ARLINGTON: Congressman Joe Barton (R-Ennis/Arlington) released the following statement after learning of the terror related arrest of Hosam Maher Husein Smadi. He is a resident of the small town of Italy, which is in the 6th District (click here for more information on the case from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram):

“It looks like the FBI’s tremendous work has thwarted a plot to kill as many Texans as possible by destroying a Dallas landmark filled with innocent people. 

Good old fashioned Texas justice would suggest that he be taken back to Italy and let the local justice of the peace handle him.

Mr. Smadi is lucky he’s in America, where he’s going to get actual justice instead of the vengeance that outfits like the Taliban and al Qaeda mete out.  He deserves and I believe he will get a fair trial and if he’s convicted, a punishment that fits the crime. 

This episode should remind us that we must resist slipping into a post-9/11 complacency. We’re at war with terrorism because terrorists are at war with us. The good news is that the changes President Bush made to the intelligence community after our nation was attacked are working. We must continue to be proactive. America can defeat the haters who want to kill us by standing strong and giving law enforcement the tools it needs to stop these attacks before they happen.”