US terror suspects wanted jihad

NEW YORK – Four men arrested after planting what they thought were explosives near a synagogue and community centre and plotting to shoot down a military plane were bent on carrying out a jihad against America, authorities said yesterday.

The suspects were arrested on 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 Jewish Centre, authorities said.At a news conference outside the Bronx temple, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly quoted one of the men as saying, ‘If Jews were killed in this attack … that would be all right.’James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen, all of Newburgh, were charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the United States and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, the US attorney’s office said.An official told The Associated Press that three of the men are converts to Islam. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorised to discuss details of the investigation. Three of the defendants are US citizens and one is of Haitian descent, officials said.The defendants were due in federal court yesterday in suburban White Plains.Acting US Attorney Lev L Dassin said the defendants planned to detonate a car with plastic explosives to destroy the temple and Jewish centre.They also planned to shoot Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles at planes at the Air National Guard base in Newburgh, about 70 miles north of New York City.The FBI and other agencies monitored the men and provided an inactive missile and inert C-4 to an informant for the defendants.Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Kelly met privately with congregants yesterday inside the Riverdale Temple, which is located across the street from a school.’The shock and being floored was followed by relief,’ David Winter, executive director of the Riverdale Jewish Centre, said afterward.Bloomberg warned against stereotypes, emphasising that the temple is open to people of all faiths, including a Muslim girl who sometimes prays there.Kelly said neighbourhood security was ramped up to improve residents’ ‘comfort level,’ even though ‘No one was at risk. This was a very tightly controlled operation.’Kelly said the temple may have been chosen because of ‘convenience’ – it is near a highway.Officials told The Associated Press the arrests came after a nearly yearlong undercover operation that began in Newburgh.- Nampa-AP