Adam Gadahn Video Adds Emphasis To Al Qaeda's Growing Gun Fetish

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column for the New York Daily News on Al Qaeda's increasing shift in emphasis from bomb-based attacks to guns.

Last night, American terrorist Adam Gadahn -- one of AQ's most prominent public faces -- put an exclamation point on the trend in a new video released online.

America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center, and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?

All of this was said while the video displayed customers shopping at a legal gun store.

This is only the latest example of gun-love from Al Qaeda and its affiliates, as I explained in the NYDN column. There are compelling reasons to focus our terrorism prevention strategy on firearms-based attacks. First responders here in Boston recently drilled on their response to a Mumbai-style commando attack. We should also be considering strategies that relate to single-shooter scenarios of various kinds.

Finally, we should be considering some variation on the Lautenberg proposal to restrict people who are on terrorist watchlists from purchasing weapons legally. Except in cases where authorities are moving toward an arrest and need to keep a suspect on the hook, it's hard to see how people deemed too dangerous to get on an airplane can be considered safe to buy guns.

For much more about the history of jihadist terrorism on U.S. soil, including the sole American citizen known to have traveled to join Al Qaeda in Iraq, buy J.M. Berger's new book, Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam, out now!

Labels: Adam-Gadahn, Al-Qaeda, Terrorist-Communiques

Views expressed on INTELWIRE are those of the author alone.

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

New bin Laden Video Still Just Audio

Osama bin Laden's "final" message was released on jihadist forums last night. You can see the video at Jihadology and read about its praise for the Arab uprisings at the New York Times.

For now, my only comment on this communique is note, with some interest, that the release is an audio-only communique wrapped in a video that amounts to nothing more than a still picture of bin Laden.

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, we now know that bin Laden had very good video recording equipment at his Abbottabad manse and he clearly intended for his videos to be seen -- as evidenced by his dyed beard and carefully chosen garb.

Any operational security rationale to withhold video in favor of audio (which was already paper-thin) is now completely voided by bin Laden's death. So again I wonder: Why no video?

Labels: Al-Qaeda, Osama-Bin-Laden, Terrorist-Communiques

Views expressed on INTELWIRE are those of the author alone.

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink