A REMINDER THAT THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN – AT 8:17 A.M. ET:  Another terror plan stopped, but when will our luck not hold?  From The New York Times:

SEATTLE — Federal law enforcement officials have arrested two men who they say planned to attack a military processing center here using machine guns and grenades.

The men — Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, also known as Joseph A. Davis, 33, of Seattle, and Walli Mujahidh, also known as Frederick Domingue Jr., 32, of Los Angeles — were arrested late Wednesday and charged with conspiracy to murder federal officers and employees, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and several firearms-related charges.

These Episcopalians.  You gotta watch 'em.

The processing center, called the Military Entrance Processing Station, is used to help process new enlistees. The building is in an industrial area south of downtown. The government said it also houses a federally run day care center.

Both men appeared in court here in a brief initial hearing on Thursday. Neither spoke beyond saying “yes” when asked to confirm that they lacked money to hire a lawyer. The magistrate judge presiding over the hearing appointed public defenders to represent them.

The 38-page criminal complaint filed against the two suggested that they had not made final plans to carry out the alleged plot. They were frustrated, it said, by American war policies and discussed how to make an attack last as long as possible in order to get the most media attention for their actions.

Multiculturalists unite!  Watch the excuses start.  All a perp has to do is use the word "frustrated" and the "it's culturally understandable" gang starts its engines. 

The complaint says federal authorities were informed of the plan in early June by the Seattle police, who had been approached by someone who involved in initial discussions about the attack with Mr. Abdul-Latif. The source, described in the complaint as having an “extremely serious” felony record, soon became a paid informant, helping agents make audio and video recordings of conversations the source had with the two defendants.

At one point, Mr. Abdul-Latif said, according to a government transcription of a recorded conversation: “We’re not only trying to kill people, we’re trying to send a message. We’re trying to get something that’s gonna be on CNN and all over the world.”

COMMENT:  The new Al Qaeda leadership will undoubtedly encourage other plots like this, if only to prove its relevance.  American interest in the war on terror has waned, in part due to economic problems at home.  But I fear that our interest will be sharpened once more, but by a plan that's carried out, and is successful.

June 24, 2011