Except for the baby. An ploacia emotional battle o reunite this mother with her children. Pulls at my heart. Tonight a piece of nostalgia mixed with a bit of americana. A thundering herd of bison. Back home and free to roam. Good evening everyone, thanks for joining us. Im adam may in for joie chen. , we begin with the fast moving developments in syria. As the white house authorizes surveillance flights and ponders other potential military action he, there are growing concerns tonight over americans drawn into this conflict. This is raising security and safety issues with some americans fighting for the rebels and other americans held captive. First of all i want to thank you all for coming out here. Emotional and relieved, journalist peter curtis speaking publicly for First Time Since hihis reason sunday from jabat l nusra. What kindness they have in their hearts and to all those people i say a huge thank you from my heart from the bottom of my heart. I had no idea when i was in prison, i had no idea that so much effort was being expended on my behalf. And now having found out i am just overwhelmed with emotion. Curtis has been spending his first few days as a free man reuniting with loved ones. But as one mother celebrated her sons time. Im sending this message to you abu bakr albaghdadi. A plea by another mother for her son still held captive. Intersteven sotloff has been held for over a year. I ask you to not. Punish my son for matters he has no control over. Follow the example of the prophet mohamed who protected the people of the book. Sotloff appeared in the execution video of james foley. A man with a british accent said the conduct of the u. S. Would dirdetermine whether sotloff wod live or die. There are dozens of american citizens fighting for the Islamic State. This idea that foreign fighters could get over there get radicalized, get trained and come back to the home land in the United States or in any other nation. That threat from operatives holding u. S. Passports. News of the First American fighting for the Islamic State in syria. 33yearold Douglas Mcarthur mccain was killed. Its unclear how exactly he came to join the Islamic State, or what led him down that path. But friends and relatives struggle to reconcile his end with the man they knew. My cousin is not a terrorist. And this is the first that ive heard that he was connected to the jihadi or whatever. I think maybe my cousin could have lost his identity because thats not who he is. To them, he was a fun loving father and an aspiring rapper with lots of friends. Family members say they knew he had traveled to turkey from california earlier this year but they were unaware he was fighting in syria a world away from his home in america. Going by the name duali. This man whom mccain identified as a close friend, troy castagar, a convert to islam who died while fighting for al shabab insurgent. Omar hamami rose in the ranks as a fearless commander and skilled prop bega todayist. Propagandist. A 20something american who grew. In florida. This an chur group up in florida. Then a huge blast. Authorities say abu haraya traveled back home to florida once before carrying out that suicide mission. The fbi says returning american fighters remains a concern. They have gone there, in huge numbers, to join the fight with groups like al nusrra or i. S. I. L. The going is very worrisome. It is the comingout that worries me even more. It is the reason that we, inteinterpol and others are worg about the socalled syria traveler threat. It has been estimated that more than 3,000 foreign fighters from the west have joined the Islamic State and possibly a hundred or more americans. The question is how does Douglas Mccain and people like him become radicalized . The author of the best selling group terrorists and love, the real lives of islamic radicals. Ken, youre given unprecedented access to prisons in saudi arabia. You interviewed a number of these radicals. Can you maybe shed a little bit of light on a Common Thread among these individuals . Well, one Common Thread is theyre all young men. And they tend to be between the ages of 18 and their early 30s. Is that because they are susceptible at this particular age . They are susceptible at this particular age and they are looking for answers like young men everywhere. They are looking for a path for their life to take. And this radical islamic cause provides them with an answer, with a meaning in their life and with companionship and fellowship. It appears on the surface ends up joining this group like i. S. These americans are lost, Douglas Mccain who was killed over there was a young man on a search on the margins of the law, he couldnt find work that he enjoyed, he couldnt find mission or meaning, until he towrnheturned to islam. He wanted to be a truer and truer muslim. Did they feel disenfranchised in america . They dont feel the norm and alienated. Alienization is dramatic. You go shoot up a school or assassinate or join the Islamic State in iraq and syria. Groups like i. S. Or al qaeda, what advantage do they have getting an american . They have this pure ideology. They have this way that communicates that this is the true islam. And if you join our cause, and you die in our cause, you will be a martyr going to heaven. And this is the doctrine that is inculcated in these young men. And now with the internet it is a way to reach out even further. Is this a big propaganda for these groups . It is a ideology. Do they get to say look, we have an american . Oh thats wonderful. Because every time they have an american it tweaks the nose of the great satan, the United States. They show that they are the ones with the ideology. They are at the vanguard, let everyone follow. The question is, how dangerous is this . We are layering from the taint that there are concerns this from the state department that their concern is that this may come to the United States. Theyre focused on iraq and syria, they are focused on prop began today victories, americans dying, americans being beheaded. But i think the real threat is in the middle east right now. All right, ken bowen, president of terror free america. Thank you for joining us. My pleasure. Thank you for having me. Coming up, chaos in ferguson, police with military equipment. A critical look at where that gear comes from and who pays for it. Also tonight children kidnapped and hidden overseas. Im very relieved to have the kids out of afghanistan. This has been a long, grueling process that has that we have tried to work on for months and months and months. And so their safety was a real concern. Inside one mothers struggle coming up. B. Fault lines labor day marathon the true cost of cheap labor nothing can be worse than this people burnt to ash. Horrendous conditions. Traffic labor on us bases. Management stealing wages. Exploited children put to work. How many of you get up at 4 or 5 oclock in the morning to go out to the fields . Dont miss our Award Winning series fault lines labor day marathon only on Al Jazeera America up. More than two weeks after a Police Officer shot and killed unarmed teen Michael Brown in ferguson, missouri, the governor today named a new director of the department of public safety. Oversees state police and the National Guard and that office came under heavy criticism for the heavy handed tactics employed during the protesting. Congressional leaders are now offering to take a second look at those methods in which Law Enforcement handled the aftermath. America tonights Lori Jane Gliha takes us back to one of the most hectic nights of protest. Why so many agencies are getting help from the federal government when it comes to beefing up on tactical gear. Reporter the shouting and chanting in ferguson has quieted down. The lines of armed officers like these have gone away. And the roads are now clean and clear. But the physical reminders of the clash that littered the streets are now front and center in a debate about Police Strategy and equipment. The. Okay, we have been fighting all sorts of things, smoke canister in the field which means this one right here is a right smoke multiprojectile 5 that came out of here. These are items left behind after some night of looting and gun shots and shattered store fronts as well as peaceful marches and this militarystyle vehicle. Heavily armed police crunched over roadblocks made of heavy bricks and used various tactics to disperse the crowds. This is a chemical irritating agent. Law enforcement officials defended some of their tactics. We have been criticized for using swat trucks during protest. We did not deploy those into the crowd until things deteriorated and tonight, we use a swat truck and another large vehicle to get into a violent dangerous area to extract a gunshot victim. But many argue the equipment is too much like the military and less like a Police Department tasked with protecting the people. Even the president weighed in. I think its probably useful for us to review how the funding has gone, because there is a big difference between our military and our local Law Enforcement. And we dont want those lines blurred. Reporter at departments across the nation access to used military equipment is common. A dod Surplus PropertyProgram Allows for local departments to receive free gear. It has handed over more than 5. 1 billion worth of used humvees, helicopters guns and specialized robots since it was created in the 1990s. How and where and under what circumstances the equipment actually get used is up to local Law Enforcement agencies to determine. Reporter but its not just military castoffs. Nick granani oversees the deployment of Homeland Security gear. Terrorist activity like at Boston Marathon or a hurricane like hurricane sandy. Since 2003 the region received more than 100 million for Law EnforcementFire Departments and Public Health facilities through the urban areas security initiative. Nearly 18 million went for Law Enforcement purposes only including the purchase of aircraft, radios. Ear plugs. Helmets, gloves computers and tactical robots as well as some of the more visible military type equipment that popped up on the streets. Like the big vehicle, everybody is referring the the linko bearcat, the things you see that they carry their weapons on and the night vision goggles. With new york city receiving the most, the department of justice also runs a program that gives grants to local police. This fiscal year, states received about 189 million, as part of the edward burn memorial justice Assistance Grant program, it provides aid from everything Research Equipment and canines but secludes some purchase of vehicles and drones. Regardless how all the equipment and gear converged on the ferguson area, congressional leaders are now vowing to take it under review starting next month. Lori jane gliha, al jazeera. And the militarization of local Police Departments goes at a hef heavy price. First off do you think its enough outrage on capitol hill . Libertarians we criticize all aspects of government when its overreaching and this was a very big problem for a long time and sometimes a new story has to happen, its unfortunate it has to happen in this circumstance but now bills are introduced and were starting to solve the problem. You say its overreaching, how so and who is benefiting from this financially . Thats a good question. Police officers themsz i think probably enjoy it, and thats not Police Officers themselves i think probably enjoy it. Those who arent benefiting are the American People in terms of being raided by cops and the crime going down. Im one that doesnt think that the increased police force is the reason for the decreased crime rate. Joe biden says crime has gone down everywhere. This is just the beginning. Was there a big selling point, when they were rolling out this equipment during the Clinton Administration was the fact that they said police were being outgunned by drug dealers on the streets. It was an issue. But remember there was never a bad vote from a politician. Are and voting for Police Officers. Exactly. Those things have been good. For 40 years going back to the drug war to the war on crime starting in the late 60s moving forward is a bipartisan affair. We have had people voting for more police and more criminal enforcement and no one would think it would change the mill triesation of militarization of police. What about this stuff out there, theres a lot of stuff sitting in Police Departments. Representative johnson has a bill to sort of stop it. They have 4. 5 billion worth of this. They have it we have to take it away from them. Take it away . It has no Law Enforcement purpose. All right trevor. Trevor burris, with the Cato Institute of congressional studies. Thank you so much for joining us. The ceasefire holds for now. Both sides in the gaza conflict claim a victory. But what will happen to so many unanswered demands . Also abducted and taken overseas. A womans fight to bring her children back home, the dramatic reunion next. Every saturday, Al Jazeera America brings you controversial. Both parties are owned by the corporations. Entertaining its fun to play with ideas. Thought provoking get your damn education. Surprising oh, absolutely . Exclusive oneonone interviews with the most interesting people of our time. Youre listening because you want to see whats going to happen. I want to know what works what do you know works . Conversations you wont find anywhere else. Talk to al jazeera. Only on Al Jazeera America. Oh my start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. And a host willing to ask the tough questions and youll get. The inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et 2pm pt only on Al Jazeera America welcome back everybody. Now a snapshot of stories making headlines on americ america t Jpmorgan Chase and at least one other bank were hacked by russians. The fbi believes the attack was in retaliations for the sanctions handed down by the u. S. And the eu for to the russians for ukrainian crisis. It doesnt appear that the russian government was involved. A man thought to be a serial kill cerm left four dead and several wounded. Alexander hernandez was also charged with animal cruelty for allegedly shooting three dogs. Authorities say the attack was random. Are an american journalist, peter theo curtis, kidnapped nearly two years ago by an al qaeda fealt affiliate was hander to u. N. Officials. Gaza israeli war over 50 days of bombardments more than half a million displaced gazans are returning home. In israel, Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu is facing fears criticism over this costly conflict that really has no winners and leaves much unresolved. The truce may be holding up in gaza but an Al Qaeda Group captured the sole bother crossing in the golan heights. Palestinian healthy workers say 2100 people, most of them civilians were killed in the conflict. Israels are death toll is 61 sociologist engineers and 4 civilians. Al jazeeras Andrew Simmons has more about palestinians rebuilding their lives after 50 days of conflict. Reporter a city in ruins. The flags of hamas and other palestinian factions, leadership that believes its become more popular in the wake of the seven week war, and dismisses any suggestion that its made concessions. What do you say to the israeli claim that you accepted now what you rejected a month ago . Translator its not true. What happened before was, they wanted us to negotiate for months and years without any kind of constraints or guarantees. But this time before we even sit down at the negotiating table again the israelis have agreed to lift the blockade to end their attacks and to ease the fishing rights and restrictions on goods coming into gaza. Israeli is trying the same tactic, military victory. But as both sides are are claiming victory this is the harsh reality on the ground. Families returning to what remains of their homes and trying owork out what to do next. And the United Nations estimates without new lifting of restrictions rite across the board it would take Something Like 15 years to rebuild the gaza strip. Its thought around half a Million People have lost their homes. It still isnt clear how much different the easing of israels blockade will make to the supply of Building Materials and support. This man has lost his business and his home. It will be a year before he can clear the site and think about rebuilding. Abdul rahaman al sheik understands why the palestinians must claim a victory after so much sacrifice but he isnt optimistic abo