DUPED: “Complicity Kills”

DUPED!

The failures [of the 10/7GEN] to connect the dots echoed another analytical failure more than two decades ago, when the American authorities also had multiple indications that the terrorist group Al Qaeda was preparing an assault. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were largely a failure of analysis and imagination, a government commission concluded.

Overreliance on technology is a vulnerability.

Incorrect threat assessment gives a false sense of security.

Complacency kills.

“The Israeli intelligence failure on Oct. 7 is sounding more and more like our 9/11,” said Ted Singer, a recently retired senior C.I.A. official who worked extensively in the Middle East. “The failure will be a gap in analysis to paint a convincing picture to military and political leadership that Hamas had the intention to launch the attack when it did.”

What are the ways jihadists dupe America time and time again?  They mask their true intentions with good manners, compliments, smiles, conventional American clothing and pastimes, nonchalant behaviors, peer acceptance, feigned group think, joining socially-acceptable organizations, perfecting “fitting in,” blending into the neighborhood or business social milieu, looking “normal,” disguises as clergy … all while collecting data needed for meticulously-planned future attacks on Americans.

In the 10/7GEN, Palestinians had 7 spent years in disguising their true intents to murder and kidnap entire Jewish families, who were neighbors and employers devoted to harmonious living with Palestinians.  Their data collection enabled savage attacks on Jews in their beds and cribs with precision information, schedules, names, addresses, ages, relationships, jobs, daily activities, relatives, …. On the basis of Palestinian data collection on Jewish families in their homes and businesses over the course of many years, their 10/7GEN savagery was precisely executed to murder, kidnap, attack, maim, burn, dissect, pillage, …. thousands of Jews

ARE THE PLANS OF “DEATH TO AMERICA” ANY DIFFERENT NOW?

The Jericho Wall document, named for the ancient fortifications in the modern-day Judea-Samaria, was even more explicit. It detailed rocket attacks to distract Israeli soldiers and send them hurrying into bunkers, and drones to disable the elaborate security measures along the border fence separating Israel and Gaza.

Hamas fighters would then break through 60 points in the wall, storming across the border into Israel. The document begins with a quote from the Quran: “Surprise them through the gate. If you do, you will certainly prevail.”

The same phrase has been widely used by Hamas in its videos and statements since Oct. 7.

Subject: DUPED: “COMPLACENCY KILLS”

Israel had also misread Hamas’s actions. The group had negotiated for permits to allow Palestinians to work in Israel, which Israeli officials took as a sign that Hamas was not looking for a war.

DUPED

But Hamas had been drafting attack plans for many years, and Israeli officials had gotten hold of previous iterations of them. What could have been an intelligence coup turned into one of the worst miscalculations in Israel’s 75-year history.

Jihadist groups often use disguises to infiltrate secure areas, evade detection, and conduct surprise attacks. These tactics frequently involve exploiting protected civilian or humanitarian statuses.

Common Physical Disguises:

• Journalists: Terrorists have posed as members of the press, often wearing “PRESS” or “TV” vests and using vehicles marked with “TV” to move through combat zones undetected.
• Medical Personnel: Operatives have disguised themselves as doctors, nurses, or hospital staff to operate within healthcare facilities or gain access to restricted areas.
• Women’s Clothing: In regions like Somalia, jihadists have worn niqabs or hijabs to hide their identities or weapons, leading to local bans on such garments for security reasons.
• Civilian Asylum Seekers: Some militants have entered foreign countries by posing as migrant refugees to bypass border security.
• Everyday Items: Ordinary objects like baby strollers have been used to conceal weapons and explosives.

Strategic & Operational “Guises”

Beyond physical clothing, these groups use institutional or social covers to facilitate their operations:

• Charitable Fronts: Organizations may use the guise of humanitarian or religious charity to raise funds and funnel them to militant groups.
• Disguised Compliance: Radicalized individuals in custody may feign cooperation or “de-radicalization” to deceive authorities and secure early release.
• Educational/Social Events: Radical groups sometimes hide behind activist networks or educational seminars to spread propaganda and recruit new members. Many violent extremists, particularly hardcore jihadists, often view incarceration as a test of their commitment to their cause and, potentially, an opportunity to continue their jihad.

The stakes are far too high for a failure in identifying those wedded to violent extremism.

COMPLACENCY KILLS — Marine motto

Hamas intended to carry out a deception operation followed by a “large-scale maneuver” with the aim of overwhelming the military division.

The Jihadist Next Door

Left, Omar Hammami as a freshman in high school. Right, in a Shabab propaganda video released in March 2009. Credit…Left: From The Hammami Family

Andrea Elliott

Omar Hammami had every right to flash his magnetic smile. He had just been elected president of his sophomore class. He was dating a luminous blonde, one of the most sought-after girls in school. He was a star in the gifted-student program, with visions of becoming a surgeon. For a 15-year-old, he had remarkable charisma.