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Artist rendering of Adis Medunjanin in a New York courtroom.
For reasons I've never fully understood, the most serious domestic terrorist threat since 9/11 never became the major news story it deserved to be. That's a shame -- convictions like these are important for more reasons than one.
An American citizen was convicted of a host of terrorism charges on Tuesday for participating in a plot to stage suicide attacks in the New York subways, an effort that prosecutors said was stopped just days before three former high school classmates from Queens planned to set off homemade bombs during the rush period.
The two-week trial in Federal District Court in Brooklyn offered a rare look at the evolution of a terrorist plot and the workings of Al Qaeda training camps where the former classmates received their orders.
The plot began after the defendant, Adis Medunjanin, a naturalized citizen born in Bosnia, went to Pakistan with two friends from high school with the intention of fighting American troops in Afghanistan. The two friends testified that they were instead recruited to attend a Qaeda training camp, where they were told they would be far more valuable to their cause by returning to the United States to carry out an act of terrorism.
Medunjanin, who was convicted on all counts, had coordinated the terrorist plot with Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay, both of whom had already pleaded guilty in their plot.
So, why was this largely overlooked, even in a political world that finds it easy to exploit domestic terror plots? It might have something to do with how well the system worked, which made it tough for even the most hysterical conservative critics to complain.
In this case, three would-be terrorists very nearly executed a deadly plot in September 2009. This wasn't a hypothetical or aspirational threat -- the men had already assembled the bomb components, chosen their targets, and planned to detonate them in New York's subway system during rush hour just days before the were taken into custody. Law enforcement officials concede it was the most serious threat had Americans faced in years.
But the process worked exactly as it should, undermining the arguments from the right that the process is fundamentally inadequate and ill-prepared for cases like these.
Obama administration officials identified the suspects, not through illegal wiretaps, but through legal intelligence gathering. The suspects were arrested, and read their rights, before anyone was hurt. The accused weren't shipped to Gitmo; they faced criminal charges, and they had attorneys who represented them in civilian courts, not military commissions. The legal proceedings worked exactly as they were designed to work, and the cases helped U.S. officials obtain valuable information -- not through torture, but through legal means.
Now, three men who very nearly killed a lot of people, will be locked up -- on American soil, in American prisons -- after being convicted by an American jury.
This should, in theory, generate widespread outrage from the right, which has railed against the notion of treating counter-terrorism as a law enforcement issue. So why are the Cheneys, Rudy Giuliani, Fox News personalities, and other Republicans saying so little?
Because the justice system that they find offensive worked beautifully. The rule of law worked, and that doesn't bolster the GOP's counter-terrorism talking points.
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It is one thing to have the terrorist act committed by a US citizen, mostly planned and executed on US soil, investigated using federal standards, and then presented in a US court. It is entirely another to have a terrorist attack by foreigners, planned and in part executed from another country, tracked down and captured by the US military to then be placed in a US court and held to the same standard. That's the problem.
It's also another point as to whom decides when citizenship is revoked in order to bypass constitutional law.
Or, say, when to investigate war crimes or leave it off the table.
I can see the emotional appeal of your argument, RobDon, but the choices the Bush administrations made on behalf of our country had us violating the foundational principles of international law including the Geneva Convention. So, rather than to bolster the international support we were getting immediately post-9/11, it made our whole country look suspicious, duplicitous and threatening. If we were to take these combatants to some international court, we would have no standing. Keeping these prisoners confined indefinitely without even Habeus Corpus and little to no hope for reasonable legal defense from prosecution by the most powerful nation on Earth -- that violates even Common Law principles that pre-date our country's existence.
So, I understand that it would FEEL like an injustice that foreign terrorists would be granted SOME citizens' rights in prosecution, having the opportunity to try foreign terrorists in one's own courts is generally the GOAL of the other countries who have been the victims of terrorist attacks. So, my position is that going all "extra judicial" on the issue at the VERY least ruins our international standing and actually endangers our own soldiers when in foreign theaters (since we'd hardly have standing to demand rights be given to them that we won't give combatants WE detain). AND I understand your objection to a civilian trial on par with what a citizen would get. What IS the third option? I really don't think there IS one...there is no framework...which was the problem for Bush, and they "fixed" it by inventing a frame work from whole cloth (stained with centuries of blood that John Woo washed away with a few legal briefs).
Well said Andy
I agree, Nicely said Andy!
Thing is, international law requires that people get tried in the same court system nationals are tried in. there is no 'special court' for foreigners. Now, you 'don't want to go before a judge in Mexico and get in their jail, don't do the crime and stay out of their country. The entire enemy combatant thing is a sham. Lousy conviction rates, waste of taxpayer money. Convictions in civilian courts - 100%. And doing Federal time. With 80% of sentence before even thinking of parole. Foreigners have all the rights of US citizens when in US court. that is the same world wide, you get whatever rights / law / system the locals get. Enemy combatants is a perversion of the system.
This is the kind of achievement that would have seen George W. Bush standing astride the roof of a Number 6 train, bullhorn in hand and Guiliani at his side. When Republicans ask - "Are you better off after Obama's first term?" - aside from all else, due to this story, I can say "yes!" From reading other news stories, I understand that the Number 6 line was one of their targets. That's a train I'm likely to be on twice a day at rush hour. Instead of being a casualty, thanks to this fine work, I'm very much alive and well. "Thank you," doesn't begin to cover it.
The American civilian Justice system works just fine thank you. I'm glad you're safe June because of it.
No one denies terrorism exists. It exists to get attention. Giving these guys attention is just what they want. I recall a scandal in Afghanistan where soldiers were holding up legs of a suicide bomber and laughing. That is just what the suicide bomber deserves. By laughing at the fool you defuse the terror and disgrace his cause. By cowering in fear you only embolden the terrorist.
In the same vein I recall a scandal where US soldiers were urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters. That is what they deserve. Either we are in a war or we are not. Anyone who call such an act of superiority a disgrace shows we are not in a war, which of course we are not, which raises the question of what the hell we are doing there. There is a reason, only it is a state secret and unknowable.
Really, Covah?! You actually think that's how it works?
Imagine your believing in something so strongly that you were willing to give up your life for it...literally. Now imagine some guy from a foreign country who is occupying yours takes an opportunity to publicly ridicule your beliefs. Do you think that would make you LESS bellicose?! Really???!!!
The soldiers showed their "superiority" by killing those Taliban fighters - that's not good enough for you, Covah?
Like I said, we are either at war in Afghanistan or we are not.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said today U.S. enemies in Afghanistan...
Did the United States invade Afghanistan to make friends? This half-assed @!$%# and lies reminds me too much of Vietnam. "Hearts and minds" my ass. WHAT "US enemies in Afghanistan"?
Read Shirer's Berlin Diary where he repeats German newspapers that scream WE ONLY WANT PEACE while Nazi troops overrun Europe and the German people whine "why are they fighting us?" while German forces invade other countries.
Panetta knows why we are in Afghanistan and he is not telling.
Did you ever watch Hogan's Heroes?
Our soldiers showed their "superiority" by killing those Taliban fighters - that's not good enough for you, Covah?
The enemies of America deserve to be urinated on.
Taliban fighters are not the enemies of America.
Which is it?
So, do dead american soldiers in foreign countries deserve to be urinated on for being enemies of that country?
No one deserves to be urinated on.
The very act diminishes our nation in ways Covah and those like him fail to understand. Part of what makes us Americans is our honor, and a continued devotion to the highest standards of ethics. And, while there may be incidents where we fail to uphold those ideals, we should never allow those principles to be degraded by the likes of those who commit acts like Covah supports, or the people who deem those acts acceptable.
This isn't about the enemy. This is about who and what we are, as Americans. It would benefit us all if everyone at least tried to remember that.
No, they don't deserve to be urinated on. That is a false assertion, and beneath the honor of our troops.
This is entirely about the enemy. This is about who and what we are, as Americans. It would benefit us all if everyone at least tried to remember that. Unless you have the guts to piss on the enemy you are going to lose. That is why Democrats are beneath contempt for caving to the Republican enemy, and why America is going to lose. FDR knew the enemy when he saw it and knew a life and death struggle. So did Eisenhower and JFK. Johnson did not recognize the enemy which destroyed him and his presidency and nearly destroyed the nation. No Democrat since then has recognized the viciousness of Republican attacks on this nation which they hate with a passion.
Prove it! You do not know what war is. You think it is fine to burn someone alive but a dishonor to piss on the corpse? You have misplaced priorities.
That's pretty funny when you remember the years of blowing women and children to bits in drone attacks, blowing up civilians in bombing raids in every war, atrocity after atrocity.
Yes, they damn well do, and they know it and you don't. That is the price we pay. If we are not willing to pay the price then get out of the store. A war is not a trip to the mall. Being urinated on is the least of their worries if you only knew of the kidnappings and unspeakable torture our soldiers faced, torture which is hushed up at the highest level to protect morale.
It's great that this act of terrorism was discovered using legal intelligence methods. When, oh when, will we find the backbone to get to the bottom of the 9/11 attacks themselves? Why, oh why, is the obvious truth so hard to see?
As for the official story, we're done with that. If you want to entertain conspiracy theories on 9/11, you're highjacking the thread. I'm not discounting the theories, just that they don't belong on this thread.
If the system actually worked .... I expect now that they have been convicted, we'll see these guys exposed to the world. Ridiculed and made an example of what happens to those who would commit terrorism in the US. And then publicly hanged in midtown Manhattan.
Any punishment less severe and less publicized, is a waste of taxpayer's money and is no deterrent to terrorism at all.
If they are put in the general population in prison, recidivism will not be an issue.
They do not always get it right ... Omar Khadr was a 15 year old CANADIAN boy, visiting his family in Afghanistan when the village he was in was attacked by the US military. Put yourself in his shoes - what would you do ... nothing and die or try to protect yourself and your family.
He was arrested and has spent the past 11 years in Guantanamo Bay. He was denied extradition to Canada, and has not been allowed a non-military trial.
He entered Gitmo as child protecting his family ... but what do you think he is now, at 26? Most likely, a serious contender for terrorism against the US and even his home, Canada, who has not been able to help him.
The USA has a lot to answer for in the treatment of prisoners and even citizens ...
for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Khadr
im pretty sure that a civilian family with their hands up would usually not be killed in a us attack. that was a bad choice unfortunately for a young man to make.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this case, Rachel. Awesome! Although, I'm not so concerned about what the Right Wingers say these days. Why? Because they usually stick both feet in their mouths as they speak. I'm more concerned about the voting polls. Look at how messed up the Republicans' presidential voting went? They're recalling the votes that were recalled once before! I'm concerned about the lack of security and accountability at the polls.
I don't know why you're addressing "Rachel" here. She did not write this blog post.
Dang it! There you go showing how ridiculous the Bush/Cheney war crimes were. That's OK though because the right has moved on to persecuting women, illegals, defenders of skittle packing punks who dare to walk through the wrong gated community ,...
The article is nice except for the last sentence. The Democrats are just as busy destroying the rule of law and rescinding the bill of rights as the GOP. Just look at the roster of who voted for the NDAA, CISPA, and the Patriot (a.k.a. Gestapo) Act. Obama is continuing the same policies as Bush. Both Democrat and Republican establishments are destroying America and both are guilty of treason.
The reason it didn't get a lot of attention is because the only people that would have been surprised by it, who would have seen it as news, were the people that were just sure it would never work. The viewers of right wing media -- Faux News et al -- would have been stunned and disturbed by this story, and would eventually have changed the channel to wrestling or monster trucks in order to soothe the troubling discord in their tiny minds. Everyone else would have nodded their heads and then turned the channel to something educational...
I'm sorry, was that condescending? Yeah, it probably was...
What I say is this. Why isn't ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN or anybody even mentioning this? Even briefly? Instead of giving 2 minutes to a ... Beastie Boy who died? (too bad, but most of us don't care about the BB and never did) Instead of some stupid Kardashian thing? Instead of covering the columbian prostitute's interviews? NO- they can't, because this would be news.
Remember the Constitutional protections in the Bill Of Rights are not reserved to only citizens. They cover all people who go through the legal system in this country.
Applying the Bill of Rights is not giving anyone the privileges of citizenship.
Didn't know where else to put this. Insanity Hannity has dedicated his entire show with an audience including Oliver North, a Congressman, SEALS, a widow of 911 victim and others to bash Obama on politicizing the killing of OBL. Torture is alright... waterboarding is not torture... it was because of Bush and Cheney that OBL was found/killed and Obama is taking all the credit. Amazing, yet sickening. This is the crap that Rupert's puppets flush down the televison toilet that washes up into the living rooms of the far right sheep.
Oh, Keith-1952263, I know. It's so sad that they can get away with that crap. They have a lot of people who believe everything they say.
I'm not really advocating this but I have a dream in which we have Biden out there reminding people that the R's were in power on 9/11 and that B.O. has kept us safe and then claim that "we'll get hit again if we elect Romney."
Let them deal with that and just play their tapes back for them when they start to scream.
They will smear the President and democratic leaders and the Constitution and the American people for as long as we let them. Where is the push-back? Unless the country finds its nerve it is doomed. So be it. Things will have to get a lot worse before they get better. Republicans are choking themselves into oblivion right now, no thanks to Democrats. But Republicans will be back and they'll keep trying until they succeed in destroying this country.
I'm having trouble with this sentence from the blog post: "...and planned to detonate them in New York's subway system during rush hour just days before the were taken into custody."
If they planned to do it days before they were taken into custody, why didn't they do it? Maybe it means that they were taken into custody a few days before the planned detonation. It's a long long sentence but I don't think it says that.
This is why I love Rachel Maddow and the team behind her. I think I might have heard something vaguely about this when they were caught, but these stories are always so well researched, so well pieced together, and so clearly presented. Wow, just wow. I appreciate the work that the Maddow team does to keep us all informed about these kinds of stories!