venus was born to the suburbs of long island where his family still lives. i spent the better part of a year unraveling how why bryant venus went from catholic to muslim, to u.s. army recruit to jihadist, from long island to lahore. this is where he grew up, the son of immigrants from south america. his sister met with me and was happy to talk about her brother, whom she described as a social friendly young boy, but she didn t want to go on camera. our producer, cnn tourism analyst paul has met with her and bryant s parents several more times. bryants mother used to call him my teddy bear. he was an extremely sweet kid. he d fix her breakfast in bed
catholic to muslim, from u.s. army recruit to jihadist, from long island to lahore. this is where he grew up, the son of immigrants from south america. his sister met with me and was happy to talk about her brother, whom she described as a sociable, friendly young boy. but she didn t want to go on camera. our producer, cnn analyst, has met with her and bryant s parents several more times. bryant s mother used to call him my teddy bear. she said he was an extremely sweet kid. he d even fix her breakfast in bed when she wasn t feeling well. bryant, she says, had a happy childhood. reporter: richa remembers those happier times. she lived down the street and her family adored bryant.
counts. is somebody that we can t miss. but the tables could be turning on al qaeda. their one-time secret weapon could be spilling their secrets. family, friends, and intelligence officials are left wondering, why and how did bryant turn into a terrorist? who convinced him to wage jihad against his neighbors. my search for answers begins about an hour s drive from new york city, where bryant neal vinas was born. to the suburbs of long island, where his family still lives. i ve spent the better part of a year here in the united states and in europe unraveling why and how bryant neal vinas went from catholic to muslim from u.s.
he is bryant neil venus and he is part of a frightening new trend, homegrown terrorists. radicalization is definitely on the rise in the united states. american citizens radicalizing, eager to kill their countrymen. venus is the terrorist next door. the american al qaeda. it s clear now the number of americans who have become radicalized and are willing to kill for al qaeda or some other terrorist group is on the rise. just this month right here in times square, a man by the name of faisal shahzad attempted to detonate a car bomb. he was born this pakistan, but this is a story about an american-born citizen, a man by the name of bryant neil venus. he grew up in suburbia, loved baseball, but he became a terrorist and worked with al qaeda to try to explode a bomb in new york. he s interviewed close friends of his, tracked down other extremists in the united states who influenced venus. this a.c. 360 special investigation is an intimate and chilling portrait of a homeg
trend, homegrown terrorists. radicalization is definitely on the rise in the united states. american citizens radicalizing eager to kill their countrymen. vinas is the terrorist next door, the american al qaeda. it s clear now the number of americans who have become radicalized and willing to kill for al qaeda or some other terrorist group is on the rise. times square a name by the name of faisal shahzad to detonate a car bomb. but this is a story about an american-born citizen. a name by the name of bryant neal vinas. he interview up in suburbia. he was an altar boy. he loved baseball and he become a terrorist and plotted al qaeda to explode a bomb in new york. cnn s international corporate nic robertson has spent nearly a year to track vinas track of terror. this ac360 special investigation is an intimate and chilling portrait of a homegrown terrorist. al qaeda s target, the busiest commuter railroad in the united states, the long island rail road in new york. hu