NEFA Foundation: Target: America: The Goose Creek, South Carolina Traffic Stop
By Madeleine Gruen
The NEFA Foundation has released the 17th installment in the “Target: America” series, which examines the discovery of explosive materials in the trunk of a car in Goose Creek, South Carolina in the course of a routine car stop that took place in August 2007.
The subjects, both Egyptian nationals who studied engineering at the University of South Florida , were arrested for transporting explosives across state lines without a license. Ultimately, one, Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, pled guilty to support of terrorism after investigators learned that he had created an instructional video, which he had posted to YouTube, showing how a remote-control toy could be used as a detonation device. Both subjects had demonstrated an ongoing interest in improvised explosive devices (IEDs), particularly in their use against U.S. troops in the Middle East . Investigators found evidence of their online visits to Hamas websites and websites that provided instructions for building IEDs. For several months prior to their arrest, Mohamed, who is scheduled for sentencing on December 18, 2008, was gathering materials necessary to build an IED. Through letters and poems, Mohamed has shown his hatred for the United States and his support for the leaders of violent jihad.
Not only does this case study provide an excellent example of vigilant police work, it also serves as a model for counter-terrorism analysts who seek to identify how a domestic terror cell might form, and the possible indicators of violent intentions. Please click here to read the full report.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://counterterrorismblog.org/mt/pings.cgi/5607
