Are Americans Like Douglas McAuthur McCain a Threat to America?
By M. Alex Johnson - First published August 27th 2014, 3:43 am - NBC News
The startling news that an American, Douglas McAuthur McCain, died fighting with extremist Islamist rebels in Syria again raises concerns that the Obama administration has sounded for months — that Americans could come back home hardened by conflict in Iraq and Syria and trained to launch terrorist attacks on their own homeland.
U.S. officials said in response to NBC News' exclusive report about McCain that "dozens" of Americans could be fighting at any one time with various extremist groups in the region — including the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS. With fear growing over the turmoil in the Middle East, U.S. intelligence and foreign policy agencies are racing to understand these radicalized Westerners and the potential threats they may pose abroad and at home.
...
Opinions vary widely, but the broad consensus is that about 3,000 of those foreigners are from the West — most from Europe, particularly Britain, but also some from the U.S., Obama administration officials told NBC News. By and large, they're "people who are converts to Islam who have no prior experience to the religion [or] the culture, just like any other American," said NBC News terrorism analyst Evan Kohlmann of Flashpoint Global Partners, which tracks terrorist groups around the world.
...
And they're people like Shannon Maureen Conley, a 19-year-old Muslim convert from Arvada, Colorado, who pleaded guilty to providing assistance to a foreign terrorist organization. According to documents in U.S. District Court in Denver (PDF), Conley told an "active member" of ISIS that she was committed to "violent jihad against non-believers" and planned to travel to Syria to get special training to help ISIS.
...
"They want to expand the caliphate," Gelvin said Tuesday, although he doesn't believe that's really an achievable goal.
...
Are Americans Like Douglas McAuthur McCain a Threat to America - NBC News
========================================
I vote "yes".
Such radicalized American Muslims do, indeed, pose a safety risk to the United States and to our people.
I have no idea how to fix the problem, other than kowtowing to The Adversary, but the problem exists, and may get much worse before it gets better.
Interesting times.
By M. Alex Johnson - First published August 27th 2014, 3:43 am - NBC News
The startling news that an American, Douglas McAuthur McCain, died fighting with extremist Islamist rebels in Syria again raises concerns that the Obama administration has sounded for months — that Americans could come back home hardened by conflict in Iraq and Syria and trained to launch terrorist attacks on their own homeland.
U.S. officials said in response to NBC News' exclusive report about McCain that "dozens" of Americans could be fighting at any one time with various extremist groups in the region — including the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS. With fear growing over the turmoil in the Middle East, U.S. intelligence and foreign policy agencies are racing to understand these radicalized Westerners and the potential threats they may pose abroad and at home.
...
Opinions vary widely, but the broad consensus is that about 3,000 of those foreigners are from the West — most from Europe, particularly Britain, but also some from the U.S., Obama administration officials told NBC News. By and large, they're "people who are converts to Islam who have no prior experience to the religion [or] the culture, just like any other American," said NBC News terrorism analyst Evan Kohlmann of Flashpoint Global Partners, which tracks terrorist groups around the world.
...
And they're people like Shannon Maureen Conley, a 19-year-old Muslim convert from Arvada, Colorado, who pleaded guilty to providing assistance to a foreign terrorist organization. According to documents in U.S. District Court in Denver (PDF), Conley told an "active member" of ISIS that she was committed to "violent jihad against non-believers" and planned to travel to Syria to get special training to help ISIS.
...
"They want to expand the caliphate," Gelvin said Tuesday, although he doesn't believe that's really an achievable goal.
...
Are Americans Like Douglas McAuthur McCain a Threat to America - NBC News
========================================
I vote "yes".
Such radicalized American Muslims do, indeed, pose a safety risk to the United States and to our people.
I have no idea how to fix the problem, other than kowtowing to The Adversary, but the problem exists, and may get much worse before it gets better.
Interesting times.
Last edited:
