[Vision2020] Six Arrested for Plotting to Kill Soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J.

[Tom Hansen]

>From the American Forces Press Service -

-------------------------------------------------------------

Six Arrested for Plotting to Kill Soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J.

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2007 - FBI agents arrested five radical Islamists for
allegedly plotting to "kill as many U.S. soldiers as they could" at the
Army's Fort Dix, N.J., and a sixth defendant is charged with aiding and
abetting members of the domestic terror group, authorities announced today. 

The arrests, which occurred last night in Cherry Hill, N.J., as suspects
tried to buy three AK47 assault rifles and four semi-automatic M-16s from a
confidential government witness, culminate a 16-month FBI investigation into
the groups' alleged plot to kill soldiers with assault rifles and rocket
propelled grenades, according to a complaint filed in the Camden, N.J.
Federal court. 

"The philosophy that supports and encourages jihad around the world against
Americans came to live here in New Jersey and threatened the lives of our
citizens through these defendants. Fortunately, law enforcement in New
Jersey was here to stop them," Christopher Christie, U.S. Attorney for the
district of New Jersey, told reporters outside the courthouse. 

"We were able to do what American law enforcement is supposed to do in the
post 9/11 era, and that is to be one step ahead of those who are attempting
to do harm to American citizens," he said. 

The special agent in charge of the FBI in Philadelphia, Jody Weis, described
the "homegrown" group as new brand of terrorism that's inspired by al Qaeda,
but not necessarily affiliated with the international organization. 

Weiss called the suspects a platoon that sought to take on an Army. 

"They identified their target, they did their reconnaissance, they had maps,
and they were in the process of buying weapons," he said. "Today we dodged a
bullet. In fact, when you look at the type of weapons this group was trying
to purchase, we may have dodged a lot of bullets." 

The FBI's investigation began January 2006 when a video store representative
tipped off officials after a man brought a "disturbing" video to be
converted to DVD format. Weiss thanked the unnamed clerk for displaying
vigilance, calling the worker an "unsung hero." 

According to the court complaint, the video "depicted 10 young men who
appeared to be in their early twenties shooting assault weapons at a firing
range in a militia-like style while calling for jihad and shouting in Arabic
'Allahu Akbar,'" or God is Great. 

Three of these men were suspects Dritan, Eljvir and Shain Duka, the brothers
born in former Yugoslavia who have been living in the U.S. illegally and
operating a roofing company. Other suspects include legal U.S. residents
Serdar Tatar, a convenience store clerk born in Turkey, and Mohamad Irahim
Shnewar, a Jordanian-born taxi driver. 

Agron Abdullahu, a shop clerk born in former Yugoslavia, is charged only
with aiding and abetting the Duka brothers' illegal possession of weapons,
which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, Justice
Department officials said. 

Transcripts of the recorded conversations between two witnesses and suspects
appear in the court complaint. During one conversation, Shnewer stated that
he and the first witness, called CW-1, should view a video stored on the
suspect's computer, but that they had to do so in private because "it's
about something that can lead to prison." 

"The DVD contains video footage of various jihadist images while a narrator
recruits the observer to the jihadist movement," the court complaint states.
The court document describes another video that contained what appears to be
the last will and testament of at least two of the highjackers involved in
the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks. 

After undergoing weapons training in Gouldsboro, Pa., in January 2006,
Shnewer and the witness conducted surveillance on several military bases,
including Fort Dix; Fort Monmouth, N.J.; Dover Air Force Base, Del.; and the
U.S. Coast Guard Building in Philadelphia. 

Shnewer explained to the witness in August 2006 that he and the other
suspects had saved up money to purchase weapons and were "not afraid to
die." The document describes Shnewer lamenting the missed opportunity to
attack U.S. military personnel during the Army-Navy football game that had
been recently played in Philadelphia. 

He recommended to CW-1 they use six or seven jihadists to attack and kill at
least 100 soldiers with rocket-propelled grenades or other weapons, the
court document states. 

"If you want to do anything here, there is Fort Dix, and I don't want to
exaggerate, and I assure you that you can hit an American base very easily,"
Shnewer is quoted as saying in the court complaint. "You take a map and draw
it, and then you calculate that there are areas where there are 100-200
individuals and you should allocate six to seven persons for this alone." 

When asked how he would obtain a map of the base, Shnewer told the witness
that the suspect Serdar used to deliver pizzas nearby. "I know that Serdar
knows it like the palm of his hand," Shnewer allegedly said. 

In a conversation recorded March 2007 between the second informant, CW-2,
and two of the Duka brothers, Shain Duka "explained that (the suspect) Tatar
wanted to join the U.S. Army so that he could kill U.S. soldiers from the
'inside,'" the court document states. The complaint includes no evidence
suggesting Tatar tried to enlist in U.S. Armed Forces, however. 

In January 2007, three of the suspects obtained handguns, shotguns and
semi-automatic assault weapons to be used for further training, according to
the court complaint. 

-------------------------------------------------------------

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho