Another View: Terrorist groups can reach any U.S. city

An alleged terrorist who grew up in Daphne? Are you kidding me?
Shock and bewilderment seemed to be the predominant local reaction to a Fox News report that Omar Hammami of Daphne changed his name, joined a terrorist organization in Somalia with links to al-Qaida, and now is serving as a "fighter" and spokesman for the jihadist movement. The allegations disturbed a general feeling that southwest Alabama was too remote from the international turmoil that spawns terrorism to have any connection to the group that planned the 9/11 attacks.According to the report, Mr. Hammami, who attended Daphne High School, also has been charged in a secret indictment in Mobile with providing material support for terrorists. Citing confidential sources, Fox said he is using the name Abu Mansour al-Amriki, and has "become one of the most recognizable and outspoken voices of terrorist propaganda."
Those who knew Omar Hammami when he was a student at Daphne High and at the University of South Alabama offer varying accounts of his behavior, with some remembering him as a bright and personable student while others recall that he took an interest in Islamic fundamentalism and expressed support for al-Qaida.
It's not clear what accounts for Mr. Hammami's transformation - if in fact he did make the long journey from his involvement in the Model United Nations program to the violent role of holy warrior in Somalia.
But no one should be shocked or baffled by news of a possible connection between terrorism and a town in Baldwin County.
Islamic terrorism is rooted in the Middle East, but it's an international movement with links to countries all over the world. Since the 9/11 attacks, dozens of terrorist cells have been discovered in the United States and western European countries.
Here is a partial list of U.S. cities and towns where authorities have investigated suspects or groups with links to international terrorism: Lodi, Calif.; Falls Church, Va.; Miami; Columbus, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; Raleigh, N.C.; Atlanta; and Minneapolis.
Terrorist leaders spread their 7th century worldview with modern communications technology, trolling for converts on the Web and delivering messages via cell phone video downloads. The Somali terrorist group linked in the news report to Mr. Hammami had its own Web site, hosted by a U.S. company, until the site was taken down in January, a private investigator told the Press-Register.
It's not a comforting thought, but as we observe the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we need to face this fact: Radical Islamic groups have the ability to reach into virtually any city or town in the United States and recruit followers and would-be terrorists.