Somali Terrorist May Cross U.S.-Mexico Border

[sjr09 155]

DHS Warns Somali Terrorist May Cross U.S.-Mexico Border

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has alerted Texas law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for a suspected member of a Somali-based terrorist group. According to a DHS bulletin, which has not yet been released to the public, Mohamed Ali is currently believed to be in Mexico and is purportedly preparing to illegally cross the border into Texas. DHS officials believe that Ali has ties to Al Shabaab – a Somali terrorist organization which has aligned itself with Al Qaeda and has made statements about its intent to harm the United States. (<A href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/26/terror-alert-mexican-border/">Fox News, May 26, 2010; See also National Counterterrorism Center Webpage on Al Shabaab).

The DHS memo is only the most recent of a series of incidents indicating that aliens from Somalia – a country where al Qaeda militants have been active – are stepping up their efforts to come to the United States illegally. In February, officials arrested a man who has admitted to having ties to Al Shabaab for his alleged role in an international ring that illegally brought more than 200 Somalis to the United States. The man allegedly used a Kenya-based travel business as a cover to help the Somalis fraudulently obtain visas from the Cuban embassy. Most of the Somalis remain at large. (Fox News, May 26, 2010; Reuters, February 23, 2010).

In addition, earlier this month, a federal grand jury in Texas indicted a Somali man, Ahmed Muhammed Dhakane, for his alleged role in a human smuggling ring. Authorities claim that Dhakane helped bring East Africans, including Somalis with ties to terrorist groups, across the Mexican border and into Texas. Federal officials say that Dhakane was a member of the wire-transfer network Al-Barakat, in addition to an Islamic militant group in Somalia, Al-Ittihad Al-Islami, both of which are listed on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Terrorist entities. (Fox News, May 26, 2010; Express-News, March 6, 2010).

Interviewed on Fox News, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), the Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Intelligence, commented on the DHS bulletin: “This is just one case that demonstrates many other cases out there. And the fact is we don’t know how many other cases are out there. We do know the fact that many of these people are getting into the United States, we don’t know where they are, and, in my view, they present a grave threat and a danger to our national security.” When asked about President Obama’s recent decision to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the border, McCaul commented: “I think it’s a good first step, but I think we need to do a lot more if we’re going to get serious about securing this border.” McCaul added: “I’m afraid [President Obama is] using this as a political tool to drive his amnesty agenda, which we know he’ll be pushing after this.” (YouTube, May 27, 2010).

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I'll be armed and ready.