Mother Jones Breaks Down Terror Trials

By aaroncynic in News on Aug 25, 2011 7:40PM

Since 2001, the government has prosecuted more than 500 individuals on charges related to terrorism. A year-long investigation by Mother Jones found that 508 total individuals have been prosecuted federally for crimes connected to terrorism. Of that, more than half were charged with other crimes unrelated to terrorism, such as immigration violations or financial fraud. In Illinois, ten people have been investigated and charged with crimes related to terrorism, four of which lead to terrorism related convictions.

While on the surface this sounds like a major victory in the War on Terror, a closer inspection reveals less cause for celebration. At present, the FBI maintains an official network of 15,000 “spies” (informants, provocateurs, etc) with an extra 30,000 unofficial sets of eyes, making it as large and nebulous as the infamous COINTELPRO program of the 50’s and 60’s. Rather than solely looking to disrupt larger terror networks, the FBI has been focused on trying to catch “lone wolf” type terrorists, often by attempting to incite suspects into a violent action.

To do this, the bureau employs its network of informants to report on anyone who might be suspect as a terrorist sympathizer. Agents will cross reference with existing intelligence records, and then potentially set up a sting operation. In fact, most of the high profile domestic plots of the last ten years were FBI stings, including the “Liberty City 7” case, in which 7 men were accused of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower. A former FBI agent hired to review the Liberty City case said of the defendants: “They were homeless types…They only cared about the money. When we put forth a case like that to suggest to the American public that we’re protecting them, we’re not protecting them.”

In the words of the defense lawyer in another case, “They’re (the FBI) creating crimes to solve crimes so they can claim a victory in the war on terror.”