This story was interesting to me, because I looked at it from an operational point of view and understood that what the enemy is doing is developing a method. They are looking for more Maj. Hasan types, and they are wanting to convert them into weapons. They are also using the internet in new and interesting ways in order to reach out to potential recruits, and I would even say that this technique is the missing chapter in Lawrence Cline’s paper on pseudo-operations. –Matt
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The Search for White Jihadists
April 20, 2010
By DANIEL WILLIAMS
CAIRO — Al Qaeda and its ideological allies are using English-language Web sites and forums to encourage non-Arabic speakers to make war on the West as terrorists seek the next Fort Hood shooters and “Jihad Janes.”
Their goal to widen the pool of prospective terrorists beyond traditional Middle Eastern and Asian sources is part of a search for “white Al Qaeda” activists who could foil racial profiling and initiate attacks, according to Evan Kohlmann, a consultant with FlashPoint Partners, a security research company based in New York. The effort is consistent with the gradual decentralization of Islamic-inspired holy war, he said in a telephone interview.
“It’s a way Al Qaeda can say, ‘You don’t have to speak Arabic or Pashtun or come to Pakistan for training; you just have to be committed, and go out and kill people,”’ Mr. Kohlmann said.