The other kind of terrorism

Here's another one that nearly slipped through the cracks ...

Boisean charged in anthrax case: Man faces felony charges for 32 alleged threats

Sandy Kevin Lamont Nanney, 38, is accused of mailing anonymous, threatening letters containing non-toxic powder. He is charged with five felony counts of threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction, and police said Friday that they expect to file 27 additional charges against him — one for each threat he allegedly sent to hospitals, businesses and government offices in Ada and Canyon counties.

The threats forced several offices and businesses to be evacuated in recent weeks and unnecessarily frightened employees, officials said.

When he was arrested and charged Thursday, Nanney admitted to sending the letters, Boise Police Lt. Mike Majors said.

Officers declined to speculate on Nanney´s motives or to disclose the written contents of the letters. “He had a message he wanted to deliver,” said Majors, who would not elaborate.

There is still no indication that this man was acting out of a particular kind of ideology, other than the fact that he wanted to send a "message." Certainly the fact that he moved to Idaho in the recent past indicates he may well be a right-wing extremist, but we don't know that yet.

What we do know is that he clearly had terroristic motives -- and indeed, he effectively terrorized important parts of the community, including hospitals.

Moreover, it is likewise clear that this is a case of "piggybacking" on the terrorism committed in October-November 2001, when an anthrax killer struck the East Coast -- which was itself a clear case of "piggybacking" on the terrorism of Sept. 11.

As I've pointed out numerous times previously, the white-supremacist movement has made it clear it intends to use such "piggyback" terrorism to further its agenda by worsening the public's fear about its security in a post-9/11 world. This kind of "lone wolf" behavior may not always be neo-Nazi- or Patriot-related, but even if it isn't, it fits in neatly with their agenda.