Originally Posted by Nepenthes

You agree that that he took action to detonate a bomb that he thought would have killed people. If the guys who sold him the bomb were not the FBI and actual terrorists, what do you think would have happend?

This a technique used by law enforcement officials to catch people before real action kills people.

It is my understanding that we disagree on whether this strategy should be used or not by law enforcement. Do you have another practical solution that could be used instead of this technique that would be equally effective?

Originally Posted by ASU2003

Is this just like the police playing undercover prostitutes, drug dealers, and underage kids on-line? The cops play a role, the criminal comes to them to make it happen.

I would say it is entrapment if the FBI said, "do this or someone else will", or "do this or I'll kill your family".

Originally Posted by Nepenthes

In criminal law, entrapment is constituted by a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an offense that the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit.[1] In many jurisdictions, entrapment is a possible defense against criminal liability. However, there is no entrapment where a person is ready and willing to break the law and the government agents merely provide what appears to be a favorable opportunity for the person to commit the crime. For example, it is not entrapment for a government agent to pretend to be someone else and to offer, either directly or through an informant or other decoy, to engage in an unlawful transaction with the person (see sting operation). So, a person would not be a victim of entrapment if the person was ready, willing and able to commit the crime charged in the indictment whenever opportunity was afforded, and that Government officers or their agents did no more than offer an opportunity.

Source: Entrapment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia