Saudi man charged with plotting terrorist attack

WASHINGTON (AP) ap.org — The FBI has arrested a 20-year-old Saudi student in Texas suspected of planning a terrorist attack using explosive chemicals. The FBI says his possible targets included the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush.

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, attending college near Lubbock, Texas, was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Federal prosecutors say he had been researching online how to construct an improvised explosive device using several chemicals as ingredients.

Federal authorities say Aldawsari's diary indicated the young man had been plotting an attack for years and obtained a scholarship so he could come directly to the United State to carry out jihad.

Aldawsari is expected to appear in federal court in Lubbock on Friday morning.

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Maybe I shouldn't think this way, but this story makes me wonder.

Remember when the Patriot Act extension was having trouble being passed by the house? bluebeerriver so-incredibly-predicable

Napolitano said that the threat from Al Qaeda cells and their allies - is increasingly coming from inside the country, ominously noting that another attack could come "with little or no warning."

"The terrorist threat to the homeland is in many ways at its most heightened state since 9/11,"

Since then, the Patriot Act was extended and now they can claim that provisions of it allowed them to stop this terrorist attack.

I can't help but wonder, if the Patriot Act had not passed,  would they have allowed this guy to continue and let him blow up some stuff?

(I think they would.)

Then they could say

"See?"

"We told you, this is what happens when you don't pass unconstitutional legislation that violates the rights of every American citizen!"