Of the many homegrown terrorists to emerge on American shores since 9/11, Bryant Neal Vinas of Long Island may be among the most troubling.
According to a federal complaint released yesterday, Vinas was arrested in Peshawar, Pakistan, last fall after he particpated in a rocket attack against US troops in Afghanistan.
In that respect, he is New York’s version of John Walker Lindh — the California rat who joined the Taliban and was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001.
Vinas’ background is more disturbing. A former truck driver, he converted and worshipped at the Islamic Association of Long Island in Selden. He traveled to Pakistan in 2007 to train with al Qaeda and apparently gave it detailed information about the LIRR and the subway.
That material could figure in some future terror plot, even with Vinas in custody — meaning local cops and federal authorities must work that much harder to keep New Yorkers safe.
Vinas has been cooperative and provided authorities with valuable insights on al Qaeda’s global operations. Still, questions abound: Did his conversion to Islam lead to his radicalization — or vice versa? Did anyone abet that process — and are others being similarly radicalized still?
Clearly, the authorities will need the help of the Islamic community to answer these questions, and no doubt others — until the War on Terror is finally won.