Wife Claims NY Terrorists Were Just Criminals

Now that the terror plot to bomb two NY synagogues and a shoot down a plane at Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh has been foiled, family members are running to the defense of the suspects. The party line amongst those close to the terrorists is that they are not terrorists at all.  Rather, they are career criminals that were enticed with cash and other amenities by an FBI informant trying to egg on the group to commit a terrorist act.  According to the wife of one of the suspects, the entire plot was conceived by the FBI, and those trying to commit the vicious acts were just pawns in a game. According to an article in the May 24, NY Post:

"They aren't radicals. They were just financially motivated. They aren't terrorists. If Maqsood [the FBI Informant] wasn't in the picture, they would've never come up with this idea," she said.

"This was not their idea. They make it sound like they sought him out and said we want to do this when he's the one who approached them. He enticed them with money."

One of the spiritual leader of the Newburgh mosque where the terrorists and the informant first met has also been quick to deny any involvement.  He has even stated that he warned the terrorists to steer clear of the individual who later turned out to be working for the FBI. The Imam The four terrorists met up with FBI informant at the Masjid al-Ikhlas mosque. (the Islamic Learning Center of Orange County). This mosque was previously named "Al Jihad Al Akbar". Plot details are still emerging, but there are a few things that we do know.

1. All the terrorists have criminal records
2. James Cromitie, alleged ringleader has been to jail some 20 times
3. At least two of the other terrorist have also served prison terms
4. 3 of the 4 terrorist converted to Islam during prison stints

An alarming percentage of criminals are being converted to Islam.  In NY State, 18% of all inmates are Muslim, at least 10 times higher than the percentage of Muslims in the general population. While some may say that these criminals are now receiving a religious structure that may benefit their rehabilitation, there is another, more dangerous likelihood. Individuals who:

1. are prone to criminal behavior,
2. may have a gripe against a country that locked them up,
3. have spent time in a "community" that is more violent than the rest of society;

are now being indoctrinated by clerics that are teaching a radical version of Islam calling for jihad and the death of so-called infidels.  See a clip from The Third Jihad about prison recruitment. By the way, the cleric quoted in the film--who was later fired for radical indoctrination--hired the Imam who now runs the Newburgh mosque.