WyoTech, to make the arrangements."

[Cindy]

Reposting this from another thread (Threat Matrix):

To: All


Roommate's computer led to arrest of student on terrorist charge

By ROBERT W. BLACK
Associated Press Writer

November 10, 2004, 7:49 PM EST

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Using the computer of a roommate whose job involves campus security led to the arrest of a Wyoming Technical Institute student on suspicion of supporting a Somalian terrorist group, a spokesman for the Laramie trade school said Wednesday.

Mark Robert Walker, 19, of suburban Rochester, N.Y., is charged with providing support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--terrorsuspectarre1110nov10,0,2294095.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire


3,150 posted on 11/11/2004 6:47:45 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT (Character exalts Liberty and Freedom, Righteous exalts a Nation.)

[Cindy]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138500,00.html

"Teen Terror Suspect Arrested"


Saturday, November 13, 2004


STANWOOD, Wash. 

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Months earlier, Walker caused a stir when he left a cryptic note next to his senior portrait in the 2004 yearbook, writing that his "plans for world supremacy are in order. They entail taking over Somalia (search) and working outward, but I should not divulge the exact details of my cunning strategy."


The entry also referred to Walker's "future heroic death" and offered a "death poem" with imagery of a grenade exploding and the phrase "all shall pass this world.""

[CWOJackson]

"...but I should not divulge the exact details of my cunning strategy."

I guess El Paso was a flaw in this strategy. Washington sure can breed some gems.

[Cindy]

When one drinks at the well of liberalism...
...and that's the problem.

[psyco_flounder]

he used to live in northern snohomish county of washington state (he went to my high school) but snohomish county has had three others arrested for terrorism related things...haha

[Domestic Church]

Ping to post #64

[Walkin Man]

Hey we gotta keep those southern borders porous so we can fill all those jobs that lazy Americans won't do for less than minimum wage and no benefits.

If a few al-Quida terror cells slip through to do a Belsan American-style, well thats the price we are all going to pay for cheap lettuce!

[89ranger]

I actually went to school with this kid, at Stanwood High School. I graduated the year before him. He was actually a pretty smart kid when it came to academics, I only had one class with him which was chemistry and he was always the one to get the best grades and seemed to know what he was doing. It appeared to me that he never really had a whole lot of friends in school, but then again I never really knew him personally. From the time I spent with him in class, it does not surprise me at all that he would do something like this, in his free time he learned how to speak Hebrew, and seemed to know a lot about weapons and bombs.

[1467B]

I went to school with Mark since elementary school and I can assure you this is all a joke and he doesn't hate the US government at all. Mark was just one of those kind of weird kids. He taught himself Arabic, was obsessed with weapons, and had interesting ideas about government...signs, I admit, he may share with a terrorist. But look at the kid...he's a tiny little guy and he's not a fighter at ALL. Also, the yearbook comments you may have heard about were not the first signs of his plans. He has talked crazy like that all his life. If he were serious the whole time, this has been planned since he was a little kid. This kid is a genius, by far the smartest kid I've ever met in my life...he's plenty clever enough to avoid apprehension and he would not admit anything. So far, Mark hasn't done much...he's made a few comments on websites and supposedly was leaving to buy weapons. (1) Mark is one of those weird kids who would get amusement out of making such comments...just to get people talking, just for some attention, and just to make himself laugh. (2) $2100 isn't much money and the only evidence so far of Mark going to buy weapons is his comments...which were probably just another attention-grabbing comment. He was LAUGHING when he was cuffed up & walking to jail. This is just thoroughly amusing to Mark. Also, Mark had interesting plans about government and the US wasn't his plan, but he never expressed ANTI-American sentiments. He's disagreed with US pursuits and choices, but he's just not one of those psycho terrorists. He's just a different kind of kid who was interested in weird things. This is all just a little joke...

[Yaelle]

OK, since you know him. But he had better be careful about what he jokes about, because it might be like saying "bomb" as you are checked for a flight.

[FITZ]

I got the impression that this guy was in this for some kind of attention more than anything --- he didn't look angry or scared being led out in handcuffs --- he looked kind of proud -- like he finds it all interesting --- and he's getting his 15 minutes of fame now.

Maybe someone who resents not being noticed or recognized --- and he found the way to overcome that.