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updated to reflect govt officials statement that it did not know hijazi was in vehicle... deleted reference to "intentionally targeting a US citizen"..

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The article refers to the "Lackawanna 6" as a "terrorist cell" as if this were an accepted fact. I suspect it is a questionable premise, and should not be presented as an established fact.

If you read the Guantanamo captives' transcripts you will find attendees attended the camps for a variety of reasons. From my reading of the transcripts some muslims believe that being prepared to defend one's self, or one's family, or one's tribe/nation/sect is an obligation of being a dutiful muslim. Other obligations include being charitable, honest, etc. Some muslims seem to have been vulnerable to arguments that the obligation to defend one's self requires weapon's training.

Some attendees may have been terrorist wannabes. But I think the record shows that a significant fraction of the attendees -- maybe more than half, had zero intention of using whatever training they received to attack anyone -- not their neighbouring tribe, not the USA. I think the record may suggest that al Qaeda may have succeeded in radicalizing some of these innocent dupes, once they arrived at the camp, but others left the camp no more radicalized than when they arrived.

In retailing I believe this tactic is called "bait and switch".