Terror Group That Claimed Kenya Attack Has Recruited Americans Before

Terror Group That Claimed Kenya Attack Has Recruited Americans Before Sept. 22, 2013

By BRIAN ROSS, JAMES GORDON MEEK and MEGAN CHUCHMACH Brian Ross More from Brian » ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent

Home> Investigative Unit Terror Group That Claimed Kenya Attack Has Recruited Americans Before Sept. 22, 2013 By BRIAN ROSS, JAMES GORDON MEEK and MEGAN CHUCHMACH Brian Ross More from Brian » ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent

The same group that claimed responsibility for an attack on a Kenyan mall this weekend that has claimed at least 62 lives has previously recruited dozens of Americans to join their cause.

U.S. officials estimate that as many as 50 Americans have traveled to training camps in Somalia, the home of the al Qaeda-linked terror group al-Shabaab, over the last six years.

Just last month, al-Shabaab released a video showing three young men claiming to be from Minneapolis who the terror group said later died as martyrs.

"This is the best place to be honestly," one of the men says. "I can only tell you from my experience being here, that you have the best of dreams, you eat the best of food, and you're with the best of the brothers and sisters who came here for the sake of Allah. If you guys only knew how much fun we have over here. This is the real Disneyland, you need to come here and join us and take pleasure in this fun."

Kenya mall siege will help terror group recruit in US, say experts

By Joshua Rhett Miller

Published September 23, 2013

| FoxNews.com

The grisly massacre at an upscale Kenyan shopping mall by al-Shabab militants is a “great shot in the arm” to the Al Qaeda-linked group’s efforts to recruit fighters from the West, including the U.S., terror experts tell FoxNews.com.

At least 62 people have been killed and nearly 200 others were injured in the Saturday attack by al-Shabab, an extremist Islamic group believed to have roughly several thousand fighters, including a few hundred foreigners. Some of those include recruits from Somali communities in the United States and Europe and intelligence analysts said Monday those numbers could grow now that al-Shabab militants have attacked, running counter to the Obama administration’s claims that Al Qaeda and its global affiliates are weakening.

“Clearly the attack in Nairobi and the target was selected for its propaganda value,” said Mark Schroeder, vice president of Africa analysis at Stratfor, a geopolitical intelligence firm. “Al-Shabab has really not been successful attacking hardened sites in Somalia, so it clearly shifted its method by attacking this preeminent shopping mall in Nairobi. It will be a great shot in the propaganda arm to show that al-Shabab is a vibrant militant group.”

By selecting and ultimately carrying out an attack on a soft target such as a shopping mall frequented by Westerners and affluent locals, al-Shabab — which means “The Youth” in Arabic — sent a clear message to would-be jihadists, Schroeder said.

“We’re still credible and we’re alive,” he said. “So come join us. That’s going to be the message.”

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/23/kenya-mall-siege-will-help-terror-group-recruit-in-us-say-experts/

Seen these pictures before, but thanks anyway.

You think the American public will wake up if this were to happen in a shopping mall in Washington D.C?

Perhaps not in DC because they have their heads stuck in the sand but it will draw attention if this were to happen in Boston. The guv will have a chance to lock down all of MA.

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