In the light of the case of LeT operative David Coleman Headley, several US lawmakers have voiced concern over "home-grown terrorism" and the ease with which Pakistan-based terror groups are recruiting Americans to carry out attacks in the United States and abroad.
"Terrorist organisations not only successfully recruited Americans, but then provided the requisite training to enable those Americans to carry out attacks," said Democratic Jane Harman during a Congressional hearing.
"We don't have too many chances more -- too many more chances to get this right. There is a growing list of people suspected of being recruited and ready to carry out terror attacks in our country and abroad," she said.
Noting that Headley "has now been indicted for his alleged roles in the Mumbai attacks last year as well as for plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper", Harman said "this case is doubly important to examine because he was an American recruited to attack abroad."
She listed out other recent cases also, including that of five Virginia youths landing up in Pakistan with the mission to join one of the terrorist organisations.
"Recent cases highlight the fact the United States is not immune to home-grown terrorism and the murders at Fort Hood (military base), just north of my district, by Nidal Hasan last month remind us not only about domestic radicalisation but how vulnerable we really are to an attack," said Republican Congressman Michael T McCaul.
"Daniel Patrick Boyd, a US citizen and six others were arrested in July, charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. According to the FBI, Boyd trained in terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan," McCaul said.
"And then Mr (Najibullah) Zazi, probably one of the biggest threats that we discovered recently in terms of a cell in the United States working on behalf of al-Qaeda, born in Afghanistan, US legal permanent resident living in Colorado, charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction," the lawmaker said.
Headley, a US citizen who attended terrorist training camps in Pakistan, was living in Chicago and planned attacks abroad, he noted. "We've learnt that he was not only planning future attacks but has now been charged with helping to plan the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, India."
"In just over the past few days we're learning about five young men in Virginia, just outside of where we sit here today, who travelled to Pakistan reportedly to link up with members of al-Qaeda," he said.
"It appears these young men were radicalised just miles from where we sit here and the danger is that we're seeing more and more of these cases, more and more individuals who self radicalise over the Internet ... individuals who are turning radical, extremist and then turning to terrorism," McCaul said.
Comments