Six men described by federal prosecutors as "Islamic militants" were arrested on charges they plotted to attack the Fort Dix Army base and "kill as many soldiers as possible," authorities said Tuesday.

A former senior U.S. intelligence official tells NBC News do not lose sight of the role the Internet played in inspiring these prospective jihadis. The FBI affidavits note that among the materials used in organizing, training and proselytizing the jihadis were al-Qaida training videos, the video wills of two 9-11 hijackers, and videos of U.S. soldiers being killed in Iraq.

The leader of the group is described as smiling while watching the deaths of the U.S. soldiers.

"You know the world has changed when videos shot in Iraq and Afghanistan can be an inspiration for a bunch of Albanians in Cherry Hill, N.J.," said the official.

He noted that the Internet also helped in the recruitment and inspiration of jihadis who planned  terrorist attacks in places like Singapore and England. 

"The guys in Singapore, all middle class, were all recruited off the network of jihadi Web sites," he added.

What is missing and needed, he added is, a "countervailing message" from moderate Islamists.   

"Where is the countervailing message from Islam on the Internet?," he asked.  "They aren't going to believe anything we in the West have to say.  It has to come from Islam."