Tel-Chai Nation

Oh, and he was in the US illegally too. From the Dallas Morning News (via Michelle Malkin):

Federal authorities arrested a 19-year-old Jordanian citizen whom they said placed an inactive car bomb today at Fountain Place, a 60-story skyscraper in downtown Dallas.

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi has repeatedly voiced his intent to serve Osama bin Laden and al-Qa’ida and commit “violent Jihad,” authorities said in a prepared statement.

“Today’s arrest of Hosam Maher Husein Smadi underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to bring to justice persons who attempt to bring harm to citizens of this country and significant danger to this community,” special FBI agent in charge Robert E. Casey, Jr. said in the statement. “Smadi made a decision to act to commit a significant conspicuous act of violence under his banner of ‘self Jihad.’”

Authorities said that Smadi was under continuous FBI surveillance. Federal agents posed as members of an al-Qa’ida sleeper cell. Smadi, who was in the U.S. illegally, allegedly told them that he came to the country specifically to commit “Jihad for the sake of God.”

According to authorities, Smadi identified potential Dallas targets in June and allegedly scoped out Fountain Place in July. Authorities said that Smadi lived and worked in Italy, about 45 miles south of Dallas.

And that's not the only one. Another terrorist suspect was arrested in Chicago (Hat tip: Stop the ACLU and Atlas Shrugs):

A Decatur man was charged today with plotting to blow up the federal courthouse in Springfield, but the charges make it clear that authorities were on to him from the start and that he was dealing with an undercover federal agent posing as an Al Qaeda operative.

Michael Finton, also known as Talib Islam, was charged with attempting to murder federal employees and to use an explosive against the Paul Findley Federal Building, according to a federal complaint.

An affidavit filed in the case states that members of an FBI-led task force began investigating Finton, a restaurant worker who converted to Islam in prison, after hearing from his parole officer. A search of his vehicle after his arrest in 2007 on a parole violation allegedly turned up letters mentioning martyrdom and purported contact with John Walker Lindh, the so-called “American Taliban,” who was captured in Afghanistan.

The FBI had a drug informant become friendly with Finton, according to the complaint. The informant told agents Finton had talked about wanting to get terror training and to fight in Gaza against the Israelis. Agents then worked to set up an “opportunity for action that we controlled,” began recording contacts with him and put him in touch with an undercover agent who told Finton he was an al-Qaeda operative.

In a July conversation, Finton allegedly told the agent he was considering attacks on “government buildings, banks and police stations.” His hope was that an attack would cause the U.S. military to withdraw from conflicts overseas.

“Finton said attacking the FBI office would be great, because he had no love for the police, so that would not bother him a bit,” according to the affidavit. He allegedly proposed bombing the federal building in Springfield with a backpack bomb or an explosive in a vehicle in July.

This is what comes from lax immigration policies, and why they need to be strengthened, but under the Obama administration, there's no telling if that'll happen.

Update: some more details about these cases from Debbie Schlussel.

Labels: immigration, jihad, terrorism, United States, war on terror