6 chapters across the catalog
Adam Curry explains the "six-week cycle" theory, suggesting the FBI orchestrates or facilitates "thwarted" terror plots on a regular schedule to justify its budget. The process involves informants identifying vulnerable individuals, providing them with fake weaponry or explosives, and then arresting them in high-profile media events. The hosts criticize the bureau for egging on radicalization rather than preventing it through legal warnings.
Details emerge regarding Shahed Hussein, an FBI informant on the lamb from fraud charges who was tasked with recruiting "terrorists" in Newburgh, New York. Hussein targeted a destitute community with 30% unemployment, offering massive financial incentives to individuals who had no prior history of radicalism. The hosts reflect on the post-9/11 era where questioning such government tactics was branded as unpatriotic.
The FBI's targeting of James Cromitie, a low-level marijuana dealer making $14,000 a year, is detailed as the centerpiece of the Newberg Sting. Informant Shahed Hussein spent months pursuing Cromitie, eventually offering him $250,000, a barbershop, and luxury cars to participate in a plot involving Stinger missiles. The hosts argue that such massive financial inducements in impoverished neighborhoods constitute clear entrapment.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) provides a critique of the Newberg Sting, labeling it a "manufactured" event designed for media consumption. Witnesses at the local mosque describe the informant as a suspicious "blowhard" who was ignored by most congregants until he found a vulnerable target. The hosts discuss how the media works with three-letter agencies to create "scoops" that fuel public fear and justify government expansion.
John Mueller of the Cato Institute analyzes 70 cases of Islamist terrorism in the U.S. since 9/11, noting that more than half involved government informants. He highlights the Newberg case as unique because the FBI pushed the defendants to actually attempt to "push the button" on fake explosives. The plot was further complicated by the government's insistence on including Stinger missiles and synagogues to ensure federal jurisdiction and maximum sentencing.
The discussion explores the use of "quasi-police" agents and FBI informants to stoke radicalism and entrap low-IQ individuals. Reference is made to "Haitian Jack" and his influence on Tupac Shakur, as well as the Bureau's history of providing materials for planned "terrorist" acts.
