Arrested “terrorists” become innocent after the publicity
Something very odd is going on in the FBI, other
federal law enforcement agencies, the Justice Department and perhaps the federal
courts too. Most people arrested on charges related to suspected terrorist
activities aren’t being prosecuted.
The TSA would arrest all of these guys!
Something very odd is going on in the FBI, other federal law enforcement agencies, the Justice Department and perhaps the federal courts too. Most people arrested on charges related to suspected terrorist activities aren’t being prosecuted.
The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, a watchdog group that often concentrates on the Justice Department, examined the records of 6,472 terrorism-connected federal cases started since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Some 64 percent of the 4,910 “disposed of” were not prosecuted; another 9 percent were acquitted or saw charges dropped.
Still, 1,329 convictions is a fairly large number. Of these, though, half received sentences of 28 days or less. Only 5 percent received sentences of five years or more.
Perhaps some ordinary bad guys are being swept up in cases wrongly classified as related to terrorism? (Remember at the time of the London terrorist arrests when Michigan police caught up with a bunch of guys with a trunk full of cell phones? Suspicious? Yes. Terrorists? Hardly!)
The median length for such arrests before 9/11 — was 41 months. Now, it’s 28 days. Is this is anything other than the usual political snowjob of arresting whoever’s at hand to make yourself look good — and get re-elected?
Posted: Mon - September 4, 2006 at 10:13 AM