TERROR ARREST UPDATE – AT 9:51 P.M. ET:  Those two rollicking fun guys from New Jersey who were arrested trying to make it to Somalia to sharpen their terror skills, apparently have quite a history.  From Fox:

Federal authorities on Sunday unsealed charges against two New Jersey men arrested the night before as they allegedly tried to join an Al Qaeda-linked group in war-torn Somalia and kill Americans there.

The men were inspired at least in part by Omar Hammami, the Alabama-born face of the Somalia-based terrorist group, and Anwar al-Awlaki, the New Mexico-born cleric now hiding in Yemen who has been linked to the Fort Hood shootings, the Christmas Day bombing attempt and the failed Times Square car bomb plot, according to federal prosecutors.

20-year-old Mohamed Mahmood Alessa of North Bergen, N.J., and 24-year-old Carlos Eduardo Almonte of Elmwood Park, N.J., have been charged with conspiring to kill or injure persons outside the United States. Both are U.S. citizens.

And...

In late November 2009, Alessa was recorded saying that if he and Almonte can’t kill targets overseas, then they’ll "start doing killing here" in the United States, according to court documents. He later said he would return to the "crap hole" of the United States if "the leader ordered me to come back here and do something," court documents allege.

Alessa also allegedly spoke of U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who allegedly killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Tex., last year after corresponding with al-Awlaki. Alessa threatened to do "twice what he did," according to court documents.

More recently, on April 25, Almonte allegedly said he was happy to hear rumors that Americans would soon be arriving in Somalia to help fight al-Shabaab. Almonte said killing more than Africans would be particularly gratifying, according to prosecutors.

COMMENT:  Of course, we all understand how wrong it is to pre-judge these gentlemen.  In fact, we're waiting for the first series of excuses and explanations to come out. 

Maybe they could get some PR advice from Helen Thomas.  She's available.

June 6, 2010