Syrian refugee charged with plot to bomb Pittsburgh church for ISIS.

The Legacy International Worship Center. NBC News/Google Maps.

A Syrian refugee has been charged with a plot to bomb a Pittsburgh church for ISIS. NBC News. Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 21, recorded himself pledging allegiance to ISIS. He also attempted to purchase explosives from an undercover FBI agent. He was arrested for providing material support for ISIS and distributing bomb making information in relation to the attack. His plan was to set off the bomb in July early in the morning. Alowemer was admitted as a refugee in 2016 but is not a US citizen and is not a permanent resident. 

My Comment:

This was a very stupid plot by this refugee. First of all attacking this Church wasn't going to look out for him. It's pretty tiny and doesn't look like it would have all that many people in it. Also, the time of day he wanted to attack it at pretty much ensured that nobody would be killed in the attack, which might have been his point. If so, he's a pretty bad ISIS recruit as they prioritize casualties above anything else. 

Of course, if all he wanted to do was destroy a church, why not use a box of matches and a few gallons of gasoline or other flammable liquid? It would have had the same effect as a bomb but would be much cheaper and would have the added advantage of not bringing as much local and national law enforcement attention. The fact that the attacker wanted bombs just goes to show that many would be terrorists are just absolute idiots. 

The plot also failed because the attacker didn't make the assumption that all terrorists should make. If you are discussing you plot with others there is a good chance that they will turn you in or are a FBI agent. It should have been obvious that his plot was going to fail. 

I don't know how much of a threat this man was. His plot was stupid and even if he had gotten help it's pretty unlikely it would have been successful. It seems like this is another case of a guy that probably wouldn't have amounted to anything if he hadn't run into the FBI. 

That being said there is no reason for Alowemer to be in the United States in the first place. He was graciously given a second chance after fleeing Syria and this is how he repays us? Bringing him here was a mistake but after he serves his time he should be deported immediately, no matter what condition Syria is in at that time. 

It is also another example of an ISIS affiliate targeting churches. The terror group has a long history of targeting Christians and was responsible for the massive terror attacks in Sri Lanka, among many, many others. Thankfully, this plot never got off of the ground, but the threat to churches and Christians still exists.