The Genesis of ISIS

How and where does a terrorist organization begin and grow?   Not necessarily where you'd think.   The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,
more commonly referred to as ISIS is by far the most virulent terrorist organization of the 21st Century.  Its goal,  of establishing a Caliphate  in the area of Iraq and Syria,  is pursued by the deadly sword of hatred toward all who do not accept its form of radical Islamic theology.



Bow the knee or lose the head is the choice often put to whole cities or tribes in the area.

The current threat extends beyond the region since the call by its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to individuals around the globe to maim, kill, or inflict fear (through acts of violence) to the unbelievers.
Examples of others heading his call have been seen most recently in Sydney Australia,  Toronto Canada, and Moore, Oklahoma.

We are now finding out that many of the current leaders of ISIS, as well
as al Baghdadi, were in fact incarcerated in prison together.
The facility known as Camp Bucca in the area of Umm Qasr in Iraq was operated by the U.S. military from 2003 to 2010 when the U.S. ceded control to the Iraqi government.  The name of the prison was after a New York City fire marshal, Ronald Bucca who died in the September 11th attack by
al-Qaeda.
It was during this time of the operation by American forces and consultants that prisoners utilized the free time given to them to congregate through out the day.  As reported by Martin Chulov's interview with a member of ISIS who uses the name, Abu Ahmed , upon al-Baghdadi's arrival in the prison all the inmates deferred to his leadership and authority.  They often met together without interference from prison administrators.  Ahmed stated; “We had so much time to sit and plan,” he continued. “It was the perfect environment. We all agreed to get together when we got out. The way to reconnect was easy. We wrote each other’s details on the elastic of our boxer shorts. When we got out, we called. Everyone who was important to me was written on white elastic. I had their phone numbers, their villages. By 2009, many of us were back doing what we did before we were caught. But this time we were doing it better.”

This is a typical jail wise tactic used by convicts around the globe to establish lines of communication beyond the wall.  That incarcerated terrorists learned these so quickly and were able to grow in the environment should come as no surprise to seasoned law enforcement officials.
What is disturbing is that they (Administrators) took no credible action to disrupt or impede the growth.  Allowing inmates to congregate freely is a security risk that cannot be overlooked in the name of "rehabilitation" or socialization.

The United States as well as the UK and France are now faced with an inordinate number of individuals who have committed terrorist acts currently incarcerated in their prison system.
Left to themselves and allowed to attract and influence other inmates will only produce a more deadly
group than ISIS.

Peacemakers Not Pundits Needed

In the current crisis of confidence regarding the Criminal Justice System, brought on by the recent Grand Jury decisions in Ferguson and New York City, it appears that the voice that yells the loudest gets the most attention irregardless of truth.
TV and Internet News organizations are scurrying to find a commentator to fit their mold while sending out cameramen and reporters to trail protesters for the latest in "what are you seeing"
What's really needed and what we are not currently seeing are peacemakers, individuals who will bridge the gap between those who have the perception that the scales of justice are tipped against them and those who are sworn to uphold the law.

It is not a popular time to be a law enforcement officer.  To balance the rule of law within the community you serve is no easy task.  Crime effects everyone not just the victim.  Left unchecked it will produce anarchy.  Yet in administering justice, the officer has to be part priest, part teacher, and part neighbor.  The greatest tool that an officer carries everyday to work is not the gun, or the handcuffs, or the citation book.  It is his (or hers) communication skills.  The ability to hear and understand what is being said to them and more importantly the ability to defuse tense situations.
Everyday thousands of law enforcement officers are called on to  "keep the peace" in the jurisdictions they serve.   And they do it admirably, often without thanks,  sometimes at the cost of their lives.
Pundits only talk.  And as the saying goes. "talk is cheap"
What is really needed now is more peacemakers.

The Face of a Terrorist: Radicalization and the Social Media

The family of Oklahoma beheading suspect Alton Nolen has expressed shock at how the ex-con raised in a Christian home could have committed such a gruesome crime, but experts say he fits the profile of a growing number of jihadists....

Law enforcement authorities have said Nolen viewed the group’s grisly videotapes showing the beheadings of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and his Facebook page included a picture of a beheaded victim.

“These images and social media messages are extremely powerful,” said Patrick Dunleavy, former deputy inspector general of the New York State Criminal Intelligence Unit and author of the 2011 book “The Fertile Soil of Jihad: Terrorism’s Prison Connection.”. “In the past, we thought of terror groups in terms of cells, or handlers who coordinated attacks. But they no longer need handlers in direct contact to bring the crazy guy along and convince him to do their will. They can do it online and unilaterally."

Arnett Gaston, a professor of criminology at University of Maryland and a former commanding officer at New York’s Rikers Island jail, said inmates who find faith while doing time have historically changed their lives for the good and been a positive influence in prisons. But Gaston acknowledged that terrorist groups are targeting young Muslim converts, and law enforcement must take the issue seriously.

Read more - Fox News

Preventing Another Violent Act by a Deranged Terrorist

The signs were all there, glaring, waiting to be seen.  The predisposition to violence, time spent in prison, emotionally unstable,  website postings.   Alton Nolen was not an aberration.  He was if anything a ticking time bomb with a short fuse.  His firing from Vaughn Foods was simply the catalyst that tripped the trigger in his mind to move from jihadi thoughts to violent action.  One small switch, one perceived slight and he was gone.  Doing what he had heard and seen of others, specifically ISIS members beheading innocent victims in the Middle East.  The call to him was clear, at least in his twisted mind.  Several radical Islamist groups had recently urged American “lone wolfs” to act in the name of Allah and attack innocents where ever they could.
Could this action have been stopped before it started.  Should authorities have known beforehand what an individual like this could do.   Is there a profile or tell tale signs that authorities should have picked up on?   The answer is yes.
Over ten years ago a US Intelligence agency report on the profile of potential terrorist (violent extremists) was issued that stated in part;

"Based on a variety of reporting - including a preliminary analysis of a small sample of US converts to Islam who become associated with extremist violence...we assess.. Some individuals, particularly those who convert in prison, may be attracted directly to jihadi violence at the outset of their conversion for opportunistic rather than ideological reasons.  For this group, jihad represents a convenient outlet for aggressive behavior."

The report goes on to say:  "In an apparent play on this psychological vulnerability...extremist groups are actively recruiting prisoners…"

  Read more.....in the New York Post

NYPD Commissioner Agrees with Author on Questioning Individuals Arrested

NYPD Commissioner William Bratton
Photo: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM

In a recent interview with the Jerusalem Post,
New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton defended the right for police to ask pertinent questions to arrestees.  This comes on the heels of a recent New York Times article criticizing the PD for asking Muslim inmates if they had specific knowledge of  possible criminal activity, including terrorism that they would be willing to divulge to the police.

In response to the accusations of a prejudicial policing policy when it comes to Muslims, Bratton stated that the technique is " an essential element of policing."

He went on to say, "I created this policy back in 1994, in New York City last time I was commissioner, where every person arrested was interviewed by detectives about not necessarily the crime they committed but do they have information about other crimes and is there an ability to develop these people into confidential informants,”

The Commissioner's position was further reinforced by his Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism, John Miller.   Miller, sitting along side Bratton in the interview stated;
" I think the basic tenet of policing is that when you take people into custody, you try to get information from them. This is how we take guns, this is how we seize narcotics, this is how we solve murders every single day. In the area of counterterrorism, this is how you are going to gain insight and visibility where you would otherwise have very little.”

One terrorism expert compared the comments made by the Commissioner and his Deputy to a recent article in the New York Post by the author of "The Fertile Soil of Jihad" saying: "Bratton's comments underscore what Patrick Dunleavy pointed out... Using suspects to try to learn about other crimes and conspiracies is an everyday police practice, has been for years, and simply is common sense."

Now if only the New York Times would agree...but that maybe asking to much