Why were would-be terrorists unable to get what they wanted?

[oneshooter]

The news is atwitter about the arrest of Tarek Mehanna for various terrorism related charges. Supposedly, one of his ambitions was to shoot up a shopping mall (maybe ol' Tarek finds mall music even more maddening than I do).


The suspect and his alleged co-conspirators had discussed an attack on at least one U.S. mall

The idea stalled, Loucks said, after Mehanna and the others were unable to get automatic weapons.


http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m10d22-If-gun-laws-are-so-inadequate-why-were-wouldbe-terrorists-unable-to-get-what-they-wanted?cid=exrss-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner

Any answers from the crowd? "Unable to get full auto arms."

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Probably lack of money, like the Miami squeegee boys.

Wannabe trerrerists.

[friendly_iconoclast]

3. We should still worry about the non-incompetent types that are still out there

whatever their motivation.

This bunch definitely had the 'felony motormouth' thing going.

[friendly_iconoclast]

2. Apparently, nutcase religious warriors just aren't as motivated as drug gangs.

OR, they didn't have any contacts in Mexico, Central or S. America.

[Euromutt]

5. The link between drug trafficking and terrorism is quite well established, actually

For example, FARC pretty much funds its operations through cocaine trafficking, and ditto with the Taliban and heroin. In the case of the Provisional IRA and ETA, they were effectively co-opted into the drug trade by various traffickers who would only sell them weapons as part of a package deal with a shipment of drugs, so that the terrorists would then have to sell the dope to recoup their expenditure.

Fact is that terrorists rather frequently are forced to resort to criminal activity to fund their operations, and dealing drugs is at least less risky, and a lot more lucrative, than robbing post offices. And then there's groups like the Symbionese Liberation Army, which are remembered more for their profit-motivated activities than for their politically motivated activities.

[Hoopla Phil]

4. Because they didn't check the paper for the next gun show?

After all, everyone knows that terrorists buy all their AK-47's at American gun shows and ship them oversees. Sheees, you had to ask?

[slackmaster]

6. Just like many of the gun-ban enthusiasts here on DU, they were ignorant of our existing gun laws

They were stupid and deserve to be incarcerated for a long, long time.

Our federal laws prevented them from acquiring automatic weapons through legal channels. If they had planned better, they would have sought weapons from black market sources - Criminal organizations within the US, or international arms smugglers elsewhere.

[SteveM]

7. A prosaic explanation: poor demand, poor supply (nt)

[Endangered Specie]

8. But I'm sure those "NO GUNS" signs on the mall would have stopped them in their tracks...

:sarcasm: