The Federal Bureau of Investigation and New York City officials have arrested four men who allegedly planned terrorist attacks against Jewish and military targets. The arrests, which took place last night in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, were made after the men were said to have placed FBI-altered bombs outside a synagogue and Jewish community center. The police, using an 18-wheel truck, blocked their getaway and then apprehended the unarmed suspects.
The charged men are James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams, and Laguerre Payen. According to news reports, three of the men are U.S. citizens, and one is of Haitian descent. Three are converts to Islam (readers, at least three of the men are black. The fourth man is said to possibly be of Afghan descent. The converts converted while doing past prison stints):
New York City police commissioner Raymond Kelly, at a news conference, quoted one of the men as saying, "If Jews were killed in this attack ... that would be all right." A federal complaint states that one of the alleged conspirators said he wanted to do "something to America."
The FBI was aware of the plot for a year, because of the work of a confidential informant. The bureau says it monitored the suspects' actions with wiretaps and video cameras in their homes and provided an inactive missile and inert explosives. At least eight law-enforcement agencies were involved in the case. The government filed a sealed complaint a day before the arrests.
The men are now charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and conspiracy to acquire and use antiaircraft missiles. The maximum penalty for both charges is life in prison.
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