Joshua Ryne Goldberg’s Kansas City plot has left many questions. For example, why would ISIS in America target Missouri out of all the potential September 11 memorial events occurring during this time? Based upon the FBI transcripts, it seems clear that the choice was based on a foundation of lies and mere convenience.
In a related report by the Inquisitr , it turns out that Joshua Ryne Goldberg was also responsible for hoaxing a prominent Jewish website, The Times Of Israel , in order to create an article calling for the extermination of the Palestinians .
The September 11 bomb plot mimicked many aspects of the Boston marathon bombing, including the usage of pressure cooker bombs inside a backpack. The transcripts show that the Kansas City plot used a WMD filled with nails, glass, and metal which had been dipped in rat poison in order to make them more lethal.
“I haven’t made one before, but I’ve studied how to make them,” Goldberg wrote, according to WCVB. “Get FAR away from the bomb, brother. There’s going to be chaos when it goes off. Shrapnel, blood and panicking kuffar will be everywhere.”
The 2013 Boston Marathon bombings injured 264 people and killed three. When an FBI informant began speaking to Goldberg, it was made clear that he wished their Kansas City plot to outdo the Chattanooga shooting in its destructiveness. But why did an ISIS terrorist living in Florida choose Kansas City, Missouri, in the first place?
According to the Kansas City Star , experts believe ISIS terrorists will often choose targets based upon convenience.
“These tend to be low-level things where you have people who are relatively unsophisticated in their tactics, preparation, their abilities,” said Mayer Nudell, a security consultant. “They hit what’s close and easy.”
For example, Boston marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev actually came from Boston, so it would make sense for them conceive a plot for that location. But Sgt. Robert Wynne, the deputy director of Kansas City Regional Terrorism Early Warning Interagency Analysis Center, believes it is possible Joshua Ryne Goldberg’s Kansas City plot intended to strike at the heartland of America.
“Who knows what’s inside somebody’s head,” he said. “Kansas City is right in the heart of America. Psychologically, maybe that could mean something. … It depends on the motivation of the individual.”
Not everyone agrees. Terrorism expert Jeffrey Bale says ISIS is encouraging its followers to attack targets of opportunity, and Jeff Lanza, a former FBI agent, believes that convenience is still the largest factor.
“It’s more about the convenience of the terrorist than a particular target,” Lanza explained. “Just because we’re out in the Midwest doesn’t mean we’re safe. Kansas City is as much a target as any other place where there might be a gathering of large people. So are a lot of other places.”
As is turns out, the FBI indictment against Joshua Ryne Goldberg provides a reason for the Kansas City plot. As part of his internet persona, Goldberg had claimed he was an ISIS member living in Perth, Australia, who worked at a “respected human rights organization.” Even when talking to the FBI informant about the bombing plot, Goldberg maintained the charade, so the choice of Missouri was based upon the FBI informant’s supposed location.
Apparently, Goldberg had hoped the FBI informant lived in or near New York City, but the FBI source replied, “I’m in the Midwest. The closest place is Kansas City if you’re familiar. But I can travel, I’m just a student.” When Goldberg asked if the supposed student could “drive to Kansas City to carry out the attack,” he replied, “Yes, easily.”
When devising the Kansas City plot, Goldberg chose the Kansas City Stair Climb because it would draw crowds for the September 11 memorial event. The FBI informant also played along and said he was thinking of “filming and shouting Allahu Ahkbar right before [the bomb] goes off. We will put the video online and the mujahideen will be heroes.”
Still, while Joshua Ryne Goldberg’s Kansas City plot was a target of convenience, terrorism expert Bale believes if the ISIS in America start random attacks in small town locations then the feeling of terror could be broadened.
“If the attacks are limited to places like New York or Boston, most of the country could go on thinking it’s safe,” he said. “But if they strike in smaller cities or towns, people would be thinking, ‘Wow, I’m not safe anywhere.’”
[Image via Crowdrise]