A Coming Domestic Attack?

Is the arrest of Michael Finton an isolated case? Or is this a road sign of coming events? It doesn’t take too much imagination (or memory for that matter) to consider that our nation is overdue for an attack…from within. Michael Finton (aka Talib Islam) was arrested after attempting to detonate a bomb near a federal building. This sounds remarkably similar to the Oklahoma City attack against the Alfred P. Murrah building in April 1995. Fortunately, Finton is not that bright. He had a van full of inactive explosives and likely didn’t know what he was doing. Even so, technical non-competence aside, the issue focuses upon motivations. Here is a guy that for whatever reason became enamored with the now imprisoned American gone wrong, John Walker Lindh. On the surface, this validates an opinion that idiots tend to travel in the same circles. Finton will likely be locked away but we should not be fooled to believe the problem is gone.

Last week, Hosam Maher Husein Smadi was arrested after he intended to set off a car bomb in the parking garage of the Fountain Place office tower in Dallas, Texas. Fortunately, Smadi’s bomb was a dud. He had been under FBI surveillance after discovering his intent to conduct an attack against the U.S. through an Internet chat room. Even though Smadi’s car bomb was a decoy, he made it clear that he intended to attack military facilities including recruiting offices, financial companies and an airport. Let’s not forget that we have already seen an attack against our recruiting office when Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad (aka Carlos Bledsoe) shot two soldiers in Little Rock, Arkansas earlier this year. Getting back to Smadi. He drove the vehicle into the parking garage, set the timer, turned on the power switch, then drove to meet undercover agents and dialed a cell phone, expecting to detonate the bomb. He may not have had a real bomb, but he clearly shows his intent to kill Americans here at home.

Another intended bomber is Najibullah Zazi. According to the factual details within the Detention Memo, it describes how Zazi obtained three email accounts used to seek information related to bombmaking. He traveled to Pakistan (where his wife and children live) and obtained bombmaking instructions and a list of materials needed to make TATP, the explosive used in the 2005 London Train bombing and failed shoe bomb attempt by Richard Reid. Once again, this is a case that shows an active intent to conduct an attack within the U.S. by Zazi’s coordinated acquisition of the chemical substances. Additional communications and evidence confirm the objective.

In North Carolina, Daniel Patrick Boyd (aka Saifullah), Hysen Sherifi, and Zakariya Boyd, (aka Zak) were arrested for their plans to attack the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. Boyd showed his intent by survellance of the base and purchasing armor-piercing ammunition for the operation.

The cases above show intent to conduct attacks by those with an Islamic affiliation. Yet, the threat does not stop here. For some, this next example might be a stretch. On September 12, Bill Sparkman was found dead, hanging from a tree in a Kentucky cemetery. Sparkman was a U.S. Census worker. When he was found, he had duct tape wrapped around his neck, wrists and over his eyes. He was stripped naked, wearing only a pair of socks. On his chest written with a felt-tip pen was the word, Fed. This case seems to leave more questions than answers. Let’s consider some. He was found on September 12.

• Did the killing occur on September 11 as the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks?
• Was this a targeted attack against a representative of the U.S. Government or seen as an attack against a symbol of the current administration?
• Was this a Hate crime or an isolated attack by a gang, youth violence or other perpetrators?
• Was this a personal attack indicated by the stripping of his clothes?

Here’s the point. It doesn’t matter if you agree with my perspective or not. Just look at the followining issues and ask yourself if you believe these are excuses that a criminal would use to perpetrate an attack. My point is the fact that we have anti-government groups and individuals that may have had enough and each day they get closer to acting. This comes at a time when our own Law Enforcement and Emergency Management Professionals are facing budget and personnel shortfalls. We are in a critical time.

Our nation is facing economic, moral, political and longevity challenges. There are citizens in this country that are growing weary of the direction of our country. Unemployment increases each month and while families are struggling to keep their homes and feed their children, they see President Obama donate $400,000 to a Libyan charity run by the Gaddafi family. This comes immediately after the Pan Am 103 bomber is released. People in this country are getting mixed messages.

As families and small businesses struggle, they hear of intended fines if they choose not to opt into a government run healthcare system. With my own plan, it looks as though the cost of health insurance will increase $7,000 – $9,000 per year. For some families struggling in our current employment situation, they might not make that much per year. This comes at a time when the President spends millions to fly to Denmark to get the Olympics in Chicago. As we draw nearer to an unpopular healthcare bill, one party that is pushing it wants it voted upon without actually reading what it says. This is similar to a vote where you enter the booth and the person at the door says, You can’t really see what it says. Just vote Yes. Citizens in this country want and deserve the transparency that was promised them.

Each month, our military men and women die in foreign wars or come back maimed. Yet, the President opts to spend only 25-minutes with General McChrystal, the boots-on-the-ground expert of the situation. As each campaign promise is broken, citizens in this country begin to feel lied to and as if they were taken advantage of. Many in this country have concerns for our nation’s longevity and they don’t see their ability to be participants according to the principles of democracy. I really don’t care much what side of the political aisle a person stands and whether they agree with the picture I present above. We’re in a critical time when criminal or terrorist actors have an environment to validate their behavior.

We know through the various bombing attempts in recent days that our country is being targeted by those that care little for our way of life and American freedoms. But given the political environment, do you see where groups or lone wolves could take these examples I pose above and use them as an excuse to kill? Many people would have to say yes because the tensions are there and see bleak futures ahead.

The question: What are we going to do about it? Are we going to be advocates to ensure our Law Enforcement and First Responders are properly funded, staffed and trained? Or, are we going to sit by, wring our fingers and hope that everyone will suddenly get along? To do that would be to live under a rock and that’s exactly where some elected officials want us. Are we going to ensure the elected are held accountable and pursue the betterment of our country or are we going to hope someone else does it for us? Just how much is the cost of a cell phone call to a representative in DC? In the county where I live, law enforcement had to send the annual supply of ammunition back because of budget cuts. Yet, there are more and more instances of tagging by gangs. When people no longer feel they can be a part of the solution, some opt to become part of the problem and criminal activity increases.

The FBI recently began taking a closer look at the propensity of Lone Wolf actors conducting attacks here in the U.S. Nearly every week ATF is on the case of some criminal intending harm to our citizens. It is my belief that it is just a matter of time before we become victim of another domestic attack. Prisoners are being returned to the streets and law enforcement faces challenges because of budget shortfalls. The tensions are there and politicians don’t see the impact of their decisions.

I hope I’m wrong.

Anthony “Tony” M. Davis, CMAS