"NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The trial of a former Navy sailor on terrorism charges promises to offer a glimpse into how prosecutors say an American serviceman communicated with suspected terrorists over the Internet while on duty and leaked information that could have doomed his own ship.
Prosecutors, defense attorneys and spectators began arriving at the U.S. District Courthouse about an hour before the trial was to begin about 9 a.m. Monday.
Prosecutors allege that Hassan Abu-Jihaad sent details of the location and vulnerabilities of a Navy battle group to suspected terrorism supporters in London.
"I think it's a very important case," said Michael Greenberger, director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security at the University of Maryland. "If we have members of our military who are aggressively passing on secrets to terrorists, that's cause for concern. It's a very aggressive act which would have brought real danger to the United States."
How many millions of Muslims do we have in our nation? I’ve had to ask myself that question and realize that we do not see the terrorism that one would expect from folks who are ‘supposedly’ sworn to attack the enemies of Islam. I must keep my views in perspective to the world we live in.
I do not dismiss caution. As I have stated, I believe there are some real dangers associated with some of our immigration practices. I still won’t sign off on the idea that every Muslim that joins our military is doing it for ulterior motives.
Do I see it as some cause for concern? Yes, actually I do. If it should turn out to be the problem you assess it to be, then it would be wise to furlow these folks out of the service.
So far, it appears that only a few wing-nuts have gone that route. And I would advise a rigorous vetting process when these men are taken into the service.