Martyrdom
Fox News carries the story of the Texan arrested in Somalia for alleged collaboration with Al-Qaeda. They also posted the .pdf of the criminal complaint against him, for which I give them a big thumbs up. That's a great advantage of web journalism--being able to post primary sources online for those interested in finding out more about the story.
In this case the indictment reveals a tragic story:
16. MALDONADO recalled that while in Kismaayo he participated in the interrogation of a spy. The spy, a flight attendant who had a cell phone camera, was observed taking pictures of jihadis as they arrived by airplane in Kismaayo. The flight attendant was forcibly taken to a house, across the street from the hotel at which he was staying, where he was beaten and slapped. MALDONADO helped guard and interrogate the flight attendant because they both spoke English. He pointed his weapon at the flight attendant and threatened to kill him. MALDONADO admitted he was later informed that the flight attendant had been killed.Whatever his name, nationality or creed, this flight attendant was an incredibly brave person who gave his life snapping pictures of the arriving jihadis inside Somalia.
If his name ever comes to light, one hopes Somalia will commemorate him as a hero. Especially if he was Somali--this man is their Nathan Hale. If you're a praying sort, please spare a few words for this nameless fellow who died fighting against jihad, and those like him. There are, I am certain, untold thousands like him, dragged off into bloodied rooms, tortured, and butchered because they stood up against the tide of Islamism in their town or their nation or region, their screams unheard (unless they're rendered famous on a propaganda snuff film) and now forgotten to all but their families--unless their families were killed with them. There are no doubt more who died under similar circumstances merely on the suspicion of doing the same thing.
These are the martyrs. And more brave people around the world, who know this risk very well, still resist the jihadists every day.
As for Maldonado, if his confession is accurate (and why wouldn't it be?) he knew exactly what he was involved in when this happened. Whatever happens to this evil man, my eyes are going to be pretty dry.
This is grim stuff, and I expect the domestic "anti-torture" lobby will be clamoring full-throated for the maximum legal sentence to be imposed on him, any day now... After all, one wouldn't want to think they only condemn the Americans who interrogate our enemies, but don't care about Americans in the service of Al-Qaeda who really do torture, beat, and threaten the murder of our allies...
One wouldn't want to think that.