by Stephen Lendman

A legal definition. Entrapment occurs when law enforcement officials or agents induce, influence, or provoke crimes that otherwise wouldn't be committed. However, it doesn't apply in cases of willingness to act lawlessly, government merely aiding, abetting, or facilitating a good chance to do so.

Entrapment involves the following:

-- government officials or agents initiated the idea;

-- individuals were persuaded to act; and

-- they had no previous intent or willingness to do so.

Key is that prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that subjects weren't entrapped. Otherwise, due process convictions are prohibited, though judicial fairness seldom occurs in cases involving anyone for political reasons, especially Muslims. An earlier article explained.

Post-9/11, they've been victimized, vilified, and persecuted for their faith, ethnicity, prominence, activism, and charity. They've been targeted, hunted down, rounded up, held in detention, kept in isolation, denied bail, restricted in their right to counsel, tried on secret evidence, convicted on bogus charges, given long sentences, then incarcerated as political prisoners. Hundreds languish in America's gulag, the shame of the nation.

Many there were lawlessly entrapped, a common FBI tactic, one of several earlier articles explained, accessed through the following link:

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2008/12/americas-war-on-islam-fort-dix-five.html

The above case involved bogusly convicting five Muslim men for allegedly conspiring to attack American soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey despite no plot, no crime or intent to commit one. Numerous other cases were similar, including alleged plans to attack US marines at Quantico, VA, down National Guard jets with stinger missiles, attempt to buy and use a surface-to-air missile against Pakistan's ambassador, and others just as preposterous.

They include a fake shoe bomber, fake underwear bomber, fake Times Square bomber, an earlier fake one there, fake shampoo bombers, fake Al Qaeda woman planning fake attacks on New York landmarks, fake Oregon bomber, fake armed forces recruiting station bomber, fake 9/11 bombers, and others to enlist public support for the fake war on terror.

All cases involved entrapped Muslims. Accusations against them were bogus, yet they were arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced to long imprisonments - for being Muslims in America at the wrong time, not conspiracy to commit crimes.

Attorney General Eric Holder Defends Lawless Entrapment

Stings are a common FBI tactic, Wikipedia calling them:

"deceptive operation(s) to catch a person (allegedly) committing (or intending to commit) a crime. A typical sting (involves) law-enforcement officer(s) or cooperative member(s) of the public (a complicit well-paid plant) play(ing) a role as criminal partner or potential victim (by) go(ing) along with a suspect's (alleged) actions to gather evidence of....wrongdoing."

Sting operations are common in America. Other countries like Sweden and the Netherlands ban them. Every nation should because usually they're used lawlessly to entrap.

However, on December 10, Holder publicly defended them, New York Times writers Malia Wollan and Charlie Savage headlining, "Holder Calls Terrorism Sting Operations Essential," saying:

Addressing a San Francisco area Muslim audience, he called "the tactic (an) 'essential law enforcement tool in uncovering and preventing terror attacks,' " despite using them to entrap. Attendees weren't pleased.

Farhana Khera, President of Muslim Advocates, a legal advocacy/civil rights organization (the event sponsor) said entrapment operations "may be getting people involved in (alleged) terrorism who otherwise would not have done anything." These operations also divert investigators from actual threats and provoke widespread anti-Muslim sentiment, she added.

Council on American-Islam Relations spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, said:

"We maintain concerns about FBI policies regarding informants in mosques and provocateurs in our community" up to no good. "There's a sense of being under siege in many Muslim communities. People just assume there are agents or informants in their mosque now. It's a fact of life."

Moreover, few believe the FBI claiming their tactics prevented numerous post-9/11 attacks. They did not.

A recent case shows why, one enraging California Muslims. On December 5, Washington Post writer Jerry Markon explained, headlining "Tension grows between Calif. Muslims, FBI after informant infiltrates mosque," saying:

Craig Monteilh, aka Farouk al-Aziz, code name Oracle, spied on dozens of Irvine Islamic Center Muslims "in a quest for potential terrorists....But the FBI's approach has come under fire from some Muslims," especially after its agents entrapped Portland, OR teenager Mohamed Osman Mohamud to allegedly attempt detonation of an inert bomb at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, inciting him about something he otherwise might never have conceived.

"In the Irvine case, Monteilh's mission....backfired. Muslims were so alarmed by his talk of violent jihad that they obtained a restraining order against him," even reporting him to the same FBI office that enlisted him.

"He helped build a terrorism-related case against a mosque member, but (it) collapsed. The Justice Department (caught with egg on its face) took the extraordinary step of dropping charges against the worshipper, who Monteilh had caught on tape (allegedly) agreeing to blow up buildings, law enforcement officials said. Prosecutors had portrayed the man as a dire threat."

They lied like they always do, hyping non-existant threats to create media hysteria, public fear, and justification for the war on terror and imperial adventurism, America's global game against peace, security, and democratic freedoms.

This time, Monteilh went public, revealing secret FBI tactics, saying his "handlers" trained him to entrap Muslims in mosques, their homes and businesses. He's now suing the FBI. Officials declined comment, but confirmed that he was a paid informant. Well-paid, in fact, court records and other documents showing he got $177,000 tax free in 15 months.

Southern California Muslims are incensed, citing a pattern of pervasive surveillance and covert entrapment, snaring innocent victims for alleged crimes. Islamic Shura Council of Southern California Executive Director Shakeel Syed said:

"The community feels betrayed. They got a guy, a bona fide criminal (just out of prison for grand theft), and obviously trained him and sent him to infiltrate mosques. And when things went sour, they ditched him and he got mad. It's like a (sick) soap opera, for God's sake."

Key is that the pattern repeats nationally, screaming headlines revealing another entrapped victim portrayed as a threat to national security. They're all innocent, violated by Obama administration lawlessness, using Muslims as targets of convenience, not for alleged crimes or conspiracy to commit them. It's part of America's war on Islam for political advantage.

Yet FBI Los Angeles head, J. Stephen Tidwell said:

"If we're going to mosques to come to services, we will tell you....for the very reason that we don't want you to think you're being monitored."

Two months later, Monteilh arrived at the same mosque, his mission to infiltrate, monitor, incite, and enlist willing members for crimes they'd never imagine committing. Worshipers said he became almost "manic in his devotion, attending prayers five times a day," and showing up in the parking lot at 5AM. He said he was told to take notes on who opened up each day, and much more. His mission, of course, was to entrap.

The FBI lied calling his case atypical, saying the bureau "relies on the support, cooperation and trust of the communities it serves and protects....under well-defined investigative guidelines and the law, and in close coordination with" Justice Department officials.

In his talk, Holder stressed solidarity with US Muslims, adding that he "believe(s) that law enforcement has an obligation to ensure that members of every religious community enjoy the ability to worship and to practice their faith in peace, free from intimidation, violence or suspicion."

He also made "no apologies for how the FBI handle(s) their work in executing....operation(s). Those who characterize (its) activities....as entrapment simply do not have their facts straight - or do they have a full understanding of the law."

Rubbish from him and the FBI. Their global mission is state terrorism. Their record exposes lawless crimes of war and against humanity, besides pervasive homeland persecution, targeting innocent Muslims for political advantage. Hundreds in America's gulag bear testimony to what Holder won't admit, or that FBI bosses paid Monteilh another $25,000 for a non-disclosure agreement to shut up and say nothing further.

What he already said revealed plenty - how FBI agents operate lawlessly, entrapping innocent victims, paying plants like Monteilh generously to snare them. Then "treat(ing) me with the utmost treachery," when his scheme fell apart, exposing him, the FBI, Justice Department, and Obama administration bosses as criminals, masquerading as defenders of justice and democratic freedoms.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.