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White Plains, NY - Four Suspects in Bronx Synagogue Bomb Plot Indicted on More Charges |
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The four, arrested May 20 in New York, face several life sentences if convicted, the federal prosecutor's office said.
The eight-count indictment was returned today in federal court in White Plains. The indictment adds three counts of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction and a count alleging an attempt to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles. It also adds a charge of conspiracy to kill U.S. officers and employees and a charge of attempting to kill U.S. officers and employees.
Three of the men are US citizens, while the fourth is a Haitian immigrant.
The four were to be arraigned at court in White Plains, New York, on Wednesday.
Authorities say the suspects -- James Cromitie, 55, David Williams, 28, Onta Williams, 32, and Laguerre Payen, 27 -- were caught in the act of attempting to blow up a synagogue and a Jewish center in New York.
They were allegedly planning to go on and fire an anti-aircraft missiles at military planes at a National Guard air base in Newburgh, New York state.
The bombs and missiles were duds supplied in an undercover FBI operation, prosecutors say.
New York police chief Raymond Kelly said after their arrest that they "stated they wanted to commit jihad," or Muslim holy war.
The drama came as debate intensified in Washington over President Barack Obama's plan to ban torture by US security forces and to shut down the controversial and secretive detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
However, none of the four men is believed to have links to any external militant group and they were reported to have converted to Islam while incarcerated in US prisons for other crimes.
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Read Comments (4) — Post Yours »
1
Jun 02, 2009 at 07:36 PM Anonymous Says:
"were caught in the act of attempting to blow up a synagogue and a Jewish center in New York."
Riverdale Jewish Center is clearly a synagogue. I am a member there.
2
Jun 02, 2009 at 08:46 PM Not so sure Says:
The feds will have a tough case here because they will claim entrapment. Considering the Feds supplied money, and sold the weapons, and had an informant, who they will claim encouraged them, this case won't be a slam dunk.
3
Jun 03, 2009 at 01:50 AM Anonymous Says:
“ "were caught in the act of attempting to blow up a synagogue and a Jewish center in New York."
Riverdale Jewish Center is clearly a synagogue. I am a member there. ”
IT's the other place that is not a synagogue, as it isn't in accordance with halacha.
4
Jun 03, 2009 at 07:27 AM Avrohom Abba Says:
They will lose in court because long before they were "entrapped," they decided on their own to commit the crimes that had put them in prison in the first place.Then, once in prison, they decided to join a militaristic, anti American, anti Jewish, anti Israeli, jihad group called a religion by some (known as Islam), for the expressed and sole purpose of engaing in a war against this country. They needed money and weapons and the FBI helped, but that is not entrapment.