THE SENTINEL: Terrorism Awareness: Fort Dix Lessons Learned

Thanks to the watchful eye and action of a New Jersey retail clerk, a deadly terrorism attack was avoided. The clerk notified law enforcement when he viewed a videotape showing a group of young men firing assault rifles and calling for jihad.

[Reprinted from the FBI website – www.fbi.gov/page2/may07/ftdix050807.htm]

A 17-month FBI undercover investigation has led to charges against six men who allegedly tried to amass a small arsenal for a planned attack on soldiers at the U.S. Army base at Fort Dix in New Jersey.

The six men—including three residing in the U.S. illegally—were arrested Monday night by FBI agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, and state and local authorities as they prepared to buy a cache of assault weapons from a man working with the FBI. Five of the men were charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Camden with conspiring to kill U.S. servicemen. A sixth faces illegal firearms charges.

According to a criminal complaint filed May 7 by a special agent in our Philadelphia office, the defendants traveled several times to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania for firearms training; collected an arsenal of handguns, shotguns, and semi-automatic assault weapons; and conducted surveillance on Fort Dix and other area military bases.

"Today we dodged a bullet," Jody Weis, Special Agent in Charge of our Philadelphia office, said in a press conference Tuesday. "We may have dodged a lot of bullets."

Terrorism remains a threat to America and civilians must act as the eyes and ears of the community to help prevent acts of violence. The Fort Dix arrests remind us that collaboration between citizens and law enforcement, as well as the immediate reporting of suspicious activity, is paramount to safeguarding Americans and protecting our homeland.

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