A New York City undercover operative, testifying under the alias Kamil Pasha, discovered "potential terrorists in our midst."
A young undercover city detective spent four years in the shadowy world of terrorist wanna-bes - taking part in jihadist discussions and training in parks in the dead of night - to get a handle on the homegrown threat... At great personal risk, he participated in everything from prayers at a mosque to martial arts training under cover of darkness to watching jihadist videos, with many of the activities laced with talk of killing, according to a source familiar with the undercover's investigations.
His experiences paint a vivid portrait of the potential for local terror. While the picture is in no way indicative of the city's Muslim population as a whole, it provides insight into its most radical element... The detective spent his time interacting with informal groups of youths and men who shared extremist views - and his experiences illustrate what police say is the potential for radicalization of some elements in the community.
He reported that after prayers at a neighborhood mosque, there were often private classes that included discussions about bombing different areas... [they] discussed violent jihad in bookstores, private houses and on buses en route to paintball and shooting-range events... [and] ideological justifications for killing Westerners.
...The detective reported that some youths became extremists after they traveled to their home countries; others went on the hajj - the pilgrimage to Mecca - and came back fired up by imams who encouraged violence as a religious obligation... Others, after visiting relatives abroad, became enraged at their family's living conditions and blamed the U.S. for supporting nondemocratic governments.
New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly was blunt in his assessment.
"We're still very much learning about our enemy... [While the homegrown threat is real] ...An attack from afar by Al Qaeda is always a possibility... We have our ear to the ground... We are aware of the possibility of a threat to this city developing very close to home."
Will someone please tell Kelly and New York City's largely Democratic leadership that they are engaging in the dreaded politics of fear?
Especially for: Progressive Gary, who continually accuses Republicans of engaging in the "politics of fear"
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