USA: New York Police Commissioner says synagogue bomb plot suspects wanted to commit holy war

Record ID: 356221

  • Title: USA: New York Police Commissioner says synagogue bomb plot suspects wanted to commit holy war
  • Date: 22nd May 2009
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MAY 21, 2009) (REUTERS) (CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY) SUSPECT JAMES CROMITIE ESCORTED OUT OF JAVITS FEDERAL BUILDING SUSPECT DAVID WILLIAMS ESCORTED OUT OF BUILDING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND CAMERA CREWS SUSPECT ONTA WILLIAMS ESCORTED OUT OF BUILDING RIVERDALE JEWISH CENTER, BRONX NEW YORK CITY MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG TALKING TO MEMBERS
  • Embargoed: 6th June 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA2736GZKOYFGZG5EGELJJ9VTHV
  • Story Text: New York's mayor and police chief sought to calm Jewish worshipers on Thursday (May 21), the morning after authorities said they foiled a plot to blow up two synagogues and simultaneously shoot down military planes.
    Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the four men arrested in the suspected plot had criminal records and did not appear to be part of al Qaeda.
    As they greeted worshipers at one of the targeted synagogues Thursday morning, Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg conveyed calm following the latest threat to New York City, which has been on high alert for another attack since the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks of 2001.
    The FBI and New York police arrested the four Muslim men on Wednesday night after they planted what they believed to be explosives in two cars -- one parked outside each synagogue -- and planned to head to an air base with what they thought was an activated stinger surface-to-air missile.
    But the explosives were inert and the stinger deactivated as the four suspects had been infiltrated by an FBI informant who provided the fake weapons.
    "They stated that they wanted to commit jihad," Kelly told reporters, using a term that can mean holy war. "They were disturbed about what was happening in Afghanistan and Pakistan, that Muslims were being killed. They made the statement that if Jews were killed in this attack that would be all right."
    None of the four suspects had any known connection to al Qaeda, Kelly said. One of them was of Haitian descent and the other three American-born.
    "No-one was at risk. This was a very tightly controlled operation. But these individuals did in fact place these bombs, or what they thought to be bombs, in vehicles right in front of the building where we are standing, and the temple a few blocks away," Kelly said.
    The two synagogues are in a wealthy area of the Bronx, just north of Manhattan and near a highway that leads upstate toward New York's Air National Guard base at Stewart airport in Newburgh, where authorities said the men planned to shoot down planes with surface-to-air guided missiles.
    The suspects were identified as James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen. Kelly called Cromitie, 53, the leader of the group. Two of the others were aged 29 and 33. Kelly said they may have converted to an extreme vision of Islam in jail, he said.
    Each man is charged with one count of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and one count of conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, which also carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
    All the men lived in Newburgh, about 60 miles (100 km) north of New York City, authorities said.
    At a news conference outside the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised authorities.
    "Sadly I think we were just reminded that peace is fragile, democracy is fragile and we have to be vigilant all the time. The good news here is that the NYPD and the FBI did exactly what they're trained to do, and have prevented what could have been a terrible event in our city," Bloomberg told reporters.
    The four men arrested in the suspected plot are due to appear in court later in the day in White Plains, New York.
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