FBI arrests Kansas jihadist Terry Loewen

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback & US Attorney Bill Grissom. Source: AP.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback at a press conference in Wichita, Kansas today with US Attorney Bill Grissom  lauded  FBI and Kansas law enforcement saying “in the ongoing war on terrorism, the good guys won one today”.  He was referring to the culmination of a six month investigation by the FBI that led to the arrest today of 58 year old Avionics technician Terry Loewen, a self actualized jihadi and devotee of the late American-born Sheikh Anwar al Awlaki.

Loewen a potential Shahid or martyr, was caught as he was driving a van loaded with inert explosives, provided in an FBI sting operation  He was primed to commit a suicide bombing wreaking as much mayhem and death at Mid-Continental Airport in Wichita, one of Kansas’ busiest airports.

Gov. Brownback presence at today’s Wichita press conference is not without moment. As a former US Senator he was concerned about Qur’anic denial of human and civil rights abroad,  as well as  homeland security  in the Global war against Islamic terrorism. In the 2012 Legislative session he signed into law, the Kansas version of the American Law for American Courts seeking to combat the intrusion of foreign laws that seek to suborn Constitutional guarantees of free expression, liberty and freedom.

According to an AP report, Loewen “was charged with a count each of trying to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempting to damage property and attempting to provide support to the terrorist group al-Qaeda.”

NBC reported:

Loewen, who is white, became radicalized after reading extremist Islamic material on the Internet, Grissom said.

A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Wichita charges Loewen with one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He was scheduled to be arraigned at 3 p.m. local time.

If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Investigators tell NBC News that Loewen had been under scrutiny since August, when he began having an online exchange with someone he thought was a like-minded individual but who turned out to be an FBI employee.

“Let me preface the bottom line by saying I have become ‘radicalized’ in the strongest sense of the word, and I don’t feel Allah wants me any other way,” he said in one message, according to the complaint.

Grissom in the AP report added:

He “spent months developing a plan to use his access card to the airport to drive a carload of explosives to the terminal,” officials said. He also apparently researched flight schedules to see when a maximum number of people would be at the airport. The FBI also added that he was trying to provide “terrorist support” to an overseas organization: i.e., Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

FBI official Michael Kaste said at the press conference, “Today’s arrest emphasizes that homegrown terrorism is a continuing threat in the United States.”

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran also offered his praise in a statement adding:.

We are grateful for the law enforcement officials who kept individuals, including many Kansans, safe today. This incident is a reminder that we must remain vigilant and reaffirm our commitment to protecting this country and its ideals from those who wish to do us harm,

IPT noted in its report about Loewen’s motivation despite being caught in an FBI set up:

Many national Islamist groups have criticized similar sting operations, arguing the FBI is manufacturing a terrorist threat where it might not exist. If Loewen’s correspondence in the complaint proves accurate, however, he was a man with the motivation and access to pull off a horrific attack. Left alone, he might have found ways to make his own bomb.

At one point, Loewen acknowledged not knowing whether he could trust his contact. But it wasn’t enough to discourage him from pursuing an attack. “my greatest fear is not being able to complete an operation because I was set up,” he wrote. “I hate this government so much for what they have done to our brothers and sisters that to spent (sic) the rest of my life in prison without having taken a good slice out of the serpents head is unacceptable to me.”

Watch this NBC video report on today’s Wichita news conference:

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EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared on The New English Review.