AP reports that the FBI's Special Agent in Charge in Oregon says:
"We have people here in Oregon that have trained in jihadist camps in bad areas. In the bad neighborhoods of the world," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Jordan.Asked what he meant by "bad neighborhoods," he said Afghanistan, as well as several other countries he would not specify...He said the FBI knows "they've trained overseas, taken oaths to kill Americans and engage in jihad," but the challenge is "to prove those things."
....Discussing his office's participation in the ongoing war on terrorism, Jordan said that last fall FBI agents in Oregon took part in an analysis of crop-dusting aircraft across the country. U.S. officials had received intelligence that al-Qaida intended to use a crop duster to spray biological or chemical weapons on American targets, he said.
Beth Anne Steele, spokeswoman for the FBI's Portland office, said it was the second time since Sept. 11, 2001, that FBI agents had interviewed owners and pilots of crop-duster planes. The purpose is not just to make an accounting of where the aircraft are, she said, but also to encourage people who use the planes to contact the FBI if a suspicious person inquires about buying such aircraft.
Unlike "civil libertarians" harrumphing about "profiling" of terrorist suspects and "Orwellian" surveillance, I am very glad the FBI is on the case. As we learned after 9/11, they need to more vigilant, rather than less so.
Oregon already has achieved a degree of notoriety, in terms of attracting sociopaths who see mass poisonings as just another hammer in the toolkit. Perhaps you have heard about the religious cult that poisoned 10 salad bars in The Dalles, Oregon, in order to help candidates it favored win a local election. No kidding.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at January 26, 2005 02:47 PM
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I'm glad the FBI is on the job too, but I have a basic question: How do they know they've done these things if they can't prove it? Heaven forbid that Special Agent Jordan should have to prove something. I'm not harrumphing about profiling or Orwellian surveillance, but I don't think it's too much to ask the police to have proof before they accuse people. This wouldn't be the first time that an agency hyped itself in order to justify its budget.
Posted by: Steve at January 26, 2005 03:49 PMI don't know their sources for sure, Steve, and we can all understand why they cannot reveal those sources. But I suspect these FBI claims come from "humint" or "human intelligence." That's obviously not always perfect, but then they're just watching certain individuals, they are not formally charging any of these reputed "jihadists" in Oregon yet, nor naming them.
Posted by: Matt R. at January 26, 2005 04:28 PMAs a bonafide libertarian, I do find the FBI's internal intelligence to be more than a little disconcerting.
On the other hand, the sort of people that scream about this are also the first to stomp on our civil liberties in several other areas.
The Seattle Silly Council prides itself on speaking out against profiling, the Patriot Act, and everything else the Bush administration is doing to weed out the islamofascists, but then turn around and pass a law that prohibits cabbies from talking on the phone.
It's impossible to be 100% consistent all the time, but 75% seems reasonable.
Posted by: DeadManVoting (aka Iguana) at January 26, 2005 06:38 PM