Near Miss Terrorism In Portland

A Somali-born Muslim U.S. citizen and resident of Oregon was arrested the day after Thanksgiving at the Portland Christmas tree lighting ceremony in downtown Portland. Thinking he was going to ignite a bomb with the intention of killing as many people as possible (he told police afterward he qouldn't care if his own children, ahd he any, were among the dead), drove a van to the event for the intention of....well...I don't know.

I am not sure Mohamud Mohamud, 19 years old, knows either, because he seems to be a raving lunatic, and probably a copy-cat terrorist wannabe. The FBI says he has no connection to any terrorist groups and acted strictly on his own. He said that had been thinking of committing some form of violent "jihad" (does blowing up a Christmas tree and the spectators there to watch it constitute a jihad?) since the age of 15 Mohamud said was looking for a "huge mass that will be attacked in their own element with their families celebrating the holidays." Further, he told police that "it's in Oregon; and Oregon, like, you know, nobody ever thinks about such a thing there". Oregon is supposed to be one of the safer and crime less of all states.

I think it safe to say this is not a "terrorists act" so much as a crazy 19 year old infected with ideas of an even crazier branch of Islamism that glorifies the slaughter of innocent people. Mohamud is a microcosm of many young Muslims who are alienated from their culture, the new one they have been placed in and who seek company in the ideas of al Quida and that ilk. Mohamud allegedly had no contact with terrorist groups, yet pursued his program as if he were a card carrying member.

On first glance it appears that Mohamud's attempt at mass murder had everything to do with his religious teachings and belief that Islam is the way that all must follow and that if you are anyone else is not a believer the deserved end is death die. Worse, Mohamud believed it was his religious duty to kill for that reason. As more and more poorly educated, vulnerable, psychologically deranged Muslims are invited to this and other western countries, more Mohamud bombers are created. Islamic terrorism is a glorious path for many others like Mohamud. We can expect more than exploding Christmas trees from them in the years ahead.