Finding Jihad Online

As the investigation continues into the Fort Dix six and how they became enmeshed in jihad, there is a focus on websites that provide videos, how-to guides, and instruction manuals on how to go on jihad.

A wealth of online materials, both inspirational and instructional, awaits the would-be jihadist. No more risky trips to distant mountain training camps. No more clandestine meetings in mosques. No more visits to dusty science libraries. "Radicalization" now begins at home, with a few keystrokes.

From Osama stemwinders and gruesome beheadings, to lurid promises about the sensual rewards of martyrdom and helpful hints on self-detonation, the path to extremism is laid out in easy, byte-sized pieces for anyone with broadband and a grudge.

But are these digital provocations really enough to turn a mere malcontent into a ruthless killer?

"Because of the constant and overwhelming propaganda the jihadists produce, any individual, even with no prior association to jihadist ideology, can quickly feel like he or she is part of the global jihadist community," said Rita Katz of the SITE Institute, a counter-terrorism group based in Washington, D.C.

And as FBI Director Robert Mueller III lamented last year: "The radicalization process has become more rapid, more widespread and anonymous in this Internet age, making detection that much more difficult."

One doesn't have to be affiliated with al Qaeda to access these sites, but someone who is already predisposed to the violent ideology may find inspiration and assistance in realizing jihad.

Terrorism experts now regularly look for computer evidence that links back to jihad websites, and it is rare that they do not find such links. However, there are only a handful of sites that provide what amounts to marching orders while others are the primary mouthpieces for al Qaeda or other Islamic terrorist groups, with the rest linking back to these origination sites.

Testifying before Congress in February, Katz, of the SITE Institute, said jihadist sites are growing bolder and should be tracked more closely.

Although the FBI's Mueller counts as many as 6,000 extremist Web sites, only a handful set the agenda, according to Katz. Since January 2006, the primary clearinghouse for jihadist communiqués has been a virtual outpost called the Al-Fajr Center. Among its offerings is a manual, "Technical Mujahid," explaining how to cover one's tracks in cyberspace.

Like a terror communications corporation, Al-Fajr Center has many divisions: "Brigades" are devoted to hacking, intelligence, propaganda, publications, multimedia and cybersecurity.

Other influential online groups are the Ansar e-Group, the Jihadi Brigades and the Global Islamic Media Front, also known as GIMF.

Besides providing tips for waging jihad, GIMF posts videos of "Americans and Western crimes against Muslims" and the nightly news show "Voice of the Caliphate," complete with masked anchors against a backdrop of assault weapons. A video game, "Night of Bush Capturing," is a first-person shoot-'em-up designed for "terrorist children."

Investigators are looking at what happened in the background of the six to spur them into jihad. This change took place over time, from when they were in high school until well before the plot came to the attention of investigators.

One law enforcement official said that transformation had already been completed when the FBI was alerted to the group 15 months ago.

"Something happened from the time these guys were in high school until now," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"How they congealed, how they formed this tight-knit group is unknown," the official said. "By the time we got to them, they were already radicalized."

It appears that the Duka brothers began to change their views towards Western culture and began down a path of radical Islam about seven years ago.

As usual, the media can't quite figure out whether this is an overhyped story or one that needs to be underplayed. When terror plots are busted before they come to fruition, it's always a good thing, except the only proof of a threat comes based on what the law enforcement agencies say - and given the media's disdain for the Bush Administration and the war on terror in general, they lean towards claiming that the threats were hyped and not significant.

Unfortunately, if and when such attacks do occur, the Administration will be blamed for failing to connect the dots and stopping the attacks. It's a no win situation for law enforcement and whatever administration is in office at the time.

So, what we're left is trying to figure out what made these six plotters engage in jihad.

Eljvir Duka, an ethnic Albanian, felt the reason to plot an attack on Fort Dix was clear.

"When someone attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad (holy war)," Duka, 23, was quoted as saying in a federal criminal complaint released after his arrest Monday night.

It's an attitude Americans hear from radical elements in the Islamic world. But it's hardly a typical sentiment to come from the mouth of an Albanian.

Of course, Duka conveniently forgets that the Albanian Muslim community was saved from ethnic cleansing by the US led NATO operation in the former Yugoslavia. The US airlifted refugees to the Fort Dix base. They were welcomed with open arms, and yet this group decided that America was the enemy. It's no wonder that so many within the Albanian community are confused about the whole situation.

UPDATE:
Jammie Wearing Fool links to additional information about the initial encounter at the Circuit City where a store employee saw the contents of the home movie that the Dix Six wanted have duplicated. They saw some weird stuff indeed.

Meanwhile, the article notes that a total of 10 were in the parking lot. Of the 10, six are being held without bail. The remaining four are still under surveillance, but have not been arrested as yet for lack of sufficient evidence.