CAIR-MI: Airbus Bomber Was 'Deranged'

Right on schedule, CAIR-MI has burst forth with explanations for why the Nigerian Muslim who identified himself as an Al Qaeda fighter after trying and failing to blow up an Airbus full of people, is not a dot to be connected with global Islamic terrorism.

As Dawud Walid told the AP today, “the suspect is unknown in Detroit’s Nigerian Muslim community. I’ve been in contact with its most prominent leader in Detroit, who said, ‘I don’t know this man; he’s not a part of our community.’”

Walid admits only that the suspect is a “Nigerian, who attempted to set off a powder & liquid mixture on a Northwest flight over Detroit yesterday”, but beyond that thinks this has nothing do with Muslims, Islam, or Nigerians.

You will notice that Walid likes to strike a simplistic theme in his publicity and stick with it. Remember the O.J. trial, when Johnny Cochran told the jury “If it doesn’t quit, you must acquit”? It’s like that: simple, memorable, and misleading.

In this case, Walid’s theme is that the Nigerian jihadist was “potentially deranged.” (“Potentially deranged Nigerian fumbles plans over Detroit”).

Walid is hoping we’ll all accept that, if Mutallab is deranged, his Islamist beliefs just can’t be responsible for his attempted terror attack.

Derangement is an interesting possibility. It’s just that no one close to the investigation has suggested Mutallab was showing signs of being mentally disturbed. I suppose Mutallab eventually could be discovered to be deranged, just as he eventually could be discovered to be a female in disguise, or eventually even a robot planted by the MIT engineering department as a hoax. But it’s unlikely. And I don’t know how, in the absence of all evidence, Walid can headline his remarks by emphasizing the potential that the attacker was deranged.

Walid also likes the explanation that Mutallab might be just a “lone wolf who was motivated by some sort of grievance.” You know, like inadequate health care, global warming, or Israel’s mistreatment of Hamas suicide bombers. Maybe, Walid comments on his blog, he’s “a deranged person like the lady who jumped on the Pope at mass.”

Fair enough, as long as we keep in mind that the Pope’s attacker, Susanna Maiolo, was unarmed and told doctors afterward she didn’t want to hurt the Pope. By contrast, Mutallab was strapped with a sophisticated high explosive (PETN), was trained by Al Qaeda, and wanted to kill everybody on Flight 283 and a lot of people on the ground, including, potentially, those who lived in the flight path, like me, and lots of people in Dearborn’s burgeoning hookah lounges.

Since Mutallab stopped in Yemen to get the bomb, and get the AQ training--all from somebody else--that kind of poops Walid’s lone-wolf theory. And since Mutallab says he’s with Al Qaeda, whether officially or as a wannabe mule, I think it’s fair to say that his grievances are Al Qaeda's grievances--which in shorthand can be summed up by the term “jihad.”

The fact is, Walid takes a mighty dim view of all anti-terrorist investigations. He explains them to the “community” either as “entrapment”or plots facilitated by Islamophobic “agent provocateurs.” He explains the May 2009 arrest of 4 Newburg, New York terrorists this way: “In Newburg, NY, one of the dudes entrapped by the FBI informant this year was a diagnosed schizo.”

Entrapped? I guess the FBI should have left them alone with their innocent plans to blow up Jews and shoot down military planes.

And I don’t know if one of the “dudes” was schizo or not, but I do know that one schizo out of four still leaves three “dudes” who knew exactly what they were up to. As Walid himself admits, “Sometimes, deranged persons can be dupes for other people’s interests.” Exactly. That’s why people like us don’t focus on one “dude,” but want to know everything we can about the “other people” behind him, and their interests.