Monday, May 25, 2009

Jihad-lite?

by Stephen C. Webster

This terrorism sting case from New York keeps getting stranger. In two New York publications, the girlfriends of those accused are stepping out to defend their men. What they're saying is certainly enough to raise eyebrows.

From The New York Post:

She said Maqsood promised to get Cromitie jobs and once said he would give him a black Mercedes-Benz. On repeated occasions, he gave Cromitie cameras, cash and even drugs, she said.

"Maqsood gave him a lot of marijuana," she said.

An FBI spokesman did not return a call for comment on the alleged gift giving.

Williams' mother, Elizabeth McWilliams, said her son fell under Maqsood's sway in April with promises to help with medical bills for his sick brother.

From The New York Daily News:

"Maqsood would keep ringing our doorbell, and James would hide behind the sofa," Baynes said.

"I know something wasn't right with Maqsood from the beginning. He would call and say, 'I got lots of money. Anything you need I can give you, sister.'"

[...]

"It's all a lie, and the government knows deep down inside that these four men are not terrorists," Baynes said. "We're going to stand together as a family and watch God move mountains."

"We are not entrapping or encouraging anyone to commit a crime," Joseph M. Demarest, head of New York's FBI office, told the Associated Press. "We merely facilitated their wishes."

It's too early to pronounce public verdict on this strange case, but needless to say, the latest developments certainly warrant closer scrutiny.

http://rawstory.com/blog/2009/05/jihad-lite/

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