Four men in Newburgh, NY, are arrested by federal agents in a supposed plot to bomb two synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down military planes at Stewart International Airport with Stinger missiles. The men are apparently all Black converts to Islam; one is a Haitian immigrant; most have drug convictions and converted in prison. (NYT [2], May 21) The (disabled) Stinger missile, of course, originated with the FBI infiltrator. We wonder how much more of the plot originated with the FBI infiltrator.
Some deconstructions of the first New York Times [3] account of the arrests, May 20. Propaganda words in bold:
A federal law enforcement official described the plot as "aspirational" — meaning that the suspects wanted to do something but had no weapons or explosives — and described the operation as a sting with a cooperator within the group.
"It was fully controlled at all times," a law enforcement official said.
"Fully controlled"? A virtual admission that the scheme originated with the FBI. For "aspirational," we say "specious [4]." For "cooperator," we say "provocateur." The Times also notes that the men have been charged with "conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction." Stinger missiles are "weapons of mass destruction"? The US is guilty of providing Islamist extremists in Afghanistan "weapons of mass destruction" during the 1980s Mujahedeen war?
We have repeatedly called out [5] the annoying conspiranoids who think al-Qaeda doesn't exist and all terrorism on Earth originates in "false flag" operations. But there is nonetheless some logic in the anarchist aphorism "The State creates its own enemies."
A little good news from Newsday [6], May 22:
Dozens of rabbis, priests and imams showed support Friday for members of the two Riverdale Jewish sites that were targets of a foiled terrorist plot this week.
"It's very important, because when these types of things happen, Muslim leaders can't be quiet," said Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid, the deputy emir of the Muslim Alliance in North America, during a meeting at the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx. "We have to speak out so that no one will be interpreting what we are thinking or how we are feeling about situations. That's why we thought it was critical we be here."
Sakhawat Hussain, chairman of the Al-Mahdi Foundation, an Islamic organization that covers New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, said, "It's the message of the faith. Terrorists do not have any relevance. We don't accept them as Muslims. Muslim means those who are the followers of peace. If you subscribe to any terrorist activity, you are not Muslim. This is the lesson of [the] Quran."
Religious leaders began reaching out to the Riverdale Jewish Center and Riverdale Temple shortly after word of the failed plot became public late Wednesday. The Brooklyn-based Muslim group Council of People Organization and the Jewish Community Relations Council hastily scheduled a conference call of solidarity among religious leaders across the city, said Mohammad Razvi, the leader of the Brooklyn group.
See our last posts on fear [7] in New York City [8] and the struggle within Islam [9].
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