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2012-01-10 Home Front: WoT

Md. ex-soldier charged with attempting to join al-Shabaab

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Posted by 2012-01-10 06:08|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 No background on this twit. More info from lotp than the article. Military specialty, stationed where, why did he go AWOL so near to the end of his enlistment? Who, what, when, where, why?

Posted by tipover 2012-01-10 13:52|| 2012-01-10 13:52|| Front Page Top

#2 More here:

An ex-Army intelligence specialist was caught heading to Somalia to fight and die there with Al Qaeda's regional affiliate, investigators charge.

Craig Baxam, 24, converted to Islam just before leaving the military in July and then quickly radicalized to a jihadist mindset, he told the FBI.

The Laurel, Maryland native was caught late last month on a bus in Kenya "looking for dying with a gun in my hand," according to his arrest affidavit. Baxam ... told investigators he wanted to live in an area governed by the strict edicts of Islamic Sharia law, such as those imposed by Al Shabaab, and defend them to the death if necessary.

Trained in intelligence and cryptography, Baxam said he converted to Islam shortly before leaving the Army in July when he read about the religion online. He returned home to Maryland and his appetite for religious doctrine intensified, he said.

Kenyan police picked up Baxam December 23, he said, after a man he spoke to likely alerted police. FBI agents posted to Nairobi questioned him.

Told by the agents that Al Shabaab beats people caught on the streets during daily prayers, Baxam told them "that is awesome."

Posted by lotp 2012-01-10 15:32|| 2012-01-10 15:32|| Front Page Top

#3 Daily Mail says:

Baxam joined the US Army in 2007, and received eight months of advanced training in cryptology and intelligence. He went on to serve in Baghdad and South Korea before leaving the Army in July 2011.
The indictment says Baxam was influenced by Islamic websites while serving in South Korea, and secretly converted to Islam before leaving the army.

Posted by lotp 2012-01-10 15:36|| 2012-01-10 15:36|| Front Page Top

#4 I don't care how much he was jonesing for khat. You would think that he would have been smart enough to wait the month to keep himself out of military court.

Be interesting to see where he deployed. Must have missed the smell of rotting/burning feces flesh and garbage.

Posted by Super Hose 2012-01-10 15:39|| 2012-01-10 15:39|| Front Page Top

#5 ...or a deep agent with authorities rationalizing the 'conversion' process.

Posted by Procopius2k 2012-01-10 16:21|| 2012-01-10 16:21|| Front Page Top

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