Report Warns of Infiltration by Al Qaeda in U.S. Prisons

Groups promoting extremist brands of Islam have gained a foothold in American prisons, and counterterrorism officials believe Al Qaeda are likely to try to use the prisons “to radicalize and recruit inmates,” according to a Justice Department investigation. In a report from the Justice Department inspector general’s office, investigators said safeguards were so loose in the 105 federal prisons that inmate chapels “remain vulnerable to infiltration by religious extremists.” A copy of the report, to be released on Wednesday, was obtained by The New York Times. The investigation grew out of concerns among members of Congress that groups training Muslim chaplains had terrorist ties and were breeding extremism. But the investigation found that the problem of “radicalized” prayer sessions was less a reflection of the chaplains than of unsupervised inmates who were allowed to lead their own worship meetings. Full Story