Posted on 04/12/2007 12:45:03 PM PDT by SmithL
Hizbullah hasn't conducted attacks in America out of concern that it would provoke too strong a response and disrupt the organization's fund-raising in the US, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation assessments.
"They want to maintain a low profile by engaging in criminal activity [but] not direct attacks," Thomas Fuentes, special agent in charge of the FBI's International Operations, said Wednesday at a foreign press briefing. "They've not been enthusiastic about doing it on US soil because of the attention and reaction that would occur." Fuentes said any attack in America would mean a large boost in US resources devoted to countering Hizbullah.
Fuentes described the FBI as having a "close relationship" with Israel when it comes to combating terrorism, adding that that was also true for the FBI's counterparts in neighboring countries.
Fuentes contrasted Hizbullah's strategy with that of al-Qaida. "If they could come in an attack us again, they would," he said of the latter.
Hizbullah, for its part, has focused its efforts in America on recruiting money. "These are fund-raising support cells in the organization as opposed to planning cells," according to Fuentes.
He pointed to a case in Charlotte, North Carolina in which brothers Muhammad and Chawki Hamoud were sentenced in 2002 for funneling funds to Hizbullah. They made money by smuggling cigarettes, for which they and their ring were also charged, along with money laundering, credit card fraud, marriage fraud and immigrations violations.
Speaking generally, Fuentes said organized crime syndicates will sometimes perform services such as document falsification for terrorists. But, he explained, that doesn't mean there are "true partnerships" between the two entities, as terrorist and organized crime groups tend not to trust each other and don't have shared goals.
"The motive of a terrorist is to make a statement - political, religious," Fuentes said. "Usually the motive of organized crime is greed."
I believe it’s the same reaction that Tom Clancy wrote about the IRA in one of his books...Jacks wife and Daughter where hurt by what was thought to be IRA and the spokesman for the IRA had a cow and fell over himself to say it wasn’t them...
I believe it’s why the “Smart” terrorists don’t attack our soil...nobody kicks my dog but me and at least for a day or two this country would be united again..
Unless of course they get the orders from their terrorist masters in Tehran to conduct terrorist attacks against the US, in particular when we attack the terrorist regime there.
“I believe it’s why the “Smart” terrorists don’t attack our soil...nobody kicks my dog but me and at least for a day or two this country would be united again..”
A whole day or 2? I think you’re overly optimistic.
TRANSLATION: "The GWOT is working."
On WTC911 the first broadcast speculation as to who did it was Hizbollah and nobody was surprised. There would be a huge US Army base now in Gaza if that had turned out to be the case.
You right....but I can hope can’t I??
People in law enforcement will sometimes describe Hezbollah as less of a "terrorist" organization than a very well-armed and very well-trained organized crime family . . . sort of like the Sopranos with extensive training in explosives and guerilla warfare.
Yeah, they know we’d bomb the crap out of them and their Iranian sponsors.
Hezbollah knows how to help lull a nation and is waiting for an opportune moment.
“Fuentes contrasted Hizbullah’s strategy with that of al-Qaida. “If they could come in an attack us again, they would,” he said of the latter.”
That is why we as a nation thank all who are serving. Every night you are sleeping outside the line next to your Stryker, next to your fellow Soldiers, taking the first shots and carefully deciding whether to shoot back, wondering if that Iraqi has any notion of what liberty/freedom means or what it entails to preserve, please remember with every day that you are out there on the frontlines you are protecting us back here, back home. We thank you for that, more than you will ever know.
Al-Qa'ida is a great exception among major terrorist groups. They don't have any one goal, per se. They're not looking to seize territory, or repel an invader. They're religious fanatics for it's own sake. As opposed to Hizbullah or they Jaysh e-Muhammed, there's no strip of land that, once captured, they will call victory. While that makes AQ seem completely insane, it also makes most extremist groups easier to fathom.
They do have goals. Those goals need resources, and they have a political context. Hizbullah has no need to attack America to further their goals. All it would do is deny themselves funding, and make America an even tighter ally of Israel.
So many elements come into play in the GWOT. And many people cannot or do not want to, connect the dots. A good analysis of what is at stake.
You think he’s optimistic?! I think we’d pull together for a whole 2 weeks.
Ok, 10 days.
Vote for Hillary is a vote to support a srtong Hizbullah.
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