Public Documents Contradict Claim Email Spying Foiled Terror Plot

[kentuck]

I wondered about this story.
===================

http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/public-documents-contradict-claim-email-spying-foiled-terror

<snip>
Defenders of the American government’s online spying program known as “PRISM” claimed Friday that the suddenly controversial secret effort had saved New York City’s subways from a 2009 terrorist plot led by a young Afghan-American, Najibullah Zazi.

But British and American legal documents from 2010 and 2011 contradict that claim, which appears to be the latest in a long line of attempts to defend secret programs by making, at best, misleading claims that they were central to stopping terror plots. While the court documents don’t exclude the possibility that PRISM was somehow employed in the Zazi case, the documents show that old-fashioned police work, not data mining, was the tool that led counterterrorism agents to arrest Zazi. The public documents confirm doubts raised by the blogger Marcy Wheeler and the AP’s Adam Goldman, and call into question a defense of PRISM first floated by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, who suggested that PRISM had stopped a key terror plot.

[Fumesucker]

1. We really need to get high speed rail down the damn rabbit hole

[geek tragedy]

2. Interesting, but how did they trace the email to Zazi? Unless he was a complete dolt, he

would have used an anonymous email.

[rhett o rick]

4. I want whatever your drinking. nm

[Nuclear Unicorn]

10. I think Hollywood has overplayed the image of the competent, professional terrorist.

The self-motivated terrorist is dim enough to buy into online rabble rousing and dumb enough to lack a vision for a better solution. Absurd mistakes seem inevitable after that.

[geek tragedy]

11. This guy had training though.

Surely some kind of security protocol was in place.

What seems scary is that any competent terrorist is assured of success.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

12. Training can't fix stupid.

Hubby was always fond of saying lieutenants are the best trained morons money can buy.

[geek tragedy]

13. Has there been a single terror plot foiled

where the perp didn't commit a gross error?

Eventually some smart ones will get involved.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

14. And the ones who are successful are the suicide bombers.

That doesn't seem like a winning strategy. You either employ people who are so dumb they have a greater chance of failing or the ones who do succeed only get to be used once.

Whose bright idea was that!

[geek tragedy]

15. Part of US terror strategy is to kill the smart ones

via the dreaded 'targeted killings.'

Making the enemy dumber does seem to be our most effective tactic. Cannon fodder with feet aren't that big of a threat left on their own.

[woo me with science]

3. K&R

[woo me with science]

5. kick

[woo me with science]

6. kick

[intheflow]

7. How is obtaining emails not part of an online

domestic spy program? I don't get what the story is here. It's not like emails are in the public domain. Even your excerpt admits it doesn't "exclude the possibility that PRISM was somehow employed."

[kentuck]

8. There are some people that will say or do anything to keep the "war on terror" going...

They look for any justification. Why?

Because they like spending money on things like Defense and Homeland Security and it keeps them in office and gives purpose to their lives.

[forestpath]

9. K&R