Al Qaeda's Boston base

Washington Free Beacon:

Muslim extremists with ties to al Qaeda have been using Massachusetts and the city of Boston as a jihadi headquarters since at least 1993, according to a recent report by a top terrorism analyst.

At least 26 residents were found to have ties to al Qaeda, according to the report by the Henry Jackson Society. The activity dates from before the Tsarnaev brothers, radical Muslim immigrants to the United States, were identified as the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing.

Jihadist activity has taken place in Massachusetts since at least 1993 and includes in-state fundraising for terrorism, “those convicted of planning jihad, and even those who have been killed while fighting abroad,” according to the report by terrorism analyst Robin Simcox.

“The city [of Boston] and state of Massachusetts has a long history of ties to AQ [al Qaeda] and AQ-inspired militancy,” the report states.

“Even prior to last week’s Boston bombing, there had been twenty six individuals with links to Massachusetts connected to AQ [al Qaeda] and AQ-inspired terrorism,” the report states. “Fifteen had lived in Massachusetts, with eleven 9/11 hijackers using the Boston area as a temporary base from which to launch their attacks.”

The report provides a window into Massachusetts’ struggles with terrorists as the city of Boston grapples with the Tsarvaev brothers’ deadly acts.

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There is more.

I suspect the dominance of liberalism in Boston makes it easier for the al Qaeda operatives to blend in.  The atmosphere of political correctness makes it easier for them to avoid run ins with the law. While the Boston police reacted well to the attacks, the city has a much smaller force than that of New York City which has been very proactive in going after terrorist plots.  Boston only has about 2,000 cops compared to New York's roughly 25,000.   New York has a terrorist task force that numbers over a thousand.