DoD: Accused December 25th Bomber Was Found, Trained In Just A Few Weeks

Testifying before the Senate Armed Service Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities on Wednesday, Garry Reid, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism, said that militant groups are using the internet to quickly identify, recruit, and train individuals to carry out attacks. "Enabled by 21st century technology, extremists have optimized the use of Internet chat rooms, Web sites, and email chains to spread their virulent messages and reach a global audience of potential recruits," he said in his prepared remarks. Reid said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is accused of attempting to bring down a Northwest A330 on a flight to Detroit, went from student to alleged bomber in a period of weeks.

"It is this highly evolved radicalization process that enabled al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to make contact with a wealthy Nigerian student living in London, recruit, train, and equip him in the remote tribal regions of Yemen, position him in the Netherlands, and ultimately dispatch him on a suicide mission to the United States, all within a period of weeks," Reid told the subcommittee. "By contrast, the 9/11 operation took about 2 and a half years to develop from the time Osama bin Laden approved it in April 1999. The condensed timeline of the December 25th attempted terrorist attack over the United States underscores the critical need to get in front of the radicalization cycle sooner, and more effectively, than ever before."

Reid said that DoD understands the limits of military action in what he described as a "complex global security environment." "As Secretary Gates has said many times, we cannot capture or kill our way to victory in war against al Qaida and its affiliates," Reid said. "Although we will continue to take immediate, necessary actions to protect the United States from terrorist attacks, our long-term focus is on working through and with partner nations to build their security capabilities, reverse the momentum of insurgents and extremist groups, create conditions that promote development opportunities, and disrupt the forces of violent radicalization that provide terrorists and extremists with new recruits."

Reid went on to describe DoD's ongoing efforts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other regions including Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and southern Asia. "In each of these endeavors our approach is to improve the capabilities of our partners – not just of their kinetic forces, but also their general ability to provide security," he said. "When the host nation can counter the threats to its security posed by violent extremists, and increase its legitimacy in the eyes of its population, we are on the road to successfully countering violent extremist messages of intolerance and hatred."

Reid said that DoD's contributions to countering terrorism will vary based on regions and political circumstances. He said the department is always looking for new ways to counter violent extremism.

FMI: http://armed-services.senate.gov