FBI Says ISIS Arrests Helped Prevent July 4th Attacks

[Luiz 4,253]

The FBI has arrested more than 10 people with suspected ties to ISIS and the agency's director believes the busts foiled plans to carry out attacks in connection with July 4th.

The director, James Comey, said that the surging interest in ISIS was fueled by social media in a way that's different from "your grandfather's Al Qaeda model."

“I do believe that our work disrupted efforts to kill people, likely in connection with July 4th,” Comey said Thursday of the arrests, which occurred during the past 4-6 weeks.

Comey declined to identify specific July 4th plots, but confirmed that the bureau had launched a broad campaign aimed at disrupting ISIS sympathizers in the days leading up to the holiday.

He said the suspects were inspired and directed by an unprecedented social media campaigncarried out by ISIS, which has 21,000 English-language followers —- many inside the United States.

“What we’re seeing now is living proof that social media works. It’s the reason that Twitter is worth billions of dollars. It’s an extraordinarily effective way to sell shoes, or vacation, orterrorism,” said Comey.

Comey said that social media has changed the way terrorist organizations recruit.

“It’s very different and much more effective at radicalizing than your grandfather’s Al Qaeda model,” he said.

read more http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-isis-arrests-helped-prevent-july-4th-attacks/story?id=32342087

 

also: Son of Boston Police Captain Arrested as Possible Terrorist

part of a counter-terrorism operation against alleged ISIS-inspired domestic terrorists, federal officials told ABC News today.

Alexander Ciccolo, 23, of Adams, Mass., was taken into custody on gun charges after buying two pistols and two rifles from an undercover FBI confidential informant, federal officials said. In a search of his apartment, officials reported they found it loaded with possible bomb-making equipment including a pressure cooker, a variety of chemicals, an alarm clock, along with “attack planning papers” and “jihad” paperwork. FBI agents said he used the name Abu Ali al-Amriki and neighbors said he was a recent convert to Islam.

“This is a very bad person arrested before he could do very bad things,” one senior federal official briefed on the arrest told ABC News.

According to the FBI, Ciccolo attempted to stab a nurse in the head with a pen during a routine screening, “leaving a hole in the nurse’s skin.”

An FBI affidavit said Ciccolo initially planned to travel to “another state” and use a pressure cooker bomb “to conduct terrorist attacks on civilians, members of the U.S. military and law enforcement personnel.” The FBI said the attack location was later changed to a town with a state university and would be concentrated on “college dorms and cafeteria, to include executions of students, which would be broadcast live via the internet.”

Ciccolo’s father is Boston police Captain Robert Ciccolo, a veteran commander assigned to Operations at Boston Police headquarters who was one of those to respond to the deadly Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013. According to the FBI, the younger Ciccolo said he was “inspired” by the Marathon bombing and the use of pressure cooker bombs, and told the FBI undercover operative, “Allahu Akbar!!! I got the pressure cooker today.”

Law enforcement officials said Capt. Ciccolo alerted counter-terrorism authorities about a year ago that his son, with whom he had had minimal contact for several years, “was going off the deep end” and “spouting extremist jihadist sympathies.”

According to the affidavit of an FBI agent, the younger Ciccolo recently stated that he is, “not afraid to die for the cause," and that he characterized America as ”Satan” and “disgusting.”

read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/officials-son-boston-police-captain-arrested-terrorist/story?id=32414150

[Didymus 34,380]

Interesting parts about social media. These new wave terrorist organizations know how to combine modern means for their obsolete message for sure. Fascinating. I expect more technological terrorism in the future.

"to include executions of students, which would be broadcast live via the internet"

That would've turned all of the Western world upside down. I'm so glad these things are prevented because I don't wanna know the outcome of such mass hysteria with power hungry politicans just waiting for an excuse to extend their wars.

What makes me most sad however is that these young people are brainwashed into genuinely being willing to give their lives for a useless cause. This is what's most scary to me. How can you get people so far?

[Woolfsmck 2,763]

Interesting parts about social media. These new wave terrorist organizations know how to combine modern means for their obsolete message for sure. Fascinating. I expect more technological terrorism in the future.

"to include executions of students, which would be broadcast live via the internet"

That would've turned all of the Western world upside down. I'm so glad these things are prevented because I don't wanna know the outcome of such mass hysteria with power hungry politicans just waiting for an excuse to extend their wars.

What makes me most sad however is that these young people are brainwashed into genuinely being willing to give their lives for a useless cause. This is what's most scary to me. How can you get people so far?

Tell me about it...8-/