Fifth Columns in The Pacific Northwest

Looks like a small front in the War on Terror is being waged mere miles from my apartment here in sunny Seattle. Both Seattle papers (Times and PI) are running stories about small groups of alleged Islamists who were operating out of a Seattle mosque and a ranch in central Oregon. The LA Times also has the story.

All the papers mention links between this group’s leader, Semi Osman, a cleric at the Dar-us-Salaam mosque in Seattle’s Central District (a lower income and heavily minority area of the city), and radical Muslims in Britain, and possibly Al-Quada. The ranch in Oregon has even been described as a “jihad training camp.”

Osman was arrested in May on Gun and Immigration charges, but hasn’t been formally charged with any terrorist-related activities. Interestingly, the LA Times claims he’s an ex-soldier in the US Army, and now serves as a reservist for the Navy.

I’m always entertained when our brave chief of police speaks (from the PI story):

Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said reports of al-Qaida terrorists in our midst are overblown.

"We know that Seattle -- the name Seattle -- does come up regularly in the different pieces of chatter that are monitored," Kerlikowske said. "(But) if there was something that was of concern, believe me we would make that information known."

In other words, the feds know something's coming, but you’ve got your head clearly lodged up your rectal cavity, adn therefore can't see anything. Atta boy, Gil! Have we ever had a decent police chief in this city? I know the last was sure a joke….

 

Posted by Captain Mojo at July 13, 2002 03:45 PM | TrackBack