He was in the Army National Guard. While in it, Islamic apologists and their allies would have pointed to him as an indication that Muslims can be as patriotic as anyone else, and any scrutiny of Muslims in the military was unwarranted and “Islamophobic.” In contrast, a realistic appraisal of the situation would call for some screening of Muslims in the military. But even when Fort Hood jihad mass murderer Nidal Malik Hasan was communicating with jihad mastermind Anwar al-Awlaki, the feds declined to move against him; it would have been “Islamophobic.”
“Former National Guardsman accused of plotting attack to support ISIS,” by Rachel Weiner and Joe Heim, Washington Post, July 5, 2016:
A former member of the Army National Guard living in Sterling, Va., is accused of trying to plan a domestic terrorist attack on behalf of the Islamic State.
Mohamad Bailor Jalloh was arrested Sunday and charged with attempting to provide material support to the terrorist organization, according to papers filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Jalloh, a native of Sierra Leone, is a U.S. citizen. He quit the National Guard after listening to the lectures of deceased radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, according to court documents, and became involved in planning a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
Moved to look up Awlaki’s lectures online after hearing the cleric referred to in the news media as a “hate preacher,” Jalloh found himself persuaded to take violent action, according to court papers.
Jalloh later said he would like to carry out an attack in the style of Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Tex., according to the affidavit filed in federal court. He also praised Mohammad Youssef Abdulazee, who killed five U.S. service members in Chattanooga, Tenn., last year. And Jalloh at one point suggested that someone known for organizing contests for cartoons of the prophet Muhammad would make a good target.
“You have to pick a action and take it cuz time is not on your side,” he wrote to an ally, according to the affidavit.
Jalloh appeared briefly in court on Tuesday. A slim but muscular young man with a small beard, he spoke softly, saying only “Yes, sir” when asked if he had agreed to a delay in his detention hearing.
Defense attorney Ashraf Nubani said he could not comment on the case at this time. In court, he said “We don’t expect bond to be granted in this case. . .but he deserves a fair chance.”
Prosecutor John T. Gibbs said Jalloh was arrested Sunday morning.
Jalloh purchased a Glock handgun in February but was unsuccessful in trying to buy an assault rifle in Charlotte, N.C., last month, according to the documents.
While under FBI surveillance on July 1, Jalloh visited Blue Ridge Arsenal, a gun store and indoor target range in Chantilly, Va. He attempted to purchase a Bushmaster AR-15 but did not have the required three forms of identification, court papers said. He told staffers he would return the next day.
“As soon as he walked out the door, the FBI came in,” said Earl Curtis, the store’s owner, in an interview Tuesday. The FBI collected security camera footage and asked about Jalloh.
FBI agents informed the store’s manager that when Jalloh returned, the store should sell him a gun, but make it inoperable before he took ownership, said Curtis.
“They wanted to catch him in the act, so they said to go through with the purchase,” Curtis said. The store’s owner said Jalloh returned that evening and bought a different assault rifle for about $1,200. He test-fired the weapon at the range, after which an employee took the gun in the back and disabled it before returning it to Jalloh….