Shannen Rossmiller

She used an authoritative tone and tells him to contact her for an order on how to move forward. Rashid was quick off the mark. He was excited to be contacted by an al-Qaeda recruiter and was eager to get things moving. He took Shannon's bait, hook, line, and sinker. He says he's about to enter the war zone and will be bearing the arms of the enemy.

She used an authoritative tone and tells him to contact her for an order on how to move forward. Rashid was quick off the mark. He was excited to be contacted by an al-Qaeda recruiter and was eager to get things moving. He took Shannon's bait, hook, line, and sinker. He says he's about to enter the war zone and will be bearing the arms of the enemy.

He's just converted to Islam and is very against the war in Iraq, which had kicked off in March that year. But he needs cash to get his genius plan off the ground. Shannon asks for more information, and what he tells her makes her blood run cold. This guy Rashid was a U.S. citizen and an active member of the U.S. Army National Guard's 81st Brigade. Someone in the U.S.

He's just converted to Islam and is very against the war in Iraq, which had kicked off in March that year. But he needs cash to get his genius plan off the ground. Shannon asks for more information, and what he tells her makes her blood run cold. This guy Rashid was a U.S. citizen and an active member of the U.S. Army National Guard's 81st Brigade. Someone in the U.S.

military is planning a terrorist strike? Against what? Who? When? Oh, this is not good, she thought. She does some more sleuthing on him and figures out his IP address and email address. And from there, she's able to discover that Rashid's real name is Ryan Anderson. He's 26 years old and stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington State, just outside Tacoma. All her internal alarm bells were ringing.

military is planning a terrorist strike? Against what? Who? When? Oh, this is not good, she thought. She does some more sleuthing on him and figures out his IP address and email address. And from there, she's able to discover that Rashid's real name is Ryan Anderson. He's 26 years old and stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington State, just outside Tacoma. All her internal alarm bells were ringing.

This was what she was working towards, but she needed to remain calm and know for certain that he's planning something serious. So she keeps the conversation going. She learned that his brigade was going to deploy to Iraq in a few months. When he said he would be with them soon, he wasn't joking. She talks with him more and more, recording all the conversations.

This was what she was working towards, but she needed to remain calm and know for certain that he's planning something serious. So she keeps the conversation going. She learned that his brigade was going to deploy to Iraq in a few months. When he said he would be with them soon, he wasn't joking. She talks with him more and more, recording all the conversations.

He said he liked guns and was a master army sniper with exceptional skills. While all this seemed very urgent, Shannon also knew it's very delicate. So she played it very slow and methodical. She didn't want to scare him off. She continues talking with him for two whole months, gaining more trust, gaining more information. Here, I'll let Shannon explain how it all happened.

He said he liked guns and was a master army sniper with exceptional skills. While all this seemed very urgent, Shannon also knew it's very delicate. So she played it very slow and methodical. She didn't want to scare him off. She continues talking with him for two whole months, gaining more trust, gaining more information. Here, I'll let Shannon explain how it all happened.

He stumbled into an Arabic site speaking English. And so immediately, you know, he caught my eye thinking, well, you know, we're speaking Arabic here. Who's this guy speaking English? And so one of the first things I always do is I go to and try and determine, you know, where their IP address might lead me, whether it appears as though there's any proxy elements in it.

He stumbled into an Arabic site speaking English. And so immediately, you know, he caught my eye thinking, well, you know, we're speaking Arabic here. Who's this guy speaking English? And so one of the first things I always do is I go to and try and determine, you know, where their IP address might lead me, whether it appears as though there's any proxy elements in it.

And as it turned out, he traced right into Seattle. I had him within a... a two to four block area radius in Seattle. And as I, the further I looked, um, it appeared that he was, um, in the national guard. And anyway, as it turned out, he had converted to Islam after nine 11, um, and had, uh, Since that time, been seeking and becoming more radicalized.

And as it turned out, he traced right into Seattle. I had him within a... a two to four block area radius in Seattle. And as I, the further I looked, um, it appeared that he was, um, in the national guard. And anyway, as it turned out, he had converted to Islam after nine 11, um, and had, uh, Since that time, been seeking and becoming more radicalized.

And what he was trying to do was he wanted to defect to Al-Qaeda. And he was offering up his role as a tank commander, the classified specs of the Abrams tanks, as well as troop locations and other things that he... was continuing to provide me in order to continue to prove his salt or his worth to whom he believed to be an al-Qaeda operative, which was the identity I was operating under.

And what he was trying to do was he wanted to defect to Al-Qaeda. And he was offering up his role as a tank commander, the classified specs of the Abrams tanks, as well as troop locations and other things that he... was continuing to provide me in order to continue to prove his salt or his worth to whom he believed to be an al-Qaeda operative, which was the identity I was operating under.

Shannon eventually had enough information to contact the feds. She goes to Homeland Security thinking they'll know exactly what to do, but they don't take her seriously. She tries to show them evidence, but they're just like, eh, go show it to the FBI.

Shannon eventually had enough information to contact the feds. She goes to Homeland Security thinking they'll know exactly what to do, but they don't take her seriously. She tries to show them evidence, but they're just like, eh, go show it to the FBI.

She's torn because she didn't want to admit that she was the one that infiltrated these forums herself and was getting all this information because of the malware that she planted on different jihadist computers. So she felt confused about how much to say. Most importantly, she didn't want her online identity to get tangled up with her real life as a Montana mom and a judge.

She's torn because she didn't want to admit that she was the one that infiltrated these forums herself and was getting all this information because of the malware that she planted on different jihadist computers. So she felt confused about how much to say. Most importantly, she didn't want her online identity to get tangled up with her real life as a Montana mom and a judge.