GLENN: The disturbing details of how Saipov, the Uzbek immigrant turned terrorist planned and executed his attack is becoming very clear. And it needs to become clear to all of us that times are changing. The narrative gives us a frightening look inside of the mind of a cold-blooded and calculated killer.
Saipov had been planning his attack on Manhattan, the West Side bike path for a year. We still don't know when and how long he had been radicalized. But for any new and aspiring ISIS recruit getting instruction from the caliphate is actually pretty easy. You just pull up an app on your phone and log into the internet. Both ISIS and al-Qaeda give instructions and directions online that act as some sort of demented University of Phoenix for terrorists. I hope we're monitoring that.
Several months ago, ISIS began telling their followers to stop coming to Syria and Iraq. They could be more effective by staying in their home countries. ISIS began directing their soldiers to use vehicles as weapons in order to stay off the radar of law enforcement.
Saipov took this instruction and made the decision around September to use a truck. On October 4th, he searched online for a Home Depot store in New Jersey. He noted a location that rented trucks and continued his preparation.
On the 18th of last month, he began looking for the best spot to execute his attack. He wanted to inflict the maximum amount of casualties. But not just on any people would do. He wanted to make a statement. He looked up Halloween in New York City. You can only imagine what he saw as he clicked through image after image of trick-or-treaters walking down the West Side path. He chose specifically this location with hopes that children would be killed.
He rented a practice truck on October 22nd. He began making his dry runs. On October 28th, he scoped the target location one last time. He was ready. He carried a stun gun. Three knives. Just in case he lived long enough to use them. He originally planned on hanging two ISIS flags on the front and the back of the truck, but changed his mind the last minute. He didn't want to risk attracting attention before entering the walkway. Inside the truck, police found a handwritten note, both Arabic and English. It read no God. But God and Muhammad as his prophet.
Islam will endure. We are entering a new era in the War on Terror. Where people can be radicalized, taught, and instructed from the comfort of their own home, anywhere in the world. They're smart, they're calculating, and they are devoted.
The terrorists have evolved. The question is, can we stop arguing with one another long enough to evolve to stop them?
