McHenry County Blog

It’s a good thing I subscribe to both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Tribune.

Take a look at the front page of the Sun-Times:

The Chicago Sun-Times “gets it.” Its headline was “Downtown ‘Jihad’ Plot.” Above was “Feds arrest suburban teen.”  Beneath was “18-year-old allegedly tried to detonate what he thought was a car bomb in front of Chicago bar.”

Now, if I had only subscribed to the Tribune, here’s all I would have seen on the front page:

Just one word appears on the front page of the Sunday Chicago Tribune indicating that an Islamist terrorist tried to blow up a bar on an unnamed Chicago street. Just your average Chicagoland teenager for all one can tell from this little article.

The Sun-Times also devotes pages 2 & 3 to the jihadist plot.

“I want to get the most evil place,” the teenage jihadist told the undercover agent.

The Sun-Times put four reporters on the story, Natasha Kore4cki (who graduated from Jacobs High School in Algonquin), Lisa Donovan, Michael Sneed and Matt Hanley.

The would-be jihadist lived with his family in a typical suburban home in Hillside.

Clearly, some editor thought this was an important story.

Interviews with family members of Adel Daoud resulted in expressions of disbelief.

But consider this statement by the teen contained in the affidavit o FBI Special Agent Barbara J. Harner:

“[T]hey have to know it’s a terrorist attack.

“Because if the people just say oh, how like, like the thing that just happened, the, the, the Joker thing okay . . . [The FBI Agent suggested this was a reference to the mass murders at the Aurora movie theater playing the latest Batman movie.]

Oh, the person was crazy.

“Oh, that’s so sad . . .

“That’s it, okay, they forget about it after a week . . .

“You know what I mean?

“And, and if he could get away that’s good.

“Because they’ll think oh, terrorism . . . it’ll be like frantic.”

No where in any headline above the Tribune’s story on page 4 is there an indication that an Islamist-motivated jihadist was involved.

“FBI: Car bomb plan foiled” was the main headline. “Teen targeted bar, but fake device was used in sting, officials say.” Not one word about the Muslim jihadist angle.

While the eventual target was in Chicago, a two-hour meeting took place in Villa Park on July 17, 2012, and again on August 6th, this time at Prairie Path Park.

The FBI Agent’s affidavit said Daoud gave him a list of”approximately twenty-nine potential targets and/or addresses, which Daoud provided to the UCE. The targets included military recruiting centers, bars, malls, and other tourist attractions in and around the Chicago area.”

His intention was to cause Americans to become afraid in ordinary places.

He talked about ordinary folks like this:

“[Y]ou can’t really take these people as regular people.

“They’re like, more like robots.”

How I wish the guy from Skokie who wrote “The Chicago Journalism Review” was still around. The Chicago Tribune’s coverage of this story surely demonstrates that a watchdog is needed.

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh, a member of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee:

Congressman Joe Walsh Reacts to Attempted Islamic Terror Attack in Chicago

Saturday, prosecutors announced a terror suspect from Hillside, IL was arrested late Friday in Chicago.

The suspected left Villa Park with an undercover agent and fake explosives and attempted to detonate a bomb outside a bar in downtown Chicago.

A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office stated the suspect

“expressed an interest in engaging in violent jihad, in either the United States or overseas.”

Congressman Walsh reacted in a statement,

Joe Walsh

“Fortunately, due to the great work of the FBI and law enforcement, a threat against Illinoisans and America was thwarted.

“We owe our law enforcement officers a debt of gratitude for their efforts and vigilance.

“As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I have spoken about this threat, and this event is an alarming reminder on the threat of homegrown terror.

“However, my opponent, Tammy Duckworth continues to condemn my remarks for political gain at the expense of national security.”

“This is not a political issue,” Walsh continued.

“The issue of homegrown terror is an issue that Attorney General Eric Holder says keeps him up at night.

“I find it ironic that during the same time this attempted attack took place, Ms. Duckworth was trying to score political points during our joint appearance by criticizing my concerns about this very real threat.

“I challenge Ms. Duckworth to instead join me in urging our government to do more in addressing this issue and spend less time worrying about political correctness.”

Walsh concluded, “It’s my hope Ms. Duckworth will stop shamelessly exploiting my efforts to draw attention to this issue.

“We must continue to remember the vast majority of Muslims are a patriotic, peace-loving people.

“As a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I vow to pursue and expose this radical strain of Islam.

“This issue is far too vital to our country to allow political correctness to prevent us from addressing this threat.”

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

HILLSIDE MAN ARRESTED AFTER FBI UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION ON FEDERAL CHARGES FOR ATTEMPTING TO BOMB DOWNTOWN CHICAGO BAR

Gary Shapiro

CHICAGO — A Hillside man was arrested Friday evening after he allegedly attempted to detonate what he believed to be car bomb in front of a bar in downtown Chicago, announced Gary S. Shapiro, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; William C. Monroe, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Garry F. McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

The arrest of ADEL DAOUD, 18, a U.S. citizen, was the culmination of a rigorous undercover operation during which Daoud developed his attack plans and surveilled and selected a target.

Daoud was closely monitored by law enforcement and was offered several opportunities to change his mind and walk away from the supposed attack.

“The explosives that Daoud allegedly attempted to detonate posed no threat to the public.

“They were inert and had been supplied by undercover law enforcement personnel,” Mr. Shapiro said.

Daoud was charged in a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court with one count of attempt to use of a weapon of mass destruction (explosives) and one count of attempt to damage and destroy a building by means of an explosive.

Daoud had an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys.

He remains in custody pending a detention and preliminary hearing, which was scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday in Federal Court.

Daoud faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison for attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a potential maximum of 20 years in prison for attempt to damage or destroy a building by means of an explosive.

According to an affidavit in support of the complaint, beginning in about October 2011, Daoud used email accounts to obtain and distribute material, some of which he purported to author, relating to violent jihad and the killing of Americans.

In about May 2012, two FBI online undercover employees contacted Daoud in response to material Daoud posted online and thereafter exchanged several electronic communications with Daoud. According to the affidavit, during these communications Daoud expressed an interest in engaging in violent jihad, either in the United States or overseas.

The affidavit alleges that, from late May to mid-June 2012, Daoud confirmed his belief in the propriety of killing Americans in a terrorist attack and then began seeking online resources regarding how to carry out an attack.

In about June 2012, Daoud was introduced to a purported cousin of one of the undercover employees, who said he resided in New York and was an operational terrorist. Daoud allegedly expressed an interest in meeting the cousin, who unbeknownst to Daoud was an FBI undercover agent.

In the course of his dealings with the undercover agent, Daoud allegedly drafted a list of approximately 29 potential targets, including military recruiting centers, bars, malls, and other tourist attractions in the Chicago area.

He then selected, researched and surveilled a target for attack to be carried out with an explosive device supplied by the undercover agent, the affidavit alleges.

About 7:15 p.m. yesterday, Daoud met the undercover agent in Villa Park and they drove to downtown Chicago.

During the drive, Daoud led the undercover agent in a prayer that Daoud and the agent succeed in their attack, kill many people, and cause destruction.

They entered a parking lot where a Jeep containing the purported explosive device was parked.

Daoud then drove the Jeep out of the parking lot and parked the vehicle in front of a bar in downtown Chicago, which was the target that he had previously selected.

According to the affidavit, Daoud exited the vehicle and walked to an alley approximately a block away, and in the presence of the undercover agent, attempted to detonate the device by pressing the triggering mechanism.

He was then arrested.

This case was investigated by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which is comprised of FBI special agents, officers from the Chicago Police Department and representatives from 20 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The Justice Department’s National Security Division assisted in the investigation.

The public is reminded that a criminal complaint contains mere allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

= = = = =
Read the affidavit here.

The subhead is ‘No apology for remarks about Muslims, terror.”

“The threat we are facing from homegorwn jihadist terrorists is read, and Congressman Walsh will not bow to political correctness and ignore the issue,” Justin Roth, Walsh spokesman told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Since 9/11 there have been over 40 jihadist terror plots.  For that reason Attorney General Eric Holder has said that the growing threat of American being radicalized is what ‘keeps him awake at night.’”

Locally there was the Black Muslim who plotted with a Cooperating Witness to plant a bomb in trash container at Rockford’s Cherry Vale Mall.  No mainstream media I saw reported that “homegrown” terrorist.

The article does point out that Walsh is a member of the Homeland Security Committee in the U.S. House.

Walsh’s Thursday statement is here.

Friday’s Chicago Sun-Times coverage can be found here.