9/11 replay is foiled in New York
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Daily News with wires
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 22, 2009 00:00
NEW YORK - Four men arrested for planning attacks on a Jewish synagogue and community center and U.S. warplanes stationed at a New York military base were bent on carrying out "jihad" against America, authorities said yesterday.
The suspects were arrested Wednesday night, shortly after planting a mock explosive device in the trunk of a car outside the Riverdale Temple and two mock bombs in the backseat of a car outside the neighborhood’s Jewish Center, authorities said. The suspects thought the weapons were real.
According to a U.S. congressman, the four men were all born in the United States. Officials said they "planned to shoot down military planes located at the New York Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York, with Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles."
"They stated they wanted to commit jihad," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters yesterday at a news conference outside the Bronx temple. He went on to quote them as saying: "If Jews were killed in this attack, that would be all right."
"Jihad" is an Arabic word generally translated as "struggle" or "holy war." An official told the Associated Press that three of the men are converts to Islam.
The suspects Ğ identified as James Cromitie, Laguerre Payen, David Williams and Onta Williams Ğ are all residents of Newburgh and had been under surveillance for more than a year. They were set to appear in federal court in White Plains, New York, yesterday, as Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review went to press. The charges hold a minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Three of the men were U.S. citizens and one was of Haitian descent, according to New York Gov. David Paterson. "This case clearly illustrates that the threat of terrorism in New York is persistent," Paterson said in a statement.
New York Rep. Peter King said the men, who all used Arabic aliases, were Muslims and some converted in prison.
"This latest attempt to attack our freedoms shows that the homeland-security threats against New York City are sadly all too real, and underscores why we must remain vigilant," Mayor Michael Bloomberg was quoted as saying.
"The [sense of] shock and being floored was followed by relief," David Winter, executive director of the Riverdale Jewish Center, said after the arrests were made. Kelly said neighborhood security had been ramped up to improve residents’ "comfort level," even though, he added, "No one was at risk. This was a very tightly controlled operation."
The defendants, in their efforts to acquire weapons, unwittingly dealt with an informant acting under law-enforcement supervision, authorities said. The FBI and other agencies monitored the men and provided an inactive missile and inert C-4 to the informant for the defendants, according to the federal charges.
In June 2008, the informant met Cromitie in Newburgh; the suspect said his parents had lived in Afghanistan and he was upset about the war there and the many Muslim people being killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by U.S. military forces, officials said. Cromitie also expressed an interest in doing "something to America," according to the charges.
According to a U.S. congressman, the four men were all born in the United States. Officials said they "planned to shoot down military planes located at the New York Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York, with Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles."
"They stated they wanted to commit jihad," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters yesterday at a news conference outside the Bronx temple. He went on to quote them as saying: "If Jews were killed in this attack, that would be all right."
"Jihad" is an Arabic word generally translated as "struggle" or "holy war." An official told the Associated Press that three of the men are converts to Islam.
The suspects Ğ identified as James Cromitie, Laguerre Payen, David Williams and Onta Williams Ğ are all residents of Newburgh and had been under surveillance for more than a year. They were set to appear in federal court in White Plains, New York, yesterday, as Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review went to press. The charges hold a minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Three of the men were U.S. citizens and one was of Haitian descent, according to New York Gov. David Paterson. "This case clearly illustrates that the threat of terrorism in New York is persistent," Paterson said in a statement.
New York Rep. Peter King said the men, who all used Arabic aliases, were Muslims and some converted in prison.
"This latest attempt to attack our freedoms shows that the homeland-security threats against New York City are sadly all too real, and underscores why we must remain vigilant," Mayor Michael Bloomberg was quoted as saying.
"The [sense of] shock and being floored was followed by relief," David Winter, executive director of the Riverdale Jewish Center, said after the arrests were made. Kelly said neighborhood security had been ramped up to improve residents’ "comfort level," even though, he added, "No one was at risk. This was a very tightly controlled operation."
The defendants, in their efforts to acquire weapons, unwittingly dealt with an informant acting under law-enforcement supervision, authorities said. The FBI and other agencies monitored the men and provided an inactive missile and inert C-4 to the informant for the defendants, according to the federal charges.
In June 2008, the informant met Cromitie in Newburgh; the suspect said his parents had lived in Afghanistan and he was upset about the war there and the many Muslim people being killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by U.S. military forces, officials said. Cromitie also expressed an interest in doing "something to America," according to the charges.