https://pjmedia.

com/homeland-security/2017/03/26/60-minutes-
whitewashes-massive-fbi-failure-in-2015-isis-texas-terror-attack/?
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60 Minutes Whitewashes Massive FBI Failure in 2015 ISIS Texas Terror

Attack

B Y P ATR I C K P O O L E M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 7
C H AT 0 C O M M E N T S

"Complexities"

That's the excuse invoked at the end of a 60 Minutes segment that aired this evening to
explain why the FBI failed to stop two ISIS-inspired terrorists in direct contact with two
ISIS terror recruiters from rolling up in a car loaded with guns and ammo in front of the
"Draw Mohammad Cartoon Contest" event in Garland, Texas on May 3, 2015.
 Follow

60 Minutes
@60Minutes
The FBIs actions around this foiled attack offer a rare glimpse into the complexities
faced by those fighting homegrown extremism.
7:54 PM - 26 Mar 2017

What 60 Minutes, fronted by Anderson Cooper and echoed in an interview with Seamus
Hughes of George Washington University's Program on Extremism, explains is that FBI
sources are stretched so thin there's no possible way to devote resources to
every single potential threat.

I'm going to grant that the FBI counter-terrorism resources are overloaded WAY
BEYOND capacity. That's an appropriate and warranted discussion for policy makers to
address.

Also, in the real world of law enforcement there are indeed a lot of "complexities" during
a case that lead to some very important investigative clues to be missed, especially
when FBI resources are overstretched beyond capacity.

But these "complexities" don't even remotely begin to explain the massive failure
by the FBI in this particular case.

Like a blanket that's too short that you can never turn the right way to cover everything,
invoking "complexities" to explain the FBI failure in the attempted Garland attack doesn't
cover the very issues raised by 60 Minutes in their own report.

Yet "complexities" is all that 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper and Seamus Hughes leave
viewers with.
So here's the major "complexity" in this story: at the time of the Garland attack, as the
two terrorists, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, were traveling in their car loaded
with guns and ammo, they were being closely tailed by an undercover FBI agent
(not an informant -- an actual FBI agent) that they had previously been in contact
with on social media.

The undercover agent even snapped pictures of the attack site just seconds
before Simpson and Soofi jumped out of their car with guns blazing.

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60 Minutes
@60Minutes
How close was the FBI to terror attack in Garland, TX? http://cbsn.ws/2o75IBz
7:55 PM - 26 Mar 2017

60 Minutes helpfully provides the undercover FBI agent's picture taken seconds before
the attack showing two individuals, including a police officer, who were shot at by the
pair:
 Follow

60 Minutes
@60Minutes
An attorney for an associate of the attackers discovered an FBI agent had photographed
2 men who were shot at seconds before the attack.
7:51 PM - 26 Mar 2017

And they provide a helpful graphic of how close the undercover FBI agent was tailing
Simpson and Soofi (the terrorists' car turning into the Garland center and the FBI
undercover agent following immediately behind).
And yet, according to a statement provided to 60 Minutes, the FBI claims they had no
advanced knowledge of the attack:

We wanted to ask the FBI those same questions. But the bureau would not agree to an
interview. All the FBI would give us was this email statement. It reads: There was
no advance knowledge of a plot to attack the cartoon drawing contest in Garland,
Texas.

Given what we already know, is this even remotely believable?

Now the information about the undercover FBI agent at the scene was already known
before the 60 Minutes broadcast given that a few of the details were included in court
documents in a related terrorism case in Ohio this past August.

Follow

Joe Pappalardo
@PappalardoJoe
FBI Undercover Officer Hunting Homegrown Terrorists Was at Cartoon Contest During
Shooting http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/fbi-undercover-officer-hunting-
homegrown-terrorists-was-at-cartoon-contest-during-shooting-8561543 via @dallas_
observer
9:57 AM - 5 Aug 2016

FBI Undercover Officer Hunting Homegrown Terrorists Was at Cartoon Contest During
Shooting
On Thursday a federal court in Ohio unsealed the affidavit of an FBI agent that chronicles the chase
of a homegrown, ISIS-supporting terrorist cell during the lead-up to an armed attack on a
Muhammad...
dallasobserver.com
I noted that here at PJ Media on the (at that point) dozen "Known Wolf" terror cases
during the Obama administration:

Follow

'KNOWN WOLF' TERROR: A Dozen Cases of FBI Failure on Obama's

Watch Patrick
https://pjmedia.com/homeland-secur
Poole @pspoole ity/2016/09/28/known-wolf-terrorism-a-
dozen-cases-of-fbi-failure-on-obamas-watch/?singlepage=true
12:02 PM - 29 Sep 2016
'KNOWN WOLF' TERROR SCANDAL: Of the 14 Attacks Under Obama, FBI Already Knew
Attackers AT LEAST 12...
Without political correctness, we might not have a terror problem AT ALL.
pjmedia.com

But the FBI undercover agent being at the Garland attack site was more than
coincidence.

In fact, the FBI agent had been in contact with Simpson on social media in the
three weeks prior to the attack and at one point had even told Simpson to "Tear
up Texas," as the attorney in the Ohio case explained to 60 Minutes:

Anderson Cooper: After the trial, you discovered that the government knew a lot more
about the Garland attack than they had let on?

Dan Maynard: Thats right. Yeah. After the trial we found out that they had had an
undercover agent who had been texting with Simpson, less than three weeks before the
attack, to him Tear up Texas. Which to me was an encouragement to Simpson.

The man hes talking about was a special agent of the FBI, working undercover posing
as an Islamic radical. The government sent attorney Dan Maynard 60 pages of
declassified encrypted messages between the agent and Elton Simpson and
argued Tear up Texas was not an incitement. But Simpsons response was
incriminating, referring to the attack against cartoonists at the French magazine Charlie
Hebdo: bro, you dont have to say that... He wrote you know what happened in
Paris so that goes without saying. No need to be direct.

Again, this is information that was reported months ago.

View image on Twitter

Follow

The Daily Beast

@thedailybeast
This FBI agent apparently egged on a Texas terrorist: http://thebea.st/2axG2YM
8:23 PM - 4 Aug 2016

The FBI isn't too interested in answering questions about their undercover agent's
encrypted communications with would-be Garland killer Elton Simpon, as Daily Beast
reporter Katie Zavadski found out then she asked them directly:

Press officers for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Ohio, the
Cleveland FBI Office, and the Department of Justice declined to comment beyond the
affidavit. FBI spokeswoman Carol Cratty hung up on The Daily Beast after being
asked about the tear up Texas text.

As the late Billy Mays would say, "But wait! There's more!"

Unmentioned in the 60 Minutes report is that the FBI sent a bulletin warning to
Garland police hours before the event warning that Simpson - who the Justice
Department had already unsuccessfully prosecuted previously for his role in a prior
terror cell - might be on his way to the Garland event, even including his photo and his
license plate number:
 Follow

New York Magazine

@NYMag
FBI sent a warning about the gunman hours before the Garland, Texas,
attack: http://nym.ag/1Imadiq
8:49 AM - 8 May 2015

FBI Sent Warning About Gunman Hours Before Garland, Texas, Attack
But those outside the event hadnt seen it.
nymag.com

View image on Twitter

Follow

NBC Nightly News

@NBCNightlyNews
FBI sent alert to Texas police 3 hours before gunmen attacked 'Draw Muhammad'
event http://nbcnews.to/1Ik9sGy
4:05 PM - 7 May 2015

FBI Director James Comey even admitted they had information, saying: "We
developed information just hours before the event that Simpson might be
interested in going to Garland."

Garland police claim they never saw the FBI's bulletin. But 60 Minutes never bothers to
mention it at all.

Also unmentioned was the considerable online chatter in ISIS circles about the
event, and in some cases directly threatening it.

As I reported exclusively here at PJ Media at the time, what initiated most of the chatter
was the attempt by the only two Muslim members of Congress - Keith Ellison and Andre
Carson - to deny Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders to attend the event:

The chatter began when news broke that two Muslim congressmen, Keith Ellison
and Andre Carson, had appealed to Secretary of State John Kerry to deny entry
into the U.S. for Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders.

Wilders was scheduled to be the featured speaker at Sunday's cartoon contest.

One law enforcement source who was monitoring potential threats to the event told PJ
Media the following:

[Ellison and Carson] clearly set things off. Nothing was being said until that news story
came out, and then the usual suspects began to talk about it. By the time the weekend
rolled around, there were clear and identifiable incitements calling for an attack on
the event.

So there was considerable ISIS chatter about the event, even incitement calling for an
attack on the event. That concerned the Texas Department of Public Safety so much
they committed considerable resources, including creating what one Texas DPS
described to me as "a death trap" for anyone who attempted to attack the event.

The online chatter cause no concern for the FBI or any other federal agency.

Again, as I reported exclusively the FBI and Department of Homeland Security sent out
a "Joint Intelligence Bulletin" to law enforcement four days before the Garland event
dismissing any threat.
 Follow

EXCLUSIVE: FBI, DHS Assessed Terror Attack Threat to Texas Draw Muhammad
ContestPJasTatler
UNLIKELY http://bit.ly/1zxnaTc #tcot
@PJTatler
1:12 PM - 5 May 2015

EXCLUSIVE: FBI, DHS Assessed Terror Attack Threat to Texas 'Draw Muhammad' Contest as
'UNLIKELY'
The Feds, influenced by false narratives about the causes of terror, failed yet again. Meanwhile, the
Texas Department of Public Safety took the threats seriously and saved lives.
pjmedia.com

Their reasoning was astounding:

Although past events involving the alleged defamation of Islam and the prophet,
Muhammad, have resulted in threats or overt acts of violence overseas, we have
not yet seen such violence in the United States. The most frequent reaction among
US-based homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) is discussion and verbal disapproval
via online communication platforms, including websites with violent extremist content
and social media sites. We assess it is unlikely that any one event perceived to
defame Islam would alone mobilize HVEs to violence.
Because such an attack had not happened here, as it had just four months prior
in the attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, it was
unlikely to happen here, the FBI and DHS said.

The FBI and virtually all federal agencies were following a narrative enforced by the
Obama White House that ISIS was the "JV team" and posed no domestic terror threat
to the United States.

That's not where the facts led, but it was the narrative blinders that the FBI and Director
James Comey were willing to assume. How much of that narrative enforcement is still in
place? No one really knows, and 60 Minutes doesn't bother to ask.

So at this point we have:

An undercover FBI agent tailing the Garland terror attackers to the Draw
Muhammed event

The FBI agent in direct communication with Elton Simpson telling him to "Tear up
Texas"

The FBI sending Garland police a bulletin with Simpson's picture and license
plate warning he may show up three hours before the attack

Considerable online chatter by ISIS operatives, including direct incitement calling

for an attack on the event

Now for those of us here outside the political/media establishment bubble, these might
seem to be really important investigative clues that raise serous concerns about the
FBI's claims they had no prior warning to the Garland attack.

But for 60 Minutes and Seamus Hughes of GWU's Program on Extremism, all their
viewers are left with in conclusion are..."complexities."

The FBIs actions around this foiled attack offer a rare glimpse into the complexities
faced by those fighting homegrown extremism. Today, the battle often begins online
where identifying terrorists can be the difference between a massacre, and the one that
never occurred in Garland, Texas.

Anderson Cooper: People brag about stuff. People talk big. One of the difficulties for
the FBI is trying to figure out whos just talking and who actually may execute an
attack.
Seamus Hughes: Thats the hardest part when you talk about this, right. Theres a lot of
guys who talk about how great ISIS is. Its very hard to tell when someone crosses that
line. And in most of the cases, you see the FBI has some touchpoint with those
individuals beforehand. There had been an assessment, a preliminary
investigation or a full investigation. Its just very hard to know when somebody
decides to jump.

It should come as no surprise that Seamus Hughes trains FBI officials in knowing when
somebody decides to jump. Yes, that's right, 60 Minutes turned to as its sole
outside "expert" one of the FBI's own advisers and terrorism training instructors.

That said, let me suggest that when one of your undercover agents is tailing a car with
two ISIS operatives, including one you've already tried unsuccessfully to put in prison on
previous terrorism charges, loaded with guns and ammo headed towards an event that
have been targeted by ISIS supporters on social media -- that might be an indication
that somebody is prepared to jump -- for what it's worth.

Perhaps ironically, after their Garland attack whitewash 60 Minutes continued their
broadcast this evening with a segment on "Fake News":

Follow

60 Minutes
@60Minutes
What is fake news? 60 Minutes producers investigate. http://cbsn.ws/2nXKdGq
8:11 PM - 26 Mar 2017
What's "fake news"? 60 Minutes producers investigate
What surprised 60 Minutes producers who reported on "stories that are provably false" -- and why
arguing about it "is like going down the rabbit hole"
cbsnews.com
However, Hughes' colleagues over at the GWU "Project on Extremism" seemed pretty
happy with how it all turned out.

Follow

Program On Extremism
@gwupoe
Here's the full @60Minutes piece featuring our deputy @SeamusHughes on the terrorist
attack in Garland, Texas. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/terrorism-in-garland-texas-
what-the-fbi-knew-before-the-2015-attack/
7:22 PM - 26 Mar 2017
60 Minutes investigates first ISIS-claimed attack in U.S. and what the FBI knew
A terrorist attack in Texas by two U.S. citizens shows how hard it is to prevent such an attack -- even
when one of the terrorists is well-known to the FBI
cbsnews.com

Follow

Fantastic work from @SeamusHughes on 60 minutes

tonight:Ahttp://www. cbsnews.com/news/terrorism
Meleagrou-Hitchens @amhitchens -in-garland-texas-what-the-fbi-knew-
before-the-2015-attack/
9:27 PM - 26 Mar 2017
60 Minutes investigates first ISIS-claimed attack in U.S. and what the FBI knew
A terrorist attack in Texas by two U.S. citizens shows how hard it is to prevent such an attack -- even
when one of the terrorists is well-known to the FBI
cbsnews.com

Follow

Great job by my colleague @SeamusHughes on #60Minutes tonight, assessing the

Garland TX terrorBeckner
Christian attack: http://www.
@cjbecknercbsnews.com/news/terrorism-in-garland-texas-
what-the-fbi-knew-before-the-2015-attack/
9:00 PM - 26 Mar 2017
60 Minutes investigates first ISIS-claimed attack in U.S. and what the FBI knew
A terrorist attack in Texas by two U.S. citizens shows how hard it is to prevent such an attack -- even
when one of the terrorists is well-known to the FBI
cbsnews.com