Plan to Attack FORT Dix – Nixed by Shrewd Store Clerk
Sept. 2007
Just in the nick of time…
The FBI says the plot to attack Ft. Dix was unraveled by the help of a suspicious store clerk who saw some things that seemed out of the ordinary. This man’s instincts told him something was wrong when he was approached by Muslim men who needed to copy a Jihad propaganda video onto a DVD. Below are the near miss facts.
Ever since Sept. 11, U.S. authorities have asked the public to be vigilant, urging, "If you see something, say something."
• In January 2006, a store clerk in New Jersey saw something.
• A group of men had brought him a video showing them firing assault weapons and chanting, "God is Great!" in Arabic. They wanted him to transfer the footage onto a DVD.
• So he said something, calling the Mount Laurel Police Department, who in turn contacted the FBI.
• Six men from Yugoslavia and the Middle East who were charged Tuesday with plotting to slaughter scores of American soldiers at Fort Dix and perhaps other military installations in the Northeast.
• FBI agent J.P. Weis saluted the unidentified Mount Laurel store clerk as the "unsung hero" of the case.
• "That's why we're here today — because of the courage and heroism of that individual," the FBI agent said.
• Their goal was "to kill as many American soldiers as possible" in attacks with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns, prosecutors said.
• "Today we dodged a bullet. In fact, when you look at the type of weapons that this group was trying to purchase, we may have dodged a lot of bullets," Weis said.
• "This is what law enforcement is supposed to do in the post-9/11 era — stay one step ahead of those who are attempting to cause harm to innocent American citizens," U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said.
• One defendant, Eljvir Duka, was recorded as saying: "In the end, when it comes to defending your religion, when someone ... attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad."
• "It doesn't matter to me whether I get locked up, arrested or get taken away," another defendant, Serdar Tatar, was alleged to have said. "Or I die, it doesn't matter. I'm doing it in the name of Allah."
• One defendant, Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, spoke of using rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons to kill at least 100 soldiers, according to court documents.
• "My intent is to hit a heavy concentration of soldiers," he was quoted as saying. "You hit four, five or six Humvees and light the whole place (up) and retreat completely without any losses."
• The men trained by playing paintball in the woods in New Jersey and taking target practice at a firing range in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, where they had rented a house, authorities said.
• They often watched terror training videos, clips featuring Usama bin Laden, a tape containing the last will and testament of some of the Sept. 11 hijackers, and tapes of armed attacks on U.S. military personnel, erupting in laughter when one plotter noted that a Marine's arm was blown off in an ambush, authorities said.
• "Clearly, one of the guys had an intimate knowledge of the base from having been there delivering pizzas," Christie said.
• The men also allegedly conducted surveillance at other area military installations, including Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, and a Philadelphia Coast Guard station.
Get the Full Scoop
Store Clerk Helps Feds Bust 6 in Alleged 'Jihad' Plot to Kill U.S. Soldiers at Fort Dix
Our Take
This is another stark reminder that the best line of defense against terrorism on our own soil is not the U.S. Government, but the vigilance of its citizens. The unnamed store clerk saved countless lives and we commend him for “seeing something and saying something.” We have all been urged to report suspicious activity before. The importance of this is underscored by the store clerk and he took down the Ft. Dix terror plot because he made the call to the authorities. One call is all it took. We commend him on a job well done.
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