Mumbai Terror Group Trained American Jihadists

[kpete]

Source: Wired

Mumbai Terror Group Trained American Jihadists
By Noah Shachtman EmailDecember 10, 2008 | 7:00:00 AMCategories: T is for Terror

A growing chorus of intelligence officials in the U.S. and in south Asia have pinned the Mumbai attacks on the Kashmir-based militants Lashkar-e-Taiba. But there's been hardly any mention of the extremist group's deep ties to American-based jihadists.

Since 2003, at least five U.S. citizens have been convicted in federal court of conspiring to provide material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba. At least nine more men, considered to be in the same larger circle, have been convicted of firearms violations and other felonies. (A partial list is here.) Several other cases are still making their way through the legal process.

Islamic extremists in America have used Lashkar-e-Taiba ("LeT") as a "stepping stone" into the broader world of global terror, says Evan Kohlmann, a senior investigator at the NEFA Foundation. With easy-to-access training facilities, English-speaking recruiters, and connections to militants around the world, a Lashkar camp is "the best way for emerging jihadist to get trained."

In April, 2000, for instance, Virginia native Randall Todd Royer (pictured) went to a LeT camp in Kashmir. The place wasn't hard to find, according to an opinion from U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema. Online newsletters gave out the group's phone number and e-mail address, with the assurance that "requests for information about the jihad in Kashmir are welcome." A recruiting center operated openly in Lahore, one of Pakistan's largest cities.

Read more: http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/12/let-usa.html

[amdezurik]

1. is Mr Royer a Langley resident perhaps?

[Bluebear]

2. Time to attack Iran.

[Javaman]

3. this just in...

Mumbai terrorists are also responcible for the sinking of the Maine, the dissapearance of Judge Crater, Longs, JFK, RFK, and MLK's assassinations, all stubbed toes, 8 hotdogs for every pack of 6 buns, hilighters that glow in the dark (think about it), wrong numbers, etc...

[aquart]

4. Damn, you noticed that about the hotdogs, too?

Now THERE's a damned conspiracy.

[EFerrari]

5. I'm not sure NEFA or their star, Evan Kohlmann, are in any way credible.

Evan has made a cottage industry of testifying in terror cases. He's not clean, imho.