FBI: San Jose man who believed he was working with Taliban arrested trying to blow up Oakland Bank

[alp227]

Last edited Sun Feb 10, 2013, 02:50 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: San Jose Mercury News

FBI: San Jose man who believed he was working with Taliban arrested trying to blow up Oakland Bank of America branch

Matthew Aaron Llaneza bragged to his accomplice that after blowing up a Bank of America branch in Oakland, "he would dance with joy." Then after an act of terrorism that Llaneza hoped would be blamed on anti-government militias, federal officials say, he planned to flee to Afghanistan and train Taliban fighters.

But Llaneza's co-conspirator was not, as he believed, a member of the Taliban. He was an undercover FBI agent, and that's why early Friday morning, Llaneza, a 28-year-old San Jose resident and former Marine, was arrested after federal authorities say he attempted to detonate a car bomb that they had secretly rendered inoperable as part of a months-long sting.

...

Llaneza made his initial appearance in federal court on Friday morning and was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_22550284

[Historic NY]

1. Sounds like a RW Domestic terrorist...

who was totally clueless.

[formercia]

2. We have anothah Winnah!!!!!

Another Acolyte of Hate Media.

[cosmicone]

3. So FBI agents are posing as Taliban now?

Recruiting suckers?

That should make it really difficult for the real Taliban to recruit anyone.

I bet Pakistani ISI is working on a handbook, "how to tell real Taliban from FBI agennts for dummies"

[Mnemosyne]

5. ...

[aquart]

10. +1

[xtraxritical]

14. Entrapment, that's how they justify their existence.

[TroglodyteScholar]

16. I don't love the tactic

But I prefer it to the idea of one of these soulless RW dickheads hooking up with someone who actually does have the desire and the means to kill scores of innocents in an effort to stir up civil war.

Would you prefer that this guy found a way to work with someone like that instead? I'd rather someone identify him as a potentially serious threat and get him off the street when it's proved that he would kill innocents given the opportunity.

[xtraxritical]

20. He was a hapless loser the FBI did all the work. Yes I would "prefer" the FBI not stirring up shit.

[TroglodyteScholar]

30. If you want evidence that a hapless loser can do great harm, look no further than GW Bush.... n/t

[bayareamike]

4. Crazy. My sister works right near there. nt

[dlwickham]

23. it's fairly close to the airport as well

I'm a bit more worried about the airport than a B of A branch

[NBachers]

6. I hate to sound cynical, but every time I hear something like this, I think the FBI is facilitating

most of it. Yes, the guy was willing to do everything necessary to blow up the bank and collapse it. But how much of this was an FBI fabrication?

I can't help it. I just always think they're digging a crime-hole and waiting for someone to fall into it.

[Wilms]

7. "The plot was foiled by an FBI undercover operation"???

More like the plot was hatched by an FBI undercover operation.

And this has been going on for some time.

The only plots the FBI has "foiled" are the ones they launched.

[Catherina]

17. +1 n/t

[Deep13]

8. I know what will solve this kind of problem...

...more guns and tax cuts for the rich.

[cosmicone]

13. You forgot cuts in social programs

without deep and massive cuts in social programs, more guns and tax cuts for the rich are nothing.

[Deep13]

18. Right, right. Poverty is just too attractive. nt

[aquart]

9. A lousy branch? What an idiot.

Never heard of the words "executive suite"?

[freshwest]

11. Wonder what the body count he wanted would have been. Glad he didn't get what he wanted.

[rug]

12. This is your tax money at work.

Court records stemming from a 2011 weapons conviction show the one-time Marine likely suffered from mental illness that included bouts of paranoia, suicidal tendencies, hallucinations and voices in his head, and he had a vast working knowledge of weaponry.

Those same records show that Llaneza's father long had concerns about his son's stability, keeping him at arm's length after he returned to San Jose from several years living with grandparents in Arizona and having abruptly converted to Islam.

God Bless America.

[dkf]

26. Homeland!

[Alamuti Lotus]

15. the FBI seems to be a more prolific recruiter for the Taliban than the Taliban is.. *nt

[Cha]

19. I'm with the FBI on this one..

OAKLAND -- Matthew Aaron Llaneza bragged to his accomplice that after blowing up a Bank of America branch in Oakland, "he would dance with joy." Then after an act of terrorism that Llaneza hoped would be blamed on anti-government militias, federal officials say, he planned to flee to Afghanistan and train Taliban fighters.

Friday's complaint against Llaneza describes him as a detail-oriented person intent on an eye-catching act of terrorism that he believed would foment civil unrest. Court records in Santa Clara County

Seemingly set the foundation for those thoughts after he was convicted in 2011 for illegally having an AK-47 assault rifle and accompanying high-capacity magazines he purportedly purchased and registered in Arizona.

[formercia]

21. It seems the weapon was legal in AZ but not in CA

I could go out and buy a fully automatic weapon with a Suppressor(silencer), and do it legally. There is a ClassIII dealer about 10 minutes from here. All I have to do is pass a background check and pay a Transfer Tax on the weapon and Suppressor. It is legal to own such a weapon in Maine. Now, If I move to MA and take that legal weapon with me, if caught, I would be arrested and likely sent to prison.

To the FBI, this would not be an issue, since, under Federal Law, the weapon is legally purchased and Transfer Tax paid. The violation would be of State Law.

[slackmaster]

22. He may be one of the greatest dumbasses of all time!

[Exultant Democracy]

24. Good thing he FBI as there to stop the plot they hatched in this deranged mans mind.

[Sunlei]

25. another FBI sting. how much did this set-up cost? "The FBI fantasy thoughts police'

They take years to PM, befriend- some moron on some message board, pretend they have an egg that will hatch Godzilla and make the moron set the egg down next to a bank.

The FBI saved America from Godzilla!

[LiberalLoner]

27. Gave a heart hug to all on this thread who didn't have one yet - just because

Love you guys here at DU!

[Exultant Democracy]

29. Thanks LL :)

[Gentle-man]

28. Similarly, Oswald was an FBI agent trying to frame left-wingers

This was covered up.

[Comrade Grumpy]

31. "FBI Foils FBI Terror Plot"

[Auntie Bush]

32. He's lucky he dodn't get droned