Was the U.S. about to become the scene of suicide bombings — carried out by teenage girls?
The New York Times has an intriguing piece that raises the possibility that it may well have been in the cards…or was it?
Two 16-year-old girls from New York City were arrested last month and charged with immigration violations after the F.B.I. asserted that they intended to become suicide bombers, according to a government document. A spokesman for one of their families, however, said the accusation was false and said the government had probably misinterpreted a school essay written by one of the girls.
Yes, schools (and officials) are practicing zero tolerance these days due to the high stakes in giving people — even young people — the benefit of the doubt. MORE:
The girls are both in the country illegally, one born in Guinea and the other from Bangladesh, and are being held in a family detention center in Leesport, in southeastern Pennsylvania, according to the document, provided by a federal agent. They were arrested on March 24, and one appeared at an immigration hearing on April 1 in York, Pa.The document, which describes the background of the case, said the F.B.I. believed the girls presented “an imminent threat to the security of the United States based upon evidence that they plan to be suicide bombers.” It does not describe the nature of that evidence.
But one federal official, not connected to the F.B.I., expressed skepticism that the teenagers represented a real risk of a suicide bombing.
“There are doubts about these claims, and no evidence has been found that such a plot was in the works,” said the government official in Washington, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case involves a pending legal matter. A senior law enforcement official in New York voiced the same doubts.
The case is the latest run-in between immigrants, both legal and illegal, and federal officials who have become much more aggressive in acting against potential terrorist threats in the post-9/11 world. While advocates for immigrants have said that many innocent people are being swept up in antiterror efforts, government officials have said their vigilance is necessary.
Adem Carroll, a community activist with the Islamic Circle of North America who first approached this reporter about the case on behalf of one of the girls’ parents, said the case appeared to be “an investigation that’s gotten out of hand, like a lot of other so-called terror investigations.” He added, “I’m confident that things will be cleared up.”
Federal officials are caught in a thankless Catch 22 on this:
- They could do nothing, then face condemnation and the inevitable Congressional investigation if these two girls did indeed pose a danger that was confirmed by them blowing themselves and others up.
- They could act and take the political and inevitable PC heat to make sure that if there was even the smallest threat it would not come to fruition.
There is also the issue of deterrence: by dealing with this issue now they’re sending a message to potential terrorists that the U.S. is not going to be an easy mark for suicide bomber — or at least not as easy as in the past.
This story has details about the investigations (as much as they would release), the arrest (no warrant), and the predictable friends of saying the whole thing is crazy. But then remember that whenever there is a crime people come forward with comments such as: “I can’t believe it. She liked flowers.”
In cases that suggest suicide bombing, officials are not unwise if they err on the side of caution.
TMV thanks the great new tabloid site Sploid for the tip.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.