Clues to how a young man went from ‘classic teenage boy’ to accused Islamic State sympathizer

Washington Post ^ | January 1, 2017 | Terrence McCoy

[rightwingintelligentsia]

A skeletal portrait of the Sterling, Va., man federal authorities have accused of obstructing a terrorism investigation began to come into focus on Monday — that of a directionless youth who converted to Islam at the end of high school, married a significantly older Muslim woman, had a child who died as an infant, and became increasingly religious until an arrest Friday that allegedly included him destroying a computer thumb drive that authorities suspect may have contained evidence of terrorism-related activity.

In the months before that arrest, court filings allege, Sean Andrew Duncan, 21, who will appear in federal court on Tuesday, acted in a manner that was “indicative of an individual planning and researching how to conduct an attack,” including research into materials relating to the Islamic State, terrorist attacks, weapons, surveillance tactics and body armor.

Now, family members are struggling to reconcile the man they had believed Duncan to be with the one federal agents say he had become.

[Leaning Right]

> He wasn’t aware of Bush at age 11 or 12. <

True, but Bush set the tone. Just like FDR set the tone after Pearl Harbor. FDR told us we were at war with Japan, period. And that idea permeated all of American society. No one would have considered joining some sort of pro-Japanese organization.

But after 9/11 (an obvious Islamic attack) Bush told us that Islam is a peaceful religion. There is nothing wrong with Islam. It’s as American as apple pie.

I know many FReepers are not fans of FDR. But after 9/11, we needed another FDR, someone to clearly and honestly frame the conflict ahead of us. We sure didn’t get another FDR with W.

[bk1000]

Hard to read the comments at the Post website. Those people are disturbed. They actually believe the WaPo BS.

[wbarmy]

FDR - The only two things I need to make a judgement on FDR is the SS St Lewis and the Betrayal of the Cossacks.

[iontheball]

only clue needed: islam.
_____________________________
And Satan’s jeweled crown.

[rbg81]

I blame popular culture (including politicians and media) who dance around the truth on Islam while demonizing Judeo-Christianity. If you watch TV or movies, Muslims are portrayed as righteous, peaceful people. White Christians are portrayed as the problem.

Luckily most people don’t buy the propaganda. But a few suckers always do.

[FreedomPoster]

I’ve been saying for at least a decade that Bush set us back at least 25 years in properly addressing the issue with his “peaceful, friendly religion” nonsense.

It simply isn’t, in word, deed, and history since inception.

[rbg81]

I just watched one of the Season 4 episodes of “Black Mirror” (Crocodile) on Netflix. The villain was a middle aged Blond mother who, of course, murders a Muslim family in cold blood. What's not to believe? [/s] This is the kind of propaganda being pumped out by the Media.

[Leaning Right]

Churchill was one of the main planners of the bloody Gallipoli Campaign (1915). That invasion was a complete fiasco. Yet for all his failures, Churchill was the right man at the right place at the start of WW II. Same goes for FDR.

So yeah, I wish W had been more like FDR after 9/11.

As for FDR’s many failures, I won’t try to defend them, because they cannot be defended.

[JudyinCanada]

I saw no mention of the boy’s father.....another little boy being raised in a testosterone vacuum?

Speaking of vacuums.....more often than not our kids are raised these days with nothing in their souls. If our kids were raised with God’s love and teaching, they would know in their spirits what NOT to take an interest in. We leave them spiritually empty....SOMETHING will fill that void.

[PGR88]

People who become orthodox Christians, Buddhists or Hindus do things like fasting, helping the poor, living in monasteries.

People who convert or become orthodox Muslims want to kill.

[60Gunner]

A “child” at 21? I was a soldier at 17, a commissioned officer at 20.

Thanks for your service!

When I was 18, I was jumping out of perfectly good airplanes and carrying my weight in kit, including an M60.

This generation completely baffles me.

[Redleg Duke]

Loved the 60...almost as much as “Ma Duce”. Wish I could get a M-14. Of course, Slick spent millions on a machine to destroy them.

[Finatic]

11C1P when I was 18 and I sure was no kid even though I came from single mother home with two sisters.

[60Gunner]

Yeah, I have to admit I was a bit of a mama's boy. Only son, youngest of 4 kids, was sickly to the point of nearly dying a couple of times when I was really young, so mom was a bit overprotective.

Looking back, joining the Army was the best thing that I could have done for myself. I never fired a shot in anger for my country, but still the constant training to be ready to do it grew me the hell up real fast. The most important lesson was that if I failed, then I had to include myself in the root cause analysis. If I was the cause, then I didn't blame anyone else. I fixed it and drove on.

Yep. Learned some really good lessons back then.

Can't say that about most of my generation, or the one that came after, who (with some few shining exceptions who serve our country now) wouldn't cross the street for their freedom, let alone put any skin in the game.