Shalabi is “relatively mature, 44, a father of seven, holds American citizenship, and a member of upper middle class.”
The common assumption that poverty causes terrorism is just a call for Western nations to write more checks to governments of Muslim countries. It’s also demonstrably false. The New York Times reported that “not long after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001…Alan B. Krueger, the Princeton economist, tested the widespread assumption that poverty was a key factor in the making of a terrorist. Mr. Krueger’s analysis of economic figures, polls, and data on suicide bombers and hate groups found no link between economic distress and terrorism.”
CNS News noted in September 2013 that “according to a Rand Corporation report on counterterrorism, prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 2009, ‘Terrorists are not particularly impoverished, uneducated, or afflicted by mental disease. Demographically, their most important characteristic is normalcy (within their environment). Terrorist leaders actually tend to come from relatively privileged backgrounds.’ One of the authors of the RAND report, Darcy Noricks, also found that according to a number of academic studies, ‘Terrorists turn out to be more rather than less educated than the general population.’”
“Israeli security officials are trying to understand what motivated him to perpetrate the attack.”
If you guys don’t know by now, you’re never going to know.
“Inside Shin Bet’s manhunt for Tapuach Junction terrorist,” by Lilach Shoval, Israel Hayom, May 7, 2021 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
As Yehuda Guetta, 19, was taking his final breaths at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva on Wednesday, Israel Police counter-terror and Shin Bet security agency personnel were approaching the hideout of the terrorist Muntasir Shalabi in Silwad, and called for him to exit the building.
The surprised Shalabi came out with his hands raised, and after a brief interrogation in the field, he was transferred to a hospital for treatment and then to an undisclosed Shin Bet facility.
The terrorist attack at Tapuach Junction occurred at approximately 6 p.m. Sunday. Shalabi, who was driving, stopped near the hitchhiking spot at the junction and shot toward a group of students from Itamar Yeshiva. Two of them were critically wounded, one was lightly wounded.
The Shin Bet agents and Israel Police’s elite counter-terror troops launched their manhunt shortly after the attack. Eyewitnesses were questioned, the many closed-circuit cameras at the scene were examined, human intelligence sources were activated and a special command and control center was established. The Shin Bet promptly acquired relatively solid information about the attacker’s identity, Muntasir Shalabi, 44, from Turmusaya.
The Shin Bet also knew the location of the vehicle Shalabi had driven during the attack. Yet despite the temptation to approach the vehicle and run a forensic check on it, commanders opted to wait due to the risks involved, because the Shin Bet already had evidence pointing to Shalabi as the attacker.
Palestinians later torched the vehicle in an effort to erase the evidence. During their manhunt, security forces arrested 12 people suspected of aiding and abetting the terrorists, some of whom have already been released from custody….
Even at this early stage of the investigation, it is obvious that Shalabi does not fit the profile of the classic terrorist. He is relatively mature, 44, a father of seven, holds American citizenship, and a member of upper middle class.
Israeli security officials are trying to understand what motivated him to perpetrate the attack, as well as locate those who helped him escape and arrest them.
DavidR says
This is where the people with agendas, supported by imaginary narratives with contrived “facts” start the name calling.
mortimer says
You want name-calling? They are UNINFORMED, UNREAD, UNSTUDIED FOOLS.
Anyone who studies Islam’s classical jihad literature is CERTAIN about where the motivation comes from … it comes from CLASSICAL ISLAM.
CogitoErgoSum says
Did they ask him what his motive was? If so, what did he say?
mortimer says
Reply to CES: I have no doubt that terrorist Muntasir Shalabi would proudly explain his motivation with the joyful, smug expression of a True Believer. He would express no remorse or doubt about the correctness of his actions.
Terrorist Muntasir Shalabi is not ‘mentally ill’ … he is a fanatic believing in ‘overvalued ideation’ … just as the Nazis believed in Hitlerism.
For Muslims, Mohammed is the ‘Fuehrer’.
Raja says
The willful blind never learn. Besides being and educated terrorist he has been helped by fellow Muslims to destroy evidence and then there were Muslims who helped him escape.
So, here we have a Jihad attack, given cover by fellow jihadists and doing a clean job (in erasing the evidence)
Satan is constantly propagating for Islam and causing lots of confusion.in the minds of the ignorant.
Keith O says
Raja, The mythical creature you call satan has nothing to do with the evil in the hearts and minds of humans which motivates them to carry out such acts of violence.
Blaming satan for their acts is a cop out and detracts from their personal responsibility.
They and every other terrorist wasn’t forced to carry out these barbaric acts, they chose to do it just as other humans choose to be kind, loving, peaceful people.
It’s all about personal choice.
gravenimage says
Keith, few Christians deny free will.
Infidel says
Maybe Israel can flex its diplomatic muscle against the US and denounce us since it was an ‘American’ who murdered an Israeli teen? Ask Joe for a few trillion dollars as compensation, and then use that to build up their military and intel forces so that they can cover everything that they already do even more effectively
Keith O says
If they have the right guy, then I hope the Israeli’s hit him with the full force of their laws.
Given the description of his capture where he was said to be “surprised” I wonder if he was being set up in the hope that the Israeli security forces would kill him which would provide an “innocent muslim murdered by the Jews”.
It wouldn’t be the first time Hamas has used this tactic.
mortimer says
Correct: Robert Spencer writes …”The common assumption that poverty causes terrorism … is demonstrably false.”
In fact, the majority of jihadic terrorists are from well-to-do or at least very comfortable families. The jihadist children of these Muslim families often have college degrees. It is frequently at university that they learn about jihadism. Jihadist indoctrination seems to be one of the aims of university Islamic student associations.
gregbeetham says
The most unstable and dangerous Jihadist is the Westernised Muslim because at some point it is made plain to them how far they have strayed from the true path and must make amends to avoid the lake of fire.
Andrew Blackadder says
This dude has how many children,plus he is US Citizen…. WTF???.
How would he like one of his many kids to be gunned now, and how did he become a US Citizen,
seelistenunderstandAmir says
A murderer is a murderer, is a murderer, no matter who he is.
This is the typical grown up man in the Islamic spirit.
Hopefully he is the last one.
gravenimage says
Israel: Muslim who murdered Israeli teen is upper middle class American citizen
……………
So much for the discredited idea that lack of opportunity causes Jihad…