Beardown wrote:
It is a federal crime to know of a terrorist attack and not report it.
That's such a bone-chilling sentiment, I had to look it up.
18 U.S. Code § 2339
Quote:
(a) Whoever harbors or conceals any person who he knows, or has reasonable grounds to believe, has committed, or is about to commit, an offense under section 32 (relating to destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities), section 175 (relating to biological weapons), section 229 (relating to chemical weapons), section 831 (relating to nuclear materials), paragraph (2) or (3) of section 844(f) (relating to arson and bombing of government property risking or causing injury or death), section 1366(a) (relating to the destruction of an energy facility), section 2280 (relating to violence against maritime navigation), section 2332a (relating to weapons of mass destruction), or section 2332b (relating to acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries) of this title, section 236(a) (relating to sabotage of nuclear facilities or fuel) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2284(a)), or section 46502 (relating to aircraft piracy) of title 49, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
That's the only thing I could find about concealing terrorist plots in federal law. I mean, maybe § 2332b's broad definition of "conduct transcending national boundaries" could apply to the wife, and she could be charged under 2339, but Holy Christ it would be scary for the US to actually charge and prosecute a citizen for not reporting the conduct or intentions of someone else in these circumstances.
My partner shot a guy five times and he survived. The victim filed a civil suit based on the idea that a bunch of us knew what my partner intended to do and had a duty to warn him. It went all the way up the ladder to the Supreme Court. It's a very important case.