Shostack + Friends Blog Archive

 

Why Profiling Won't Work

WVLT VOLUNTEER TV Knoxville, TN reports: ”
Accused Domestic Terrorist Arrested In Knox County.”

According to the criminal complaint, the FBI says that Ivan Braden was planning to enter this Armory Friday, armed with guns and bombs.


The feds say the former 278th soldier planned to take people hostage at the Lenoir City Armory and periodically kill them.

He also allegedly planned to booby trap the door and planned to be killed by police or detonate a homicide bomb inside

What’s that you say? Non-muslim terrorists don’t commit suicide attacks, so profiling may be useful there? Well, the article continues…

Inside the home, deputies say they found detailed maps and sketches about the attack on the armory, and an attack on a synagogue.

Agents with the Joint Terrorism Task Force say there were also notes relating to the homicide bombing of a synagogue.

Braden told the FBI during an interview that he planned to wear a trench coat filled with bombs and get “as close to children and the Rabbi as possible to cause the greatest amount of damage possible.”

Police found a vest, gunpowder, and wires and a fuse inside Braden’s car earlier this week after serving a warrant on it at the Peninsula Hospital.

What I want to know, is why wasn’t the threat level raised to at least Orange in Knox County? How did they know he didn’t have accomplices? What’s the difference between this case and this one?

The article concludes, “So quick work by police may have prevented a horrendous tragedy.” Indeed. We need more local police resources, better trained, not a huge Federal center.

(Via Orcinus.)