No Laughing Matter

I know it is easy to dismiss many of the would-be jihadis who we catch in sting operations and laugh at their plots. But had we arrested the 9/11 plotters days or weeks before the attacks, we could have laughed at their plan and mocked how they enjoyed the sinful pleasures of the West even as they prepared to fight for their god that rejected the West.

So this is no laughing matter:

A man was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting an assault on the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using remote-controlled aircraft armed with explosives — the latest of several terrorism cases to spring from federal sting operations.

Sure, an actual jet airliner was unable to destroy the Pentagon so a toy plane wasn't going to do it. But the concept is not so harmless. Remember that our troops in Iraq used toy radio controlled trucks to counter IEDs. This guy was just planning to use one-time-use UAVs for his attacks.

More important is the uncertainty that these sting operations spread among would-be jihadis. I want them to worry that seeking help to carry out plots will just ensnare them in a police operation. I want them to fear working on plots. This will deter a lot of them from even acting on their jihadi urges and stick to angry posts on the web. At worst, fear of tripping over informants or agents will slow down their plotting and make it more likely they will get caught. And by forcing would-be jihadis to act alone, the plots will of necessity be of a smaller scale.

So I hope that the police and federal authorities keep carrying out these sting operations against apparently foolish plots. They protect us more than intrusive pat downs at the airport.