Replies

I heard recently (possibly a FoxNews story or interview) that the terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda are actively trying to recruit people who do not fit the typical Arab profile (dark skin, dark eyes, dark hair). In fact, there was a blond-haired, blue-eyed person of Polish immigrant living in Germany who made headlines last year.

Terror Suspect’s Departure From Germany Raises Concern in Other Nations

Excerpt:

A German man under investigation for links to top figures of Al Qaeda slipped out of the country last month, withdrawing his four children from school, terminating his lease and obtaining visas for Saudi Arabia without attracting any attention from the police, according to German officials.

Christian Ganczarski, 36, a Polish immigrant who until recently lived in the western German city of Mülheim, had been under investigation since the German police overheard a telephone call from Nizar Nawar, shortly before Mr. Nawar detonated a bomb on April 11 in front of the Ghriba Synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba. The blast killed 21 people, including 14 German tourists.

Mr. Ganczarski is a figure who German prosecutors say may have been able to provide unique knowledge of Qaeda cells. Under interrogation, he has admitted to traveling five times to Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, including once about a month after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"This suspect stands out from all others because he has had contact with the inner circles of Al Qaeda," said Kay Nehm, Germany's chief federal prosecutor, in a recent interview. "We do not find such a witness every day. He is someone who knows a lot."

He is also a European Muslim convert, which might pose some concern to investigators. "The blond-haired, blue-eyed Al Qaeda terrorist is an investigator's nightmare because he does not fit the typical profile," Col. Nick Pratt, a professor at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, said in an interview.

Until recently, Mr. Ganczarski, who was unemployed, lived in Mülheim, near the industry of the Ruhr Valley. As a child, he immigrated to Germany from Poland under laws providing for the return of ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe.

In the mid-1990's, Mr. Ganczarski converted to Islam. The police believe that he was recruited by Al Qaeda in nearby Duisburg. The suspected recruiter, Elfatih Musa Ali, also under investigation in connection with the Tunisian blast, left Germany for Sudan in May, according to the German weekly Der Spiegel.

He is also a European Muslim convert, which might pose some concern to investigators. "The blond-haired, blue-eyed Al Qaeda terrorist is an investigator's nightmare because he does not fit the typical profile," Col. Nick Pratt, a professor at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, said in an interview.

Excellent example of a reason to screen beyond "middle eastern looking."

When he converted to Islam, he should have considered a name change. I doubt "Christian" is that popular for a first name.