Philadelphia terror support plot busted

AP headline: Phila. plot to buy weapons for Hezbollah

I wondered whether AP would use "broad strata" or "tiny minority" or possibly "vicarious trauma" to explain away who and why this crime occurred. I had to chuckle at the way AP handled it. They declined to name the perpetrators.

Fortunately the FBI website isn't bound by the liberal rules of subterfuge:

According to the indictment, Hassan Hodroj and Dib Hani Harb attempted to provide material support to Hizballah in the form of approximately 1,200 Colt M4 Carbines (machine guns). Harb and other defendants—including Moussa Ali Hamdan and Hasan Antar Karak—were also charged with conspiring to provide material support to Hizballah in the form of proceeds from the sale of fraudulent passports, counterfeit money and stolen (genuine) money. In addition, Hamdan and several other defendants (listed below) were charged with several counts of transporting stolen goods, trafficking in counterfeit goods, and making false statements to government officials.

Instead of naming the criminals, the AP used these terms: four men, two suspects, the plotters, indictment charges eight others. It's reminiscent of the Paris "youths" who rioted a few years ago.

Did the AP have an editor's roundtable to figure out the new strategy? "How can we shift the focus away from Muslims while avoiding criticism?" Brilliant, AP, just brilliant.