CNN Doubts Ali Mohammed Brown Was On Jihad Terror Spree ---
CNN ignores this June murder spree story all summer until September 15, and to sums it up - he was not a real jihadist, and there is no threat beyond this one deranged murderer.
could they, based upon what we know of the Tsarnaevs and based upon other examples, at what point would something get ratcheted up to domestic terror?
TOOBIN: I'm not sure. There would probably have to be connections to someone else, some other person involved in a network. If you are being charged with murder in New Jersey, you're going to go away for a long time, as long as -- probably as long as if you were to call it terrorism.
I think what people are obviously most concerned about is, is there a larger threat out there? And I think this story indicates no. There's not.
TOOBIN: I'm not sure. There would probably have to be connections to someone else, some other person involved in a network. If you are being charged with murder in New Jersey, you're going to go away for a long time, as long as -- probably as long as if you were to call it terrorism.
I think what people are obviously most concerned about is, is there a larger threat out there? And I think this story indicates no. There's not.
CNN.com - Transcripts
europe.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1409/15/cnr.07.html
CNN
We begin with these frightening revelations from a New Jersey murder case. A man who is accused of shooting and killing four people is calling at least one of these killings part of this, quote, unquote, "bloody crusade." According to documents, 29-year-old Ali Mohammed Brown (ph) said he considered it his mission to murder 19-year-old college student Brendan Tevlin as an act of vengeance for what calls innocent lives lost in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
But court papers show, after Brown's arrest, he also confessed to killing three other men in Washington State. He is charged with all four deaths, but people are pressing forward and they're asking these questions. Could this be a case of terrorism here on U.S. soil?
Let's delve into all of this with Mark Di Ionno with "The Star Ledger" and CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin.
But, Mark, to you first, since you have done all the reporting on this, beginning with what we know about Brown, this notebook that investigators found with jihadist writings. Tell me about that.
MARK DI IONNO, "THE STAR-LEDGER": He was arrested in the woods in a very wealthy area of West Orange, New Jersey, and with him was this notebook with these jihadist writings.
I guess my big question is if he was on a jihadist terrorist spree, he had access to kill many, many, many more people and didn't. It seems to me like these were all crimes of opportunity, robberies and carjackings and then once he's in custody he tries to give it a noble cause.
BALDWIN: That's sort of the question. What kind of connections? Why would he want to exact vengeance? Does he have any sort of tie to any sort of terrorist organization in the past. What more do we know?
DI IONNO: The two of the men he killed in Seattle were young gay men. One's name was a Ahmed Said. He was a Muslim. And he met them on a gay hookup Web site and shot them in cold blood in a car.
The third Seattle victim was shot 10 times in a drive-by. Brendan Tevlin was shot on an incredibly messy, rainy night in a remote -- in a suburban area, but not a well-visited area. To imagine this guy was out there as part of some jihad terror spree standing in the rain for hours waiting for a male victim to drive by just defies logic.
BALDWIN: It's not adding up.
DI IONNO: It doesn't add up to me. I think, once he's in custody, he wants to justify his actions and give them some noble cause.
He was in a carjacking incident in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, and he ran away because he couldn't drive a stick shift. And so this is what we're dealing with. I'm not sure there's any greater evil mind to it.
BALDWIN: OK.
Jeff Toobin, throwing a lot of cold water on maybe some motives here. What do you think?
(CROSSTALK)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, cold water, yes. But the jihad spirit is out there in the world. Individuals can do terrible things by themselves in the name of it.
When I started following this story, I thought of the Tsarnaev brothers in Boston who at least at this point we don't think were connected to any larger terrorist group, but they apparently...
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: Sorry.
BALDWIN: They were inspired by events overseas.
TOOBIN: Right. And they in almost a similar words talked about Afghanistan and Iraq and violence against Muslims.
And if they are guilty -- and certainly the evidence against them looks very strong -- it was an independent terrorist act. This too could be an independent terrorist act. Evil people find motive where they want, but it certainly doesn't suggest al Qaeda as a group was involved.
BALDWIN: Right. So far, as far as charges go, murder.
DI IONNO: Right, right, murder, your basic run-of-the-mill urban murder.
BALDWIN: But could they, based upon what we know of the Tsarnaevs and based upon other examples, at what point would something get ratcheted up to domestic terror?
TOOBIN: I'm not sure. There would probably have to be connections to someone else, some other person involved in a network. If you are being charged with murder in New Jersey, you're going to go away for a long time, as long as -- probably as long as if you were to call it terrorism.
I think what people are obviously most concerned about is, is there a larger threat out there? And I think this story indicates no. There's not.
BALDWIN: OK. Jeff and Mark. Thank you both very much. I appreciate it. We will stay on it and see if we find out anything more about this guy. Appreciate it very much.
But court papers show, after Brown's arrest, he also confessed to killing three other men in Washington State. He is charged with all four deaths, but people are pressing forward and they're asking these questions. Could this be a case of terrorism here on U.S. soil?
Let's delve into all of this with Mark Di Ionno with "The Star Ledger" and CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin.
But, Mark, to you first, since you have done all the reporting on this, beginning with what we know about Brown, this notebook that investigators found with jihadist writings. Tell me about that.
MARK DI IONNO, "THE STAR-LEDGER": He was arrested in the woods in a very wealthy area of West Orange, New Jersey, and with him was this notebook with these jihadist writings.
I guess my big question is if he was on a jihadist terrorist spree, he had access to kill many, many, many more people and didn't. It seems to me like these were all crimes of opportunity, robberies and carjackings and then once he's in custody he tries to give it a noble cause.
BALDWIN: That's sort of the question. What kind of connections? Why would he want to exact vengeance? Does he have any sort of tie to any sort of terrorist organization in the past. What more do we know?
DI IONNO: The two of the men he killed in Seattle were young gay men. One's name was a Ahmed Said. He was a Muslim. And he met them on a gay hookup Web site and shot them in cold blood in a car.
The third Seattle victim was shot 10 times in a drive-by. Brendan Tevlin was shot on an incredibly messy, rainy night in a remote -- in a suburban area, but not a well-visited area. To imagine this guy was out there as part of some jihad terror spree standing in the rain for hours waiting for a male victim to drive by just defies logic.
BALDWIN: It's not adding up.
DI IONNO: It doesn't add up to me. I think, once he's in custody, he wants to justify his actions and give them some noble cause.
He was in a carjacking incident in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, and he ran away because he couldn't drive a stick shift. And so this is what we're dealing with. I'm not sure there's any greater evil mind to it.
BALDWIN: OK.
Jeff Toobin, throwing a lot of cold water on maybe some motives here. What do you think?
(CROSSTALK)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, cold water, yes. But the jihad spirit is out there in the world. Individuals can do terrible things by themselves in the name of it.
When I started following this story, I thought of the Tsarnaev brothers in Boston who at least at this point we don't think were connected to any larger terrorist group, but they apparently...
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: Sorry.
BALDWIN: They were inspired by events overseas.
TOOBIN: Right. And they in almost a similar words talked about Afghanistan and Iraq and violence against Muslims.
And if they are guilty -- and certainly the evidence against them looks very strong -- it was an independent terrorist act. This too could be an independent terrorist act. Evil people find motive where they want, but it certainly doesn't suggest al Qaeda as a group was involved.
BALDWIN: Right. So far, as far as charges go, murder.
DI IONNO: Right, right, murder, your basic run-of-the-mill urban murder.
BALDWIN: But could they, based upon what we know of the Tsarnaevs and based upon other examples, at what point would something get ratcheted up to domestic terror?
TOOBIN: I'm not sure. There would probably have to be connections to someone else, some other person involved in a network. If you are being charged with murder in New Jersey, you're going to go away for a long time, as long as -- probably as long as if you were to call it terrorism.
I think what people are obviously most concerned about is, is there a larger threat out there? And I think this story indicates no. There's not.
BALDWIN: OK. Jeff and Mark. Thank you both very much. I appreciate it. We will stay on it and see if we find out anything more about this guy. Appreciate it very much.
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