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| Bombing Case Points to Gaps in Trump’s and Clinton’s Antiterrorism Plans | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| WASHINGTON — There is nothing in Donald J. Trump’s or Hillary Clinton’s antiterrorism plans that would have had much chance of stopping the bombings in New York and New Jersey that Ahmad Khan Rahami is accused of carrying out. | WASHINGTON — There is nothing in Donald J. Trump’s or Hillary Clinton’s antiterrorism plans that would have had much chance of stopping the bombings in New York and New Jersey that Ahmad Khan Rahami is accused of carrying out. |
| The subject of how to prevent terrorism will almost certainly be a major topic on Monday night, when the two presidential candidates face off in their first debate. But the truth is that cases like Mr. Rahami’s fit neatly into no categories. | The subject of how to prevent terrorism will almost certainly be a major topic on Monday night, when the two presidential candidates face off in their first debate. But the truth is that cases like Mr. Rahami’s fit neatly into no categories. |
| And his journey from childhood immigrant to naturalized citizen to accused terrorist shows that the debate now underway on the campaign trail is too simplistic. It fails to address the hardest and most common cause of radicalization in the United States, when personal demons morph into ideologically driven violence. | And his journey from childhood immigrant to naturalized citizen to accused terrorist shows that the debate now underway on the campaign trail is too simplistic. It fails to address the hardest and most common cause of radicalization in the United States, when personal demons morph into ideologically driven violence. |
| Mr. Rahami came to the United States from Afghanistan as a 7-year-old, and later became a citizen. Mr. Trump’s insistence in recent days that he has no problem with ethnic profiling might have led to tougher interrogations of Mr. Rahami when he traveled to Quetta, Pakistan, the center of Taliban power, and returned, or when he came back from there with a Pakistani wife. | Mr. Rahami came to the United States from Afghanistan as a 7-year-old, and later became a citizen. Mr. Trump’s insistence in recent days that he has no problem with ethnic profiling might have led to tougher interrogations of Mr. Rahami when he traveled to Quetta, Pakistan, the center of Taliban power, and returned, or when he came back from there with a Pakistani wife. |
| The strongest indication of his leanings came in 2014 when the local police and the F.B.I. investigated Mr. Rahami’s father’s claim that his son was a terrorist. But finding no evidence, the authorities did not act. Since Mr. Rahami is an American citizen, the only way he could have been locked up without being charged was with a detention system similar to the way Japanese-Americans were placed in Japanese “internment camps” during World War II. | The strongest indication of his leanings came in 2014 when the local police and the F.B.I. investigated Mr. Rahami’s father’s claim that his son was a terrorist. But finding no evidence, the authorities did not act. Since Mr. Rahami is an American citizen, the only way he could have been locked up without being charged was with a detention system similar to the way Japanese-Americans were placed in Japanese “internment camps” during World War II. |
| That was a technique, Mr. Trump told Time magazine in December, that he might or might not have supported at the time. He added that as undesirable as it would be to revive such an arrangement, in an age of terrorism, “war is tough.” | That was a technique, Mr. Trump told Time magazine in December, that he might or might not have supported at the time. He added that as undesirable as it would be to revive such an arrangement, in an age of terrorism, “war is tough.” |
| Mrs. Clinton’s approach would be to rely on countermessaging to prevent radicalization and to try to recognize early signs of extremism. But no one seems quite certain how Mr. Rahami was radicalized — on the internet, during trips to Pakistan or perhaps by his new wife. And Mrs. Clinton’s approach, even its advocates acknowledge, is no guarantee — it tries to stem the tide, rather than reverse it. | Mrs. Clinton’s approach would be to rely on countermessaging to prevent radicalization and to try to recognize early signs of extremism. But no one seems quite certain how Mr. Rahami was radicalized — on the internet, during trips to Pakistan or perhaps by his new wife. And Mrs. Clinton’s approach, even its advocates acknowledge, is no guarantee — it tries to stem the tide, rather than reverse it. |
| Mr. Trump, in short, has described a policy of keeping potential terrorists out of the country altogether, even if that means suspending or violating America’s longstanding principles of taking in refugees and not discriminating against immigrants on the basis of their religion. Mrs. Clinton, in contrast, has argued for the vetting of immigrants — about their history or sympathy for radical ideology — but working to counter extremists messages or behavior. | Mr. Trump, in short, has described a policy of keeping potential terrorists out of the country altogether, even if that means suspending or violating America’s longstanding principles of taking in refugees and not discriminating against immigrants on the basis of their religion. Mrs. Clinton, in contrast, has argued for the vetting of immigrants — about their history or sympathy for radical ideology — but working to counter extremists messages or behavior. |
| A core element of Mrs. Clinton’s counterterrorism strategy has been to build on pilot programs in four communities that, among other features, offer residents ways to report individuals who could become radicalized or otherwise exhibit troubling behavior. The four communities are Minneapolis-St. Paul, Los Angeles, Boston and Montgomery County, Md. | A core element of Mrs. Clinton’s counterterrorism strategy has been to build on pilot programs in four communities that, among other features, offer residents ways to report individuals who could become radicalized or otherwise exhibit troubling behavior. The four communities are Minneapolis-St. Paul, Los Angeles, Boston and Montgomery County, Md. |
| In the Elizabeth, N.J., neighborhood where Mr. Rahami lived and worked, such a program might — or might not — have made a difference. In recent years, for instance, some friends of Mr. Rahami’s noticed a significant change in his personality and religious devotion after a trip to Afghanistan, where he and his relatives are from. But there is no evidence that they alerted anyone, or expressed any concern. | In the Elizabeth, N.J., neighborhood where Mr. Rahami lived and worked, such a program might — or might not — have made a difference. In recent years, for instance, some friends of Mr. Rahami’s noticed a significant change in his personality and religious devotion after a trip to Afghanistan, where he and his relatives are from. But there is no evidence that they alerted anyone, or expressed any concern. |
| Mrs. Clinton aims to set up an early-warning system, community by community. That builds on a growing number of programs that the Obama administration terms “countering violent extremism.” The aim is not just to rely on religious leaders such as imams to help detect the early signs of radicalization, but also to enlist teachers, coaches, physicians and others who might notice subtle changes in an individual’s behavior and, perhaps with family and friends, intervene. | Mrs. Clinton aims to set up an early-warning system, community by community. That builds on a growing number of programs that the Obama administration terms “countering violent extremism.” The aim is not just to rely on religious leaders such as imams to help detect the early signs of radicalization, but also to enlist teachers, coaches, physicians and others who might notice subtle changes in an individual’s behavior and, perhaps with family and friends, intervene. |
| Mrs. Clinton also suggested, in December, that she would accelerate work with technology companies to take radical speech off Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and encrypted apps used by terrorists. | Mrs. Clinton also suggested, in December, that she would accelerate work with technology companies to take radical speech off Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and encrypted apps used by terrorists. |
| “You are going to hear all the familiar complaints: ‘Freedom of speech,’” she told the Brookings Institution. She suggested those complaints should be dismissed. | “You are going to hear all the familiar complaints: ‘Freedom of speech,’” she told the Brookings Institution. She suggested those complaints should be dismissed. |
| Her advisers acknowledge this would not constitute a complete solution — but neither would immigration bans, which they view as counter to American values. | Her advisers acknowledge this would not constitute a complete solution — but neither would immigration bans, which they view as counter to American values. |
| “Look, we’re never going to be able to identify every potential bad actor solely through a police record or their involvement with other bad actors,” said Daniel Benjamin, a former State Department terrorism coordinator and now a scholar at Dartmouth College. “So having more eyes on this, and more awareness within communities, is absolutely essential, and will have to be a key part of the solution.” | “Look, we’re never going to be able to identify every potential bad actor solely through a police record or their involvement with other bad actors,” said Daniel Benjamin, a former State Department terrorism coordinator and now a scholar at Dartmouth College. “So having more eyes on this, and more awareness within communities, is absolutely essential, and will have to be a key part of the solution.” |
| Mr. Benjamin, who is an adviser to the Clinton campaign, acknowledged Tuesday that “there’s no guarantee that such programs would have identified Rahami ahead of time.” But he said Mr. Rahami’s case, and that of a Somali-American man who stabbed 10 people at a mall in St. Cloud, Minn., before he was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer, “appear to be examples of fairly dramatic changes in behavior that might have set off alarms.” | Mr. Benjamin, who is an adviser to the Clinton campaign, acknowledged Tuesday that “there’s no guarantee that such programs would have identified Rahami ahead of time.” But he said Mr. Rahami’s case, and that of a Somali-American man who stabbed 10 people at a mall in St. Cloud, Minn., before he was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer, “appear to be examples of fairly dramatic changes in behavior that might have set off alarms.” |
| Mrs. Clinton spoke by phone for 45 minutes on Tuesday morning with a group of top national security and counterterrorism advisers about lessons learned from the most recent terrorist attacks and what additional steps a Clinton administration would need to take to prevent strikes on American soil, according to a summary of the call that the campaign released. | Mrs. Clinton spoke by phone for 45 minutes on Tuesday morning with a group of top national security and counterterrorism advisers about lessons learned from the most recent terrorist attacks and what additional steps a Clinton administration would need to take to prevent strikes on American soil, according to a summary of the call that the campaign released. |
| They also discussed how to ensure that the police and other law enforcement agencies followed up on individuals who had been previously identified as possible threats. Mrs. Clinton has called for “an intelligence surge” to improve information sharing among federal agencies and with foreign partners. | |
| Mrs. Clinton and her advisers mulled over ways to combat so-called lone-wolf attacks and online radicalization — without specific direction or enabling from groups like the Islamic State or Al Qaeda — and “how we can best balance the right to privacy with this modern national security imperative,” according to the summary. | Mrs. Clinton and her advisers mulled over ways to combat so-called lone-wolf attacks and online radicalization — without specific direction or enabling from groups like the Islamic State or Al Qaeda — and “how we can best balance the right to privacy with this modern national security imperative,” according to the summary. |
| Finally, the group examined “the dangers of inflammatory rhetoric, generalizations and expressions of prejudice,” all of which Mrs. Clinton and her supporters have accused Mr. Trump of using in his social media comments and campaign speeches. | Finally, the group examined “the dangers of inflammatory rhetoric, generalizations and expressions of prejudice,” all of which Mrs. Clinton and her supporters have accused Mr. Trump of using in his social media comments and campaign speeches. |
| Mr. Trump has one word for those solutions: “Weak.” | Mr. Trump has one word for those solutions: “Weak.” |
| He argued during the primaries that he would temporarily ban all Muslim immigration, a position that received withering criticism from his own party. (He also said he would “take out” the families of terrorists, a violation of international conventions.) | He argued during the primaries that he would temporarily ban all Muslim immigration, a position that received withering criticism from his own party. (He also said he would “take out” the families of terrorists, a violation of international conventions.) |
| He combined that with what he maintains would be a far more relentless attack on the Islamic State, including seizing oil in areas where it operates, presumably in Iraq (although most of the oil belongs to Iraq, and the Bush administration always went to some lengths to say it would be preserved for the benefit of the Iraqi people, not sold by the United States). | He combined that with what he maintains would be a far more relentless attack on the Islamic State, including seizing oil in areas where it operates, presumably in Iraq (although most of the oil belongs to Iraq, and the Bush administration always went to some lengths to say it would be preserved for the benefit of the Iraqi people, not sold by the United States). |
| Under pressure, Mr. Trump amended his approach to saying he would temporarily ban immigration from countries that have been breeding grounds for terrorism; he seemed to have Afghanistan and Pakistan in mind. But that definition could easily embrace Germany, France, Belgium and Britain as well. | Under pressure, Mr. Trump amended his approach to saying he would temporarily ban immigration from countries that have been breeding grounds for terrorism; he seemed to have Afghanistan and Pakistan in mind. But that definition could easily embrace Germany, France, Belgium and Britain as well. |
| Had that program been in effect in 1995, it might have stopped Mr. Rahami’s entry into the country as a 7-year-old, or his readmission in 2000, when he and his family were admitted as refugees. | Had that program been in effect in 1995, it might have stopped Mr. Rahami’s entry into the country as a 7-year-old, or his readmission in 2000, when he and his family were admitted as refugees. |
| Mr. Trump said in a rally on Tuesday that the lesson of the New York and New Jersey bombing attacks was the need for an immigration crackdown. | Mr. Trump said in a rally on Tuesday that the lesson of the New York and New Jersey bombing attacks was the need for an immigration crackdown. |
| “These attacks were made possible because of our extremely open immigration system, which fails to properly vet and screen the individuals or families coming into our country,” he said. “Attack after attack — from 9/11 to San Bernardino to Orlando — we have seen how failure to screen who is entering the United States puts all of our citizens in great danger.” | |
| He said Mrs. Clinton was “for people pouring in from Syria,” though the 10,000 refugees who have come from there this year is a tiny fraction of what European nations have taken in. Mr. Trump called for stopping “the massive inflow of refugees, which Hillary Clinton is trying to drastically increase.” |
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