Posted on 02/13/2006 10:47:37 AM PST by highlander_UW
Report: Pennsylvania 'patriot' tried to blow up oil pipelines
Federal agents think American sought to wreck U.S. economy with al-Qaida
Posted: February 12, 2006 5:49 p.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Is he an American patriot, or a terrorist trying to kill the U.S. economy?
That's the question surrounding Michael Curtis Reynolds, a 47-year-old unemployed resident of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., who federal agents say worked with al-Qaida in a plot to blow up the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, a Pennsylvania pipeline, and a New Jersey refinery.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Reynolds is not publicly charged with terrorism, but a federal prosecutor said in a December hearing that Reynolds attempted to "provide material aid to al-Qaida" and that the case "involves a federal offense of terrorism."
"He was doing it as a plan to disrupt governmental function, to change the government's actions in foreign countries, and to impact on the national debate about the war," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gurganus Jr. said at the hearing.
Reynolds, described by his former father-in-law Richard Danise as a "John Wayne wanna-be," has been held in the Lackawanna County jail in Pennsylvania without bail on unrelated weapons charges since Dec. 5. "I got the mortgage for him," Danise told the paper. "He literally wanted to build a castle, with turrets and everything else. But he had no credit, and he never broke ground."
Reynolds' lawyer, Philip Gelso, declined any comment, as did U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Heidi Havens who indicated her office "does not comment on active investigations."
The FBI reportedly conducted a sting two months ago, as Reynolds was allegedly drawn to a meeting with a purported al-Qaida operative about 25 miles from a hotel, in Pocatello, Idaho, where he expected to get $40,000 to finance the alleged plot.
The Inquirer says Reynolds' letters, computer drawings and e-mails detailed his plan to explode trucks filled with propane along the Alaskan pipeline. This included "information on explosive devices, site plans and placement of explosive devices." He also allegedly planned to blow up sections of the Transcontinental Pipeline, a natural-gas pipeline that runs from the Gulf Coast, through Pennsylvania, to New Jersey and New York City. The government also believes he targeted Standard Oil Co. in Perth Amboy, N.J., as well as the Williams Refinery in Opal, Wyo.
According to Gurganus, Reynolds hoped the attacks on the oil industry would "disrupt governmental function," provoke opposition to the Iraq war, drive up fuel prices, and "lend to the efforts by al-Qaida to terrorize this nation."
Federal officials say Reynolds tried to disavow any alleged conspiracy when he was questioned by the FBI. He told them that he, too, was a patriot and was looking to expose an al-Qaida cell operating inside the United States.
"He claimed he was trying to lure this terrorist group in," Gurganus said in court.
Another democrat it sounds like.
"Illegal wiretapping" at work. He'll probably get out on some civil liberties technicality.
Yup. Notice he's unemployed. If liberals all got jobs, liberal organizations like NOW, NARAL, Rainbow PUSH, etc. wouldn't be able to find rent-a-mobs to carry out their political protests for them.
bump
Once in a while, you do run across a genuine right-wing kook, a conservative with a screw loose upstairs. They may be rare, but in a country of several hundred million there have to be a few of them.
It sounds as if this guy may be a genuine right-wing kook. If so, look for the press to give him a lot of publicity.
His motivations sound more like a left wing kook...which is in line with the democrat leadership, since most of them are kooks. The article stated he was trying to drive up support for the anti-war movement...again, a core tenant of the democrat party, not the right wing.
He aided the enemy in a time of war. Try him for treason.
Sounds like he got caught communicated with AQ.
If he wanted to work undercover and take down Al Qaeda, he should have gotten a job with the government in National Security. Barring that, he could have given them a hotline tip.
I wish it was wiretapping, Some may have been involved. no it was Judge who scrounges jihad type websites on her free time, befriends these idiots into a meeting. she was supposedly suppose to be an al queda financier. she is the same one that caught that smacktard national guard member from seatle(go figure) trying to sell tank manuals to al queda members. Aclu and DU types will claim entrapment.
What's his D.U. login name?
Blowstuffupblamebush lol
..."disrupt governmental function," provoke opposition to the Iraq war, drive up fuel prices, and "lend to the efforts by al-Qaida to terrorize this nation."
Sounds like terrorism to me. Execute him.
Oh, I don't know about that. One could hold those views as a Ron Paul supporter, or a Patsie, too.
As I'm not familiar with Ron Paul or your Patsie reference (although I'm guessing you might be referring to Buchannan), my point stands that the democrat party is targeting the anti-war efforts as it's core, whereas any anti-war stance from the republican side is a fringe group at best. But I do concede that there is a small number of otherwise self identified republicans who are anti-war.
Well, I won't insist on it until we learn more. But he seemed to be saying, if this article is correct, that he wanted to draw al Qaeda in so the country would rise up against al Qaeda. That's pretty stupid, but it's just possible someone would think that way.
During the days when there were a lot of classic Communists around, they often supported the right rather than the left, under the theory that if things got bad enough, that would provoke the Proletariat to rise and throw off their chains. Whereas if a non-Communist Socialist got elected, that would serve to postpone the revolution.
Not really quite enough to go by, but that's what it sounds like, from a right wing kook perspective rather than a left wing kook perspective.
It is not outside of the realm of possibility that Al Qaida or some other Muslim extremist group may recruit among such disgruntled groups.
Didn't the Khazar theory originate with Arthur Koestler? Ironically he meant it as something that would be beneficial to the Jews...absolving them of being descendants of the Jews who had supposedly committed deicide.
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