Washington, DC. A review of US law enforcement shows that while the US uses the “war on terror” to justify changing it’s nation into a giant concentration camp, a surprisingly small number out of 300 million plus have actually been prosecuted or persecuted under US terrorism statutes.
America’s government segregates terrorism cases into two categories — domestic and international. This database contains cases classified as international terrorism, though many of the people charged never left the United States or communicated with anyone outside the country.
Most of the 796 terrorism defendants prosecuted by the US Department of Justice have been charged with material support for terrorism, criminal conspiracy, immigration violations, or making false statements that are vague, nonviolent offenses that give prosecutors wide latitude for scoring quick convictions or plea bargains.
Statistics show that 523 defendants have pleaded guilty to terrorism charges, while the courts found 175 guilty at trial. Just 2 have been acquitted and 3 have seen their charges dropped or dismissed, giving the Justice Department a near-perfect record of conviction in terrorism cases.
At this time 345 people charged with terrorism-related offenses are in custody in the United States, including 58 defendants who are awaiting trial and remain innocent until proven guilty.
There are few terrorism defendants who have had the means or opportunity to commit an act of violence. The majority had no direct connection to terrorist organizations. Many were caught up in FBI stings, in which an informant or undercover agent posed as a member of a terrorist organization. The US government nevertheless defines such cases as international terrorism, even if the alleged “crime” takes place entirely inside the United States.
There have been 415 terrorism defendants to date released from custody, often with no provision for supervision or ongoing surveillance, suggesting that the government does not regard them as imminent threats to the homeland. And begging the question, is the US committed to stopping terrorism or simply getting convictions?
Many of the defendants who did have direct connections to terrorist groups were recruited as informants or cooperating witnesses and served little or no time in prison.
Currently, there are 32 such cooperative witnesses in the service of the government. By contrast, many of the 296 defendants caught up in FBI stings have received decades in prison because they had no information or testimony to trade. They simply didn’t know any terrorists.
The US Justice Department “war on terror” seems to be one rooted in obtaining convictions of persons not directly engaged in terror, but often in the wrong place at the wrong time, resulting in them doing time.