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| Terror Networks |
| Converts to evil |
| 2003-09-05 |
| Randall Royer, David Hicks, Jack Roche, Christian Ganczarski. These aren’t the names one expects to see when reviewing a list of those charged with participation in international Islamic terrorism. However, a disturbing number of converts have turned to militancy in a quest to add direction to their lives. Disillusioned with mainstream society, these disaffected men are attracted by the sense of community that Islam offers. While those who adopt mainstream Islam find solace in its teachings, the result can be quite different when converts turn to fundamentalism. What often happens is that these men find in militant Islam an alternative to more well-known antisocial outlets such as neo-Nazi or anarchist groups. Radical fundamentalist Islam allows them to channel their anger into a structured movement that is, in their view, fulfilling God’s will. Militant Islam, in turn, has been actively exploiting these advantages in an all-out recruitment drive. America has witnessed the cases of the "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh and Randall Royer, a convert recently charged for his involvement with the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. But an examination of arrests in the past few years reveals that the problem touches almost every corner of the Western world. Jack Roche, former alcoholic, noted, "I was looking for something to motivate my life. I couldn’t find that in English or Australian culture. . . . I needed some focus . . . Islam gave me that." Roche began attending lectures by Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of the al Qaeda-affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah that operates in Southeast Asia. Bashir’s close associate, Hambali, JI’s recently captured operations chief, recruited Roche and brought him to Malaysia in 1999. Hambali hoped to use Roche to organize a cell of white converts that would target Western interests in Australia. To prepare for future missions, Roche traveled to Afghanistan, where he learned to use explosives. Months after his return, Australian authorities accused Roche of plotting with al Qaeda heavyweight Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to bomb Israeli diplomatic facilities in Australia. The story of the Courtailler brothers provides further insight into how recruiters manipulate young men struggling to find direction in their lives. Raised in a small town in the French Alps, David and Jerome Courtailler spent their teens helping in their father’s butcher shop. When the shop failed and their parents divorced, the Courtaillers began using drugs and drinking heavily. They moved to London, where, living in a poor neighborhood, the brothers converted to radical Islam and attended the same mosques as a number of notorious terrorists, including would-be 9/11 hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui. After months of indoctrination by radical preachers, the brothers accepted the offer of a local al Qaeda recruiter to attend training camps in Afghanistan; they also received $2,000 and a visa to Pakistan. Once in Afghanistan, David found the training "tiresome" and cut his ties to al Qaeda. Jerome, however, remained affiliated with al Qaeda and became involved in a plan to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Paris. There was also Richard "Shoebomber" Reid, a German convert caught by the Israelis planning a bombing on behalf of Hezbollah, and dozens of converts who have been through Jihadi training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Even more challenging than attempting to explain why converts turn to jihad is the dilemma they present to the world’s security services. The cases of Pierre Robert, the mastermind of this May’s Casablanca bombings, and Christian Ganczarski, a German charged for his role in the 2002 Djerba synagogue attack, highlight al Qaeda’s willingness to place white converts in leadership positions. Realizing that Westerners, particularly if they are white, are less likely to be scrutinized by authorities, al Qaeda has placed particular value on recruiting them. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #11 I don't have satellite or cable, so I'm not going to be much help, JFM. On terrestrial TV, for news I watch ITN (on the ITV channels). BBC is out for obvious reasons, and the remaining alternative, Channel 4, out-cuckoos even the BBC. Channel 5 I don't often see, but it's my next choice after ITN. I don't know whether you can get ITN or Channel 5 on satellite though... And I suspect both will be just as Brit-centric in their coverage as Sky, if not more so. If I had satellite, I'd be watching Sky. It's what the Navy watches :) |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-9-5 8:16:36 AM |
| #10 We probably have our share of nutsos but we don't have Antenne 2 (the Beeb in British terms) airing their words urbi et orbe everytime they call for murder. BTW: Do you know of a good British TV network who 1) Is not the BBC 2) Is aired on satellite 3) Gives a reasonable cover to international news. I have tried SkyNews but it is a bit too British-centric. |
| Posted by: JFM 2003-9-5 7:49:49 AM |
| #9 JFM, that was unfortunate indeed, and not tsomething I can defend nor explain. I'm glad your daughter was unharmed. Fair play to the French for their actions then, a tough line which has been undermined completely since with Paris's pandering to Palestinian terror organisations. And I think we both know which nation's the preferred target of Islamic terror now. Abu Hamza got his own soap box, we didn't give it to him. Free speech, once again. It's a double-edged sword. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-9-5 6:39:29 AM |
| #8 Mr Bulldog When France suffered a continuous set of islamist bombings in 1995 (one of them at Saint Michel station who made many victims and one of them who on the High speed train rail who would have killed hundreds of people, one of them my then two years old daughter, had it detonated), the British government rejected the demands of extradition made by the French judges and continued to allow the GIA press and supporting network to operate freely in the UK.
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| Posted by: JFM 2003-9-5 6:30:01 AM |
| #7 NMM, Dishman, It's true that as regards common crime the police are nowadays often working with two hands tied beind their backs, however as regards terrorism, although some slip under the net (Reid, the Tel Aviv bombers), the UK police and secret services are generally on the ball. A number of attempted terror attacks planned for execution British soil have been thwarted (including a sarin project and more than one SAM threat). No doubt many individuals and threats are currently under investigation. Although different in many respects, the UK's security services have been in continual training and testing for many decades owing to the unceasing threat posed by the IRA. The French have been far more willing to flex in the face of subversive element (vis Basque separatism, their general approach to militant Islam) and discourage terrorism through political compromise. That said, I believe that when they choose to use them, their anti-terror methods are effective. There are more overt Islamo-nutz in the UK for a umber of reasons. We have a more diverse and socailly tolerant society than most of the EU, with a great number of intra-religious communities. London particularly is a global hub of dissidents, some of whom are political agitators and extremists, and exiles for the best of reasons. We have (had) relatively lax immigration laws, and are a popular destination for immigrants. Add to that Britain's recent Imperial past, and the personal legacy that has left, and you have a very cosmopolitan society, with plenty of room for extreme elements. Britain's muslim community is not insignificant, but is more diverse in origin than those of, say, France or Germany. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-9-5 5:38:19 AM |
| #6 About five years ago, Stephan Smyrek traveled to Israel as a spy for Hezbollah after training in a camp in southern Lebanon. German intelligence, however, was already shadowing Smyrek. It notified the Israelis, who arrested him upon his arrival in their country. Like Gonczarski, Smyrek became interested in Islam at his work place, a pizzeria, which was a hangout for Muslim youths. Before that, he had been a German army truck driver for four years. But unlike Gonczarski, Smyrek's turning point may have occurred in Germany after the father of his Egyptian girlfriend refused to let his daughter marry a non-Egyptian. Hezbollah's European unit subsequently recruited him. And while this unit usually looks for Arabs with Western language skills and passports, Smyrek's blond hair and blue eyes must have made him a good find. |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2003-9-5 4:57:45 AM |
| #5 The British police have largely been reduced to 'searching under the streetlight' when it comes to criminal activity. Samizdata.net has a lot of relevant information and thought. Some of the top cops think speeding is the most serious crime they're facing. If someone's home is broken into on a regular basis, "There's nothing we can do." If that same homeowner finally drops one of the intruders, though, that's something they can prosecute. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-9-5 4:56:01 AM |
| #4 I meant to put a semi-colon instead of a comma there, the German I was talking about was a different person from Richard Reid, and I couldn't remember his name. Sorry if there was any confusion. |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2003-9-5 4:47:07 AM |
| #3 Bulldog--not to diss the UK but it seems like there's more Islamonutz there than in France the popluar target on here. Remember the Islamic bombings in the St Michel metro, etc? How did the French stop that stuff real fast? I've heard their internal security is top notch compared to the rest of the EU--I'd appreciate your insight |
| Posted by: Not Mike Moore 2003-9-5 4:37:28 AM |
| #2 "...these men find in militant Islam an alternative to more well-known antisocial outlets such as neo-Nazi or anarchist groups." Classic losers, one and all. Richard Reid was a British loser btw, Paul, not a German one. A mugger who had converted to Islam whilst in the slammer, Reid was under suspicion from the Israelis but it wasn't till he was caught trying to light the fuse of a shoe bomb on an American Airlines transatlantic flight that he was apprehended. Totally inept, absolutely pathetic but still dangerous. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-9-5 4:21:26 AM |
| #1 I thought Reid was English mother Jamaican father? |
| Posted by: Not Mike Moore 2003-9-5 4:11:56 AM |