According to the FBI, terrorists are working as school bus drivers but it's nothing to worry about, the FBI is sure they don't mean any harm.
Members of extremist groups have signed up as school bus drivers in the United States, counterterror officials said Friday, in a cautionary bulletin to police. An FBI spokesman said "parents and children have nothing to fear."And the FBI is sure about that, right?
Asked about the alert notice, the FBI's Rich Kolko said "there are no threats, no plots and no history leading us to believe there is any reason for concern," although law enforcement agencies around the country were asked to watch out for kids' safety.
The bulletin, parts of which were read to The Associated Press, did not say how often foreign extremists have sought to acquire licenses to drive school buses, or where. It was sent Friday as part of what officials said was a routine FBI and Homeland Security Department advisory to local law enforcement.
It noted "recent suspicious activity" by foreigners who either drive school buses or are licensed to drive them, according to a counterterror official who read parts of the document to The Associated Press.
Foreigners under recent investigation include "some with ties to extremist groups" who have been able to "purchase buses and acquire licenses," the bulletin says.
But Homeland Security and the FBI "have no information indicating these individuals are involved in a terrorist plot against the homeland," it says. The memo also notes: "Most attempts by foreign nationals in the United States to acquire school bus licenses to drive them are legitimate."
Kolko said the bulletin was sent merely as an educational tool to help local police identify and respond to any suspicious activity.
It was not immediately clear whether the extremists intended to do with the school buses. One counterterror official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said it was likely that the foreigners investigated were merely employed as bus drivers, and did not intend to use them as part of any terror plot.
39 comments, latest by Matt at 4:33 pm 3/17
Well! I am not one bit worried! There is nothing to worry about! Thank you FBI!
Homeschool your kids, the government is incompetent and no one is looking out for you or them.
Walk to school, kids. Much healthier.
You've got to be kidding me. This is a joke, right?
This is nothing to be concerned about. Sure, maybe kids are at risk, but at least the bus drivers aren't being profiled or denied entry into our country! That's so much worse than terrorism.
Purchase buses?
In Florida, a 22 year old Saudi man in an overcoat boarded a high school bus and was removed and arrested. He claimed not to be able to speak English though he'd been in the country for six months ostensibly to study the language. His lawyer claimed it was a "cultural misunderstanding", whatever the hell that means.
I don't think it is a matter of homeschooling, Ev, so much as it is time for communities to take control of themselves and to hell with homeland security and the FBI. I no longer believe that the law enforcement agencies have the best interests of the people at heart, and since 1993 have only been interested in supporting the whims of whoever is currently in power.
People need to be in charge of their own security because it is at the local level where terrorism is thriving. We all need to be more watchful.
What lady red? The way the FBI is handling this?
Well, I don't see any necessary contradiction there -- six months is not a very long time for adult language acquisition, even if you're a much more diligent student than the stereotypical Saudi.
With this attitude, German espionage activities in the United States before World War II would have gone uninvestigated. As it really happened, the fascist FBI pretty much knew the entire German Espionage system in the U.S. before the war even started.
Then again, they were white Europeans, so I guess it was all right to investigate them.
What lady red? The way the FBI is handling this?
The FBI knows that "foreign extremists" are purchasing school buses and acquiring licenses. They send a "cautionary bulletin" to local authorities (who have little or no expertise in counter-terrorism), yawn, scratch their balls, and go back to reading Newsweek.
At this point, I think the terrorists could drive a fleet of tanks through downtown Detroit, and the FBI would throw them a ticker tape parade.
Well, I don't see any necessary contradiction there -- six months is not a very long time for adult language acquisition, even if you're a much more diligent student than the stereotypical Saudi.
True, but it seems that the excuse his lawyer gave was as cryptic as his actions. Not being able to speak English well after six months, isn't the same as not being able it at all. The use of the term Cultural misunderstanding begs more questions than it answers. Clearly this was a dry run for something else. There have been repeated dry runs on planes and busses, maybe even trains, and places we don't even yet know about.
What bothers me is the treatment by the FBI of the concerns that people have.
I know a lot of people are skeptical, and rightly so, when I describe for them the utter dysfunction of the USG and all its arms, but I think this story speaks for itself. Does the FBI sound here like a remotely serious entity to you? Or does it sound like a PC-ridden bureaucracy hounded by Diversity Uber Alles to the point of ridiculousness?
On the substance, the day they murder our children, Beslan-style, is the day I personally bring the war to them. And, no, I don't care who knows that.
Also, that's being rather generous, assuming that the FBI can read.
The FBI knows that "foreign extremists" are purchasing school buses and acquiring licenses. They send a "cautionary bulletin" to local authorities (who have little or no expertise in counter-terrorism), yawn, scratch their balls, and go back to reading Newsweek.
At this point, I think the terrorists could drive a fleet of tanks through downtown Detroit, and the FBI would throw them a ticker tape parade.
Thanks. That is what I thought you were referring to.
B_ s _ _ n. ?? Nope, nothing happened there.
The FBI speaks at CAIR fundraisers and its high officials refer to CAIR as a member of the FBI "family" and a "partner".
That FBI is not going to protect us from jihadi violence. We'll have to do that ourselves, and I have no doubt that millions of average Americans will do just that when push comes to shove, as they proved brilliantly on United 93.
"And today children we have some special guests....militants created by the Bush junta and his flawed imperialistic ambitions......let's listen...
I wonder if parents will start pulling their children off of school buses in numbers that will actually make a statement.
Are you serious? Why aren't there more howls of rage? That is unsupportable.
I really want to read OSC's Empire. Some kind of domestic disturbance is looking increasingly possible. If Beslan 2 happens on US soil I wouldn't want to be even vaguely Muslim looking anywhere in the vicinity.
True, but it seems that the excuse his lawyer gave was as cryptic as his actions. Not being able to speak English well after six months, isn't the same as not being able it at all. The use of the term Cultural misunderstanding begs more questions than it answers.
The one question it raises for me is, "was the schoolbus in question a standard YELLOW schoolbus?" If the answer to that question is "No," -- if it didn't look like a typical American schoolbus, because it was a charter bus for a private school, or something -- then it's plausible that someone with poor English skills could've boarded it in the mistaken belief that it was public transit. But if it was a big yellow bus, there's no way that someone who'd been in the country for six months already could fail to know what it was.
Hmmm, what was that that I read just a second earlier???
Trillian -
I am, sadly. I was ranting about this a few weeks ago..let me find it....
From a report from Daniel Pipes in November, 2006 (emphasis mine):
When the FBI shows up and says to CAIR, "we consider you a family member", that means that *I* am being told I am not.
I believe the FBI and I believe they are serious. We all need to start drawing the necessary conclusion.
From a cached web-press release by CAIR-Maryland:
My point then was:
It could not be any plainer. CAIR can go on the news and look you right in the eye and claim with 100% justification that it is THEY and not YOU who is the voice of mainstream America. And they would be right to do so.
Which is why I have resigned from both the mainstream and America.
The one question it raises for me is, "was the schoolbus in question a standard YELLOW schoolbus?" If the answer to that question is "No," -- if it didn't look like a typical American schoolbus, because it was a charter bus for a private school, or something -- then it's plausible that someone with poor English skills could've boarded it in the mistaken belief that it was public transit. But if it was a big yellow bus, there's no way that someone who'd been in the country for six months already could fail to know what it was.
Apparently a regular school bus. And not just one person, two got on the bus to 'go and see the school.'
2 Saudi School Bus Riders Out Of Jail
Yes, the FBI is frequently incompetent, woefully unprepared to fight terrorism and far too enamoured with jihadists like CAIR to do much good.
But.
What exactly do you think would happen if the Feds said, "yeah, terrorists are driving your kids to school and, yes, it is possible they're planning to cut their heads off on tape, but we're not really sure"? Those funny yellow buses would be empty the next day.
In the context of a functioning, effective anti-terrorism agency, this denial would be acceptable - because we could assume that, quietly, suspect persons would be fired, deported, whatever, just kept the hell away from large numbers of children.
Alas, this is the FBI and the most sensible thing they've done about this issue is release this statement. Chances are it is the only thing they'll do.
In the light of the most recent revelations about the Bosnian who shot up the Salt Lake City Mall, how can anyone be surprised at anything the government does/doesn't do to effectively relate the problem?
What revelations, afw? Last I heard, his father thought someone had put him up to it, and the gov't were stumped.
Matt, hold on. I'll have hubby get links for it. The stuff is very circumstantial, but has the *ding ding* alarm bells for certain patterns of behavior.
I vote for whatever.
Thanks, afw. No rush.
solus rex, yep, I hoped someone would pick up on that.
Here's an interview with the girlfriend.
Several of the things the girlfriend mentioned set some dull ringing up for hubby.
1) She claims he had few friends.
2) And yet he regularly attended mosque.
3) His favorite movie was Malcom X
4) He was a high school drop out with few prospects.
Second article refutes several of the things his girlfriend said.
1) He did indeed have a problem with violence and fascination with weapons.
2) His father thought "somebody" pushed him to it
Finally, I can't vouch for this website, but it puts other things together. Militant Islam Monitor
Even if only a few of the things they mention are correct, it warrants a much closer look. I would start with his mosque, which denied Suleiman attended services until his family stated that he did, indeed.
You watch: one of these idiots will go too far and kill some more Americans and the FBI and the USG will rush to mosques and podiums warning Americans from "taking the law into their own hands".....
No, wait...that already happened didn't it?
The problem is, even for those few Americans paying attention, the full scope of the failure of the USG across the board is just so unthinkable that it is simply not thought, no matter what the evidence.
More than once I've made a list of incidents in the US to show to people, and they didn't remember ANY of them until I jogged their memory!
And then the cognitive dissonance sets in, and they are SURE that "it's not the way it sounds."
God FORBID something cause them to miss an episode of American Idol!
afw,
Thanks, that's interesting. White gun-fetishist loner, jihad style?
Except that skin color isn't an issue when it comes to Islamic terror.
Sort of off topic, did you ever get a chance to see Sleeper Cell, Matt?
I'm still waiting for Amazon to deliver our copies of both seasons.
The one question it raises for me is, "was the schoolbus in question a standard YELLOW schoolbus?" If the answer to that question is "No," -- if it didn't look like a typical American schoolbus, because it was a charter bus for a private school, or something -- then it's plausible that someone with poor English skills could've boarded it in the mistaken belief that it was public transit. But if it was a big yellow bus, there's no way that someone who'd been in the country for six months already could fail to know what it was.
Standard yellow bus with the school district's name on the sides. Not a mini van. One of the things the man tried to say was that he didn't know it was a school bus. He boarded with a group of other students, which is how he got on in the first place.
Except that skin color isn't an issue when it comes to Islamic terror.
Sort of off topic, did you ever get a chance to see Sleeper Cell, Matt?
I'm still waiting for Amazon to deliver our copies of both seasons.
Did you see the CBS show Criminal Minds with Mandy Patinkin this week?
It showed actual islamic terrorism, even using the sort of language that Bin Laden used to justify it, but then, Patinkin's character starts the standard blathering PC Points about perverting a religion of tolerance and peace...which has become almost comically mantralike...but hell, with a name like Mandy, what can you expect from a guy these days.
#34 afw
Yes, I saw season 1. I actually watched the repeats, too. It is superb stuff. It does hit some of the more important PC buttons, but it doesn't suffer as a result. So long as you accept that a Muslim can genuinely believe that his religion is not aggressive or violent, chances are it won't annoy you - certainly not enough to interfere with the enjoying the show.
Excellent acting (better than 24), believable scenarios (unlike 24), accurate tradecraft (unlike 24), etc.
I'm waiting for season 2 to arrive on DVD. Amazon reckons I'll have it in the first half of April.
Which reminds me of one thing that might strike you about Sleeper Cell. It doesn't give anything away to say this: the cell has six members, of whom two are Arab, three are white European and one is black. At first it pissed me off. Cells are often ethnically uniform, due to members knowing each other from the same mosque and/or community. But the lesson - that jihad knows no skin colour - is an important one.
You'll like the parents of the blond American guy. Or at least recognise the very un-PC stereotype.
Since I'm talking TV, The Wire. The Wire, The Wire, The frickin' Wire. Best thing on TV ever.