The Muslims of America are asking why they’re not being charged as domestic terrorists.
The four young men charged in an alleged plot against Muslims in Holy Islamberg, near Binghamton, face felony charges.
However, The Muslims of America are asking why they’re not being charged as domestic terrorists.
“These four individuals and those who threaten people on the basis of their faith are terrorists,” said Tahirah Clark, an attorney and member of The Muslims of America.
Clark says the accusations against the four young men are serious and categorized the alleged plot against Holy Islamberg as an act of domestic terrorism.
“We were shocked to learn that while there is a definition for domestic terrorism, it is not a federal crime,” said Clark. “There should be no bail set for anyone being investigated for such a serious crime.”
No federal or state statute specifically makes domestic terrorism a crime.
You can go back to 1995 when Timothy McVeigh set off bombs at the federal building in Oklahoma City to last year’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida and more recently, the shooting in a Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
None of those crimes were and are likely going to be prosecuted under a domestic terrorism law.
Two years ago, the state Senate created the Senate Majority Task Force on Counter-terrorism and Public Protection.
Senator Patrick Gallivan was a member.
News10NBC shared the concern expressed by The Muslims of America and asked him why New York state doesn’t have a domestic terrorism statute.
“The conduct that’s alleged in Greece is clearly unlawful and there are very severe penalties if these individuals are convicted of what they are accused of,” said Senator Patrick Gallivan. “It’s just not called ‘domestic terrorism’ in the penal law, but it is an act of domestic terrorism the way the average person would understand it to be.”
