Montana mother who is fighting al-Qa'eda from her sitting room

[OpenMind]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... w_26062006





Montana mother who is fighting al-Qa'eda from her sitting room

By Francis Harris in Helena

(Filed: 26/06/2006)

Radical Islamists may not know it but their global jihad has more to fear from Shannen Rossmiller, an American mother-of-three, than from a squadron of F16s.

The former cheerleader doesn't phrase it quite like that. That isn't her style.



Yet a summary of case histories and transcripts seen by The Daily Telegraph reveals that she has uncovered the whereabouts of al-Qa'eda fighters in the lawless highlands of Pakistan, shopped groups of would-be terrorists from Liverpool to Lebanon, tracked down an Islamist designing a nuclear device and much, much more.

For four years, she has alternated her day jobs of mother and magistrate in the mountain state of Montana with a night-time role as a hunter of terrorists. Mrs Rossmiller first turned freelance spy after September 11.

Donning a range of virtual disguises, she uses her functional, self-taught Arabic, and customised software that masks her true identity and whereabouts, to navigate into radical internet chat rooms frequented by real terrorists or any fanatic with a computer and a grudge.

In her first interview with a British newspaper, the 37-year-old said that at first she kept her nocturnal sleuthing secret: "I didn't want my family to know because they'd call me crazy and this was just too damn interesting."

Now she finds it hard to escape the world she has entered. Asked whether she seeks a way out, she said: "I've tried a couple of times to back off, but it just hasn't been the right time.

"I remember the time I screamed 'Can't these guys take a weekend off?' But humanity is such a precious thing that you don't want to see [terrorist attacks] happen to anybody, to any country, any people."

She has proved increasingly useful to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which now supplies her with handlers, Arabic translators and security, in case the terrorists seek revenge.

They have reason to be angry: in America alone, the authorities have made several arrests based on Mrs Rossmiller's work.

In her best known case, she secured a life sentence for a treacherous soldier, Pte Ryan Anderson, who was trying to transmit the weaknesses of the M1 Abrams tank to al-Qa'eda. It was when she was called to give evidence in that case that her cover was blown. "I didn't have the choice of remaining anonymous," she said, despite earlier pledges from the authorities that her name would never be made public.

On many occasions she has encountered terrorists overseas. Three times she has lured young British Islamists into unmasking themselves, including one group in Liverpool. The FBI passed the material to British intelligence, after which she heard nothing more.

She brushes off the possible threat to her and her family from terrorist reprisal. She pointed out that in Montana's little towns, strangers stick out and the locals are armed. "There have to be risks taken, otherwise you can't get anything done."

The FBI refuses to comment on her work and she has not been offered public thanks by members of the Bush administration. Behind-the-scenes however, intelligence staffers acknowledge her role.

One American newspaper reported that "federal intelligence sources confirmed that for several years she has provided the FBI and the CIA with useful information". Another was told "she's legitimate" by an unnamed FBI agent.

That has helped to make Mrs Rossmiller a star of Right-wing internet sites, but she disavowed any political motivation beyond plain patriotism. "I'm not a Republican, I'll tell you that right now. But at the same time you get tired of seeing your government looking like a bunch of walking idiots."

Mrs Rossmiller is understandably discreet about her current operations, but said that as the years have passed she has become more ambitious and made "her" fictional Islamists more senior.

But when things get sticky she can be ruthless. "I kill off certain identities, make them martyrs, so think 'so-and-so is dead'. When I've had an idea that's worked well for some time but things are getting fishy, I'll move him into Ramadi or Basra and have him martyred."

[Bez]

Brave lady...hope she stays safe.

[Sheryl]

defiantly a brave woman.

[OpenMind]

From what I can make out, she won't get any reward as such. But I would think that if she were English, she would get a medal from the Queen for her efforts fighting for the country. An example for us all.:-6

[LilacDragon]

Well, I will be praying for her safety - now that her name, job and state of residence have all been posted in the press and on-line.

[OpenMind]

LilacDragon wrote: Well, I will be praying for her safety - now that her name, job and state of residence have all been posted in the press and on-line.




In her best known case, she secured a life sentence for a treacherous soldier, Pte Ryan Anderson, who was trying to transmit the weaknesses of the M1 Abrams tank to al-Qa'eda. It was when she was called to give evidence in that case that her cover was blown. "I didn't have the choice of remaining anonymous," she said, despite earlier pledges from the authorities that her name would never be made public.




The press wasn't responsible at all on this occasion, Lilac. Again, she was doing her duty. The quote above is in the above press article.

[OpenMind]

ArnoldLayne wrote: It does seem strange that the US authorities would be willing to pay out a substantial reward for information, as in the informant that gave away the whereabouts of Al Zaquawi, yet will not reward this brave woman.



I would have hoped she would remain financially secure for the rest of her life. It also goes without saying that they must be responsible for her and her family's well being. She must be treated like a national treasure


I think the same thing applies over here. A person can do whatever they want for the state but do so on their own account. The state won't compensate them for their efforts. The most an individual can expect is a gong of some sort and recognition.

The principle behind this is that we are all the state and we are all expected to do our bit freely because what we do for the state, we do for ourselves.

[Uncle Kram]

Sheer lunacy to reveal her ID. She's got a lot of bottle though. Fair play to her