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Florida: Videos show convert to Islam burning American flag, preaching jihad terror

Oct 27, 2014 5:19 pm By Robert Spencer

Shelton_Bell_MUG_2Yet another convert to Islam misunderstands his new religion and gets the crazy idea that it has something to do with violence against unbelievers. Yet another convert to Islam gets the strange notion that he has ceased to be a citizen of his nation, but has instead become its enemy. If only Barack Obama or John Kerry had been around to set him straight.

“Videos depict young Jacksonville terrorist enthusiast burning American flag, preaching jihad,” by Larry Hannan, Florida Times-Union, October 23, 2014:

Like many young men in their late teens, Shelton Thomas Bell had a fondness for shooting video of himself.

But while most show them performing or playing pranks, Bell recorded himself burning an American flag, preaching jihad and repeating sermons given by an American-born Muslim cleric who was killed in a U.S. drone strike.

Thursday those images of a bearded and long-haired Jacksonville resident were played in a Jacksonville courtroom while the 20-year-old, now clean-shaven with closely cropped hair, watched impassively with his lawyer while sitting at a defense table in a red prison uniform and shackles.

Bell previously pleaded guilty to conspiring and attempting to provide material support to terrorists and faces up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors are asking U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan to sentence Bell to 30 years in prison, while defense attorneys are arguing for a more lenient sentence.

Bell generated suspicions at the Islamic Center in Jacksonville after talking with teenagers about jihad and the civil war in Syria. Center attorneys contacted the FBI, and he was arrested on the terrorism charges in July 2013. Prosecutors have said in court documents that immigration authorities in Jordan also alerted the U.S. government to Bell’s actions.

Bell’s plans included traveling to Yemen to join Ansar Al-Sharia, an alias for al-Qaida. Bell and a juvenile who has never been named flew to Jordan in late 2012 in the hopes of crossing over into Yemen and joining the terrorist organization.

But they never crossed the border and ended up being arrested in Jordan after Bell preached jihad at a mosque. The Jordanian authorities sent both men back to America.

In an effort to buttress their claim that Bell was a dangerous terrorist, prosecutors called Special Agent William Berry with the U.S. Customs Joint Terrorism task force to testify for most of Thursday. Berry was one of the lead investigators in the case and has interviewed Bell multiple times, the first time right when Bell returned from Jordan.

During that first interview Bell told him he would continue to pursue violent jihad, Berry said.

Bell was particularly inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki, an Islamic militant and terrorist recruiter who died in Yemen in a 2011 drone strike that became controversial because he was an American citizen.

Bell had downloaded to his computer numerous al-Awlaki videos preaching jihad. Thursday prosecutors showed one of them and then videos of Bell saying similar things.

“The worst thing that can happen to you is death,” Bell says in one video. “And that’s really not that bad.”

Bell speaks repeatedly of the need for Muslims to rise up against the United States and other western powers. The videos also show him firing guns, making amateur bombs and criticizing Muslims who oppose terrorism, calling them “blatant hypocrites.” He and another man also are shown getting ready to vandalize an Arlington church in July 2012. Statues were defaced at Chapel Hills Memory Gardens cemetery, with the head and arms of Jesus cut off.

The video of guns and bombs also show him burning a small American flag while several others cheer.

The second day of Bell’s sentencing hearing will be Friday with both sides calling mental-health experts.

Attorneys for Bell will argue that he never committed any terrorist acts and lacked the funds and contacts to provide much help to a terrorist organization.

“One thing he never did was take up arms against his own countrymen, which, if he were truly interested in more than just the concept of armed jihad, would have been easier to do in Jacksonville than halfway around the world,” said Assistant Federal Public Defender Lisa Call in a sentencing memorandum.

Call is expected to argue that Bell suffers from extreme attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, had substance-abuse issues and grew up in a dysfunctional home….

Oh, that explains it.

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Filed Under: American jihadis, converts to Islam, Jihad in the U.S. Tagged With: featured


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Comments

  1. Salah says

    Oct 27, 2014 at 5:46 pm

    “Videos show convert to Islam burning American flag”

    And…video showing converts FROM Islam burning the Qur’an, tearing it up and urinating on it.
    http://crossmuslims.blogspot.ca/2014/01/egyptian-muslims-tear-up-quran.html

  2. Alarmed Pig Farmer says

    Oct 27, 2014 at 5:57 pm

    Here’s an excellent history of the Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) industry. To me just having “extreme” in its name, and “narrative” is its method is enough to prove how we’re doing a piss-poor job of defense of Infidelia, and paying top dollar to get very poor results. But the CVE narrative feels good and it doesn’t offend our elites, and doesn’t agitate Moslems and incite them to acting on the commands of the Holy Ko-Ran:

    http://pjmedia.com/blog/lone-wolf-or-known-wolf-the-ongoing-counter-terrorism-failure/?singlepage=true

  3. Gary Mullennix says

    Oct 27, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    It always bears repeating. Convert Bell was only being a faithful, religious Muslim man following the requirements set forth in the Koran and the model of Mohammed in the Hadith’s.

    • Shane says

      Oct 28, 2014 at 9:39 am

      Does Islam attract deranged people who want to kill or rape, or does Islam turn men into savages who desire to raped and kill in Allah’s name. Of course, it is probably both.

  4. John Lee Pedimore says

    Oct 27, 2014 at 7:16 pm

    I’m sure the islamic center was convinced that this jihad spewing white guy was an FBI informant.Why else would they have their ATTORNEYS notify the FBI of their concerns?
    If he had been from the middle east and they trusted him I doubt that anyone would have been called.

    • TH says

      Oct 27, 2014 at 7:57 pm

      Maybe they thought that he wasn’t sufficiently adept in the use of takiiya.

    • Denis The Menace says

      Oct 28, 2014 at 8:49 pm

      Actually in Jacksonville there is a moderate Muslim center. By that I mean the sexes intermingle and don’t have to be separated in the Mosque , etc. (I live and checked the place out as I am a Jew who lives in town and concerned). This mosque has been targeting by other Muslims who think it is not “strict enough”. I am sure it won’t be long before the people there are targeted by their own religion. This is the MO of these people shut down everything but their warped fouled up views.

  5. Sam says

    Oct 27, 2014 at 7:38 pm

    Another Jewish plot to give a bad name to the religion of peace. The suffering of these muslims is unbearable. They have no chice but behead people muslim or not

  6. ApolloSpeaks says

    Oct 28, 2014 at 2:14 am

    WHEN FLORIDA’S SHELTON BELL

    converted to Islam he spiritually left the Sunshine State and became a citizen of the Moonshine State.

    http://www.apollospeaks.com

  7. Jackbo Godfrey says

    Oct 28, 2014 at 3:11 am

    Most dangerous of Jihadis are the traitors from Western Civilization itself. Yes, mental health experts are needed – but not for this psycho’s defense instead on how to stop the contagious spread of this evil ideology from infecting more.

    And where is the campaign to root out Jihadis in our midst? Hate to say it but we need a McCarthy witchhunt now more than ever! Where is our J Edgar Hoover speaking openly about the evil danger of Radical Islam and a massive national response to clean up the population throughout Western Civilization let alone the USA itself!

    His poor family must be horribly embarrassed what a tragedy.

  8. Joginder Singh says

    Oct 28, 2014 at 3:20 am

    White covert to islam looking at that photo it looks like a classic case of “The lights are on but nobody is at home” with mr bell

    • mortimer says

      Oct 28, 2014 at 8:37 am

      Joginder, you are a racist!

      (Just joking.)

  9. R Cole says

    Oct 28, 2014 at 7:14 am

    On drugs and crazy!!

    That is what they are saying about them all.

    If we could just get these would-be jihadis a proper diet – while they’re growing up – we can nip this problem in the bud.

    A poor diet – led to criminality – which gave way to jihadism.

    Come to think of it – Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was also a petty criminal in his younger days in Jordan – he joined jihad and his Iraqi terror network morphed into ISIS.

    He should have had more fresh fruits and vegetables growing up.

    Then there might be no ISIS to speak of!

  10. mortimer says

    Oct 28, 2014 at 8:34 am

    What is the RACE OF ISLAM? Anglo-celtic, of course!

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