Fight terror with good police work
A Times EditorialPublished June 24, 2006
Thursday's arrests in Miami mark the third time in a year a major Western power has confronted the threat of home-grown terrorism. Authorities indicted seven men for allegedly conspiring to wage a "full ground war" against the United States. Officials said the group hoped to build an "Islamic Army," work with al-Qaida and bomb the 110-story Sears Tower in Chicago and federal buildings in Miami. "They certainly had the will," R. Alexander Acosta, the U.S. attorney in South Florida, said at a news conference Friday: "They were searching for the way."
The unsealed indictment is a reminder how little money or organization a terrorist cell needs to pose a threat. Authorities said the alleged ringleader, Narseal Batiste, recruited others even before attempting to solicit money or support from al-Qaida. In meetings between December and May, the indictment alleges, Batiste, often accompanied by other plotters, sought firearms, boots, radios, $50,000 in cash and other materials from an "al-Qaida representative." That person was a government operative, who strung the group along until authorities decided they had enough to make a case.
However the charges play out, the case shows the value of old-fashioned police work and cooperation within law enforcement. Officials up and down the line, from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to Miami's police chief, insisted the group posed no public danger - they had no explosives, weapons or ties to al-Qaida. As the FBI's deputy director said: "This group was more aspirational than operational." That confidence suggests federal and local authorities did a good job sharing intelligence, a problem before 9/11 that still needs work.
Some observers dismissed the Miamians as al-Qaida "wanna-be's." Rather than ridicule their competence, we should focus on something more serious - how easily a handful of zealots could cause havoc by laying their hands on materials easily obtained in free society. Last year's bombings in London, and the recent arrests in Canada, show how major democracies are vulnerable to terrorism from within. Higher walls, bigger armies, more airport screeners - none of this can stop al-Qaida freelancers from terrorizing our neighborhoods. That requires good police work and cooperation among law enforcement agencies.