Was it just a nightmare after all?

Once again, the Justice Department uses everything at their disposal to arrest a terrorist.

Wannabe.

Detailing the charge against Mr Mehanna, US prosecutors accused him and his alleged co-conspirators of discussing how to obtain automatic weapons before "randomly shooting people in a shopping mall".

They allegedly discussed "the logistics of a mall attack, including co-ordination, weapons needed and the possibility of attacking emergency responders", acting US Attorney Michael Loucks said.

However, the plan was eventually abandoned, prosecutors said, because the conspirators could not get hold of the necessary weapons. ...

A justice department document said that while "some of these plans involved no more than one or two conversations, at least one involved multiple conversations, discussions and preparations".

This is the kind of arrest that used to be all over the media, as proof that we needed the Patriot Act and even MORE, because scary people are out there and they want to hurt us. Actually, whatever Mehanna wanted to do - and I'll stipulate that he wanted to blow people up - he didn't actually do anything, couldn't manage to do anything, and is portrayed as "hapless" and "inept" by the FBI. Another report has this quote:

"It's very aspirational -- hopes and dreams," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because both investigations are classified and ongoing.

In other words, he's another malcontent, and his arrest hasn't really made us safer. Which is par for the course. Remember the Florida boys who had pipe dreams about blowing up the Sears Tower?

But there are some differences. One is that the FBI has learned to bide its time and do actual police work before rushing to arrest. Another is that most newspapers aren't covering it, and those that are aren't doing so with that breathless OMG coverage designed to keep people as scared as possible as much of the time as possible.

In other words, this is an arrest that might stand up in court, and which is being given the coverage it deserves. Maybe the media is finally waking up, too.