# How serious a threat were the three alleged terrorist plotters arrested in Ohio? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 22, 2006, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-serious-a-threat-were-the-three-alleged-terrorist-plotters-arrested-in-ohio/345572 "2006-02-22T03:06:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-serious-a-threat-were-the-three-alleged-terrorist-plotters-arrested-in-ohio/345572/21 "2006-02-22T15:55:09Z")
After the Sami al-Arian business, I have zero confidence in the FBI’s judgment about who is or is not a supporter of terrorists. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-serious-a-threat-were-the-three-alleged-terrorist-plotters-arrested-in-ohio/345572/22 "2006-02-22T16:50:04Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > any Al Qadea members/potential terrorists that are so dumb as to download a suicide bombing tape (whose downloads authorities will be watching carefully) are incompetent morons and therefore not a real threat. so what about other “incompetent morons”-- like those who download kiddie porn? They’re so dumb that they aren’t a real threat, right? So we don’t don’t want the police to keep an eye on them, do we? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-serious-a-threat-were-the-three-alleged-terrorist-plotters-arrested-in-ohio/345572/23 "2006-02-22T16:58:50Z")
> [@alaricthegoth](#): > > qu contraire Link back to that Pit thread for me. I left it thinking you never agreed to my terms. ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-serious-a-threat-were-the-three-alleged-terrorist-plotters-arrested-in-ohio/345572/24 "2006-02-22T18:55:41Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > Let me try: > > I think Alaric is saying that any Al Qadea members/potential terrorists that are so dumb as to download a suicide bombing tape (whose downloads authorities will be watching carefully) are incompetent morons and therefore not a real threat. well, I would put a slightly different slant on it which is that the guys we need to w0rry aboutan are the ones who at least have enough tradecraft to use kinkos for their really really high priority jihadi downloads…c I would have left these guys alone for a while and stayed on them like white on rice (this has not been the strong suit of our fatherland defenders, who lost started tailing (atta?) and then lost him. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-serious-a-threat-were-the-three-alleged-terrorist-plotters-arrested-in-ohio/345572/25 "2006-02-23T02:58:13Z")
What worries me is that these are some of the most competent would be terrorists that have been captured in the last four years. It may be that Osama bin Laden used everyone available the first time, but you have to assume he didn’t. I think we’re so busy defending against the last attack that we’ll miss the next one until it happens. ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-serious-a-threat-were-the-three-alleged-terrorist-plotters-arrested-in-ohio/345572/26 "2006-02-23T07:11:09Z")
no shit–compared to the blowtorch man, or the paintball guys, apart from really poor internet hygeine, this may be the cream of the crop [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-serious-a-threat-were-the-three-alleged-terrorist-plotters-arrested-in-ohio/345572.md?page=1)