Sunday, March 30, 2008

Beware of 'Western Looking' Militants

On NBC's Meet the Press today CIA director Michael Hayden spoke to various U.S. national security issues, particularly Al-Qaeda's evolving terror tactics. Training Islamic militants in the lawless region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the group is increasingly targeting "Western" looking recruits. These blue-eyed, blond-haired extremists would theoretically face less scrutiny when attempting to enter the United States.

"That they are bringing operatives into that region for training, operatives that ... wouldn't attract your attention if they were going through the customs line at Dulles with you when you're coming back from overseas," Hayden said.

To combat this chilling trend the Department of Homeland Security has immediately changed the protocol at its land, air and sea borders. Now posted at all U.S. Customs facilities is an updated, hypothetical profile of the "new" Al-Qaeda operative. Customs agents - while also attempting to curb the smuggling of child pornography - will be able to quickly reference this picture when determining a person's admissibility for entry:

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