Threats

Well violent Political Islam was at it again recently. First we have an Afghan immigrant and an unknown number of accomplices attempt to make bombs and launch an attack on September 11th. What is disturbing about the case is that an Imam who was working with the FBI also tipped off the suspect. Then we have a U.S. convert to Islam attempt to set off a car bomb in Springfield, IL. A Jordanian national attempted to set off another car bomb in Dallas, TX. This in addition to some other US citizen arrested last month on terrorism charges have admitted to planning to attack the Marine Corps base at Quanitco, VA (probably not the smartest plan ever).

These type of plots show the danger of the individual jihadists. The people are not tied to a specific group, are self funded, and have radicalized on their own or through the mosque. Add this to the number of young men that have gone to Somalia to fight for al-Shaabab. Add to the list of threats are the anarchist, socialists like the ones that have been tearing up Pittsburgh the last few days and the eco-terrorists that struck last week and burned a building down. That leaves us with a significant terrorism threat in the United States.

Something else that should be taken into account is the continued threat of Mexican Drug Trafficking organizations who are currently at war with the Mexican military and police on the border of the United States. This violence threatens to spill further over into the United States.

The Joint Terrorism Task Forces have their work cut out for them and have been very busy as of late. Maybe now the Department of Homeland Security will recognize the real threats and not the imagined ones.