4 Arrested In Plot To Bomb NYC Temple - wcbstv.com

4 Arrested In Plot To Bomb NYC Temple - wcbstv.com

Homegrown Terrorists Bent On 'Carrying Out Jihad'

4 Men Arrested In Plot To Car Bomb Temple In Riverdale, Use Stinger Missiles Against Military Planes

NYPD Commissioner: The Men Were 'Criminals, Acting Alone'

Motive For Attack: Revenge For U.S. Actions In Afghanistan

NEW YORK (CBS) ―

The FBI arrested four men Wednesday evening who are accused of planning a terror plot, with targets including a NYC temple and an upstate New York Military airport.

CBS

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James Cromitie, one of four men arrested in alleged plot to bomb Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx section of New York and a US Air National Guard Base on May 20, 2009.

AP

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David Williams, one of four men arrested in alleged plot to bomb Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx section of New York and a US Air National Guard Base on May 20, 2009.

AP

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Onta Williams, one of four men arrested in alleged plot to bomb Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx section of New York and a US Air National Guard Base on May 20, 2009.

AP

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NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg briefs the media on a thwarted terror plot targeting a Jewish temple in New York City on May 21, 2009.

Four men due in court Thursday to face charges of plotting to bomb Jewish sites and shoot down military planes were arrested after planting what they thought were explosive devices near a synagogue and community center, authorities say.

Federal authorities announced the arrests of James Cromitie -- a.k.a "Abdul Rahman," David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen, all of Newburgh, on charges arising from a plot to detonate explosives near a synagogue in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, and to shoot military planes located at the New York Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport in Newburgh with Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles.

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The suspects were arrested 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 Jewish Center, authorities said.

Police blocked their escape with an 18-wheel truck, smashing their tinted SUV windows and while apprehending the unarmed suspects.

Meantime, New York City's mayor and police commissioner reassured Bronx worshippers following the revelations that the four men plotted to bomb their Jewish temple.

Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Raymond Kelly met privately with congregants Thursday inside the Riverdale Temple. Kelly said neighborhood security was heightened to improve residents' "comfort level."

Kelly reiterated that the men allegedly "wanted to commit Jihad." Bloomberg warned against stereotypes. The mayor stressed that the temple is open to people of all faiths, including a Muslim girl who sometimes prays there.

"They stated they wanted to commit jihad," Kelly said. "They were disturbed about what was happening in Afghanistan and Pakistan, that Muslims were being killed. They made statements that if Jews were killed in this attack that would be all right."

"One of them, the prime mover, James Cromitie, had an extensive criminal record," Kelly said. The other three suspects also had criminal backgrounds, Kelly said.

Officials said the arrests came after a long-running undercover operation that began in Newburgh. Federal authorities tell CBS 2 HD the motive for the attack was revenge over the United States' involvement in Afghanistan.

Cromitie, said to be the leader of the group, is the son of an Afghani immigrant and an African-American woman. It is that connection to Afghanistan, investigators say, and an unhappiness with America's ongoing war efforts abroad that allegedly drove him to become a terrorist.

In their efforts to obtain weapons, the defendants dealt with an informant acting under law enforcement supervision, and the FBI and other agencies monitored the defendants' actions up to the time of arrest, including providing an inactive missile and inert explosives to the informant for the defendants. The Feds told CBS 2 HD's Lou Young they picked up the inert weapons at a meeting in Stamford, Conn., and during the last few days secured small arms, including assorted handguns.

The investigation had been under way for about a year.

In talking to the FBI informant, Cromitie expressed interest in one day returning to Afghanistan, of dying a "martyr" and wanting to do "something to America". When discussing the best targets, Cromitie allegedly told the infomant, "the best target (the World Trade Center) was hit already. When the conversation turned to attacking a synagogue, Cromitie allegedly said, "I hate those Jewish "expletie." I would like to get a synagogue.

"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 in our efforts to prevent terrorism," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement Wednesday night.

Rep. Peter King of New York, the senior Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, was briefed on the case following the arrests.

"All the explosives and missiles were obtained from the FBI, so there was never any danger to anyone at any time, even, obviously, the four men involved," Rep. King, R-Long Island, told CBS 2 HD by phone. "[The suspects] thought these were real missiles and thought that C4 was real."

King said this bust was a long time in the making.

"This was a long, well-planned investigation, and it shows how real the threat is from homegrown terrorists," said King.

The feds also said had the weapons been real and the plan hatched successfully, the damage to the Riverdale area around the synagogue would have been devastating.

One witness to the raid, Ilya Varentsov, told CBS 2 HD the authorities, particularly the NYPD, moved quickly and decisively to apprehend the suspects.

"I saw the 18-wheeler pull up. After that, I think the battering ram and then the rest of the cops. They broke out all the windows at least on this side ... and they dragged them out and put them in the cars," Varentsov said.

The four suspects were held at Federal Plaza in Manhattan and were moved to White Plains on Thursday to appear before a federal magistrate.

Since the attacks that brought down the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001, authorities have thwarted a number alleged plots against area targets including the Fort Dix military base in New Jersey, John F. Kennedy Airport, the Herald Square subway station and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Convicted in the Fort Dix case were: Jordanian-born cab driver Mohamad Shnewer; Turkish-born convenience store clerk Serdar Tatar; and brothers Dritan, Eljvir and Shain Duka, ethnic Albanians from the former Yugoslavia, who had a roofing business.

A sixth man arrested and charged only with gun offenses pleaded guilty earlier.