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Thursday, March 28, 2024

NYPD vs. Revolution Muslim: The Inside Story of the Defeat of a Local Radicalization Hub

The Revolution ended on a dusty street outside a mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. The sun was setting in late May 2011 when Moroccan police cleared the streets and stopped and arrested Younus Abdullah Muhammad (aka Jesse Morton, the co-author of this article) as he was on his way home to his wife and two young sons. The officers told the man who had been one of the most prolific recruiters for al-Qa`ida in the United States, “You have a problem. It is not with Morocco but with America. You are wanted as American al-Qa`ida, and we’re sending you home.” A few months earlier, a jury in the Eastern District of Virginia had indicted Younus Abdullah Muhammad for incitement to terrorism, and the United States had requested his extradition from Morocco.

The indictment of Younus Abdullah Muhammad capped a six-year international investigation that began in New York City but touched four continents. It required the deployment of four deep undercover officers, a team of detectives, intelligence analysts, and confidential informants as well as close partnerships with multiple federal agencies and international allies. It was an investigation that co-author Mitchell Silber supervised for the New York City Police Department Intelligence Division.

The disruption and destruction of the Revolution Muslim terror network was of critical importance. Through its violent ideology and prowess in radicalization and recruitment in the West, the network was connected to almost 20 American and British terrorists, with plots that included a September 2011 attempt to fly a remote-controlled plane strapped with explosives into the Pentagon, a March 2010 plot to kill a Swedish cartoonistハwho satirized the Prophet Muhammad by Colleen LaRose (aka Jihad Jane), the May 2010 stabbing of a British member of Parliament, a Christmas bomb plot in 2010 against the London Stock Exchange, the January 2009 targeting of the Chabad-Lubuvitch headquarters in Brooklyn, death threats against the creators of South Park in April 2010, and a November 2011 lone-actor bomb plot in New York City. One member of the Revolution Muslim network was killed in a drone strike in Yemen, where he had joined al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Several attempted to leave the United States to fight for al-Qa`ida Core and al-Shabaab between 2007 and 2011, and some joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria during 2013 and 2014. All in all, there were at least 15 plots, arrests, or kinetic military actions related to members of the Revolution Muslim network worldwide.

Read more at CTC Sentinel

NYPD vs. Revolution Muslim: The Inside Story of the Defeat of a Local Radicalization Hub Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Today
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.
Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Todayhttp://www.hstoday.us
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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