Snowden: Armed Citizen in Garland Did What Surveillance State Couldn’t
“One citizen with a gun protected what $53b spy budget did not”
Mikael Thalen
December 9, 2015

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden took to social media Wednesday to note that one armed citizen in Garland, Texas, was able to accomplish what the surveillance state hasn’t – prevent a terror attack.

Speaking to the FBI’s latest attempt to undermine encryption protocols, Snowden stated that the $53 billion surveillance budget was not what stopped the terror attack.

After two ISIS sympathizers, at least one of which was known to the FBI, opened fire at last May’s “Draw Muhammad Cartoon Contest,” one armed individual providing security for the event was able to take down both attackers.

Mentioning other such incidents, Snowden also pointed out that even unarmed citizens have stopped terror attacks as well.

Despite claims that increased widespread surveillance is needed to thwart future attacks, the federal government thus far has failed to provide one instance in which mass-surveillance has prevented an attack.

Snowden made similar comments during an interview with NBC last year in which he stated that mass surveillance failed to stop both the 9/11 terror attacks and the Boston Marathon Bombing despite intelligence agencies having pertinent information beforehand.

“If we’re missing things like the Boston Marathon bombings where all of these mass surveillance systems, every domestic dragnet in the world, didn’t reveal guys that the Russian intelligence service told us about by name, is that really the best way to protect our country or are we trying to throw money at a magic solution that’s actually not just costing us our safety, but our rights and our way of life,” Snowden said.

Snowden’s statements were subsequently edited out of the NBC interview prior to airing and instead hosted online without explanation.

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