Four men were arrested Wednesday night in an alleged plot to detonate a bomb at a Bronx synagogue and to attack an Air National Guard Base in upstate New York, federal law enforcement officials said.
Federal authorities announced the arrests of James Cromartie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen 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 surface-to-air guided missiles.
In their efforts to obtain weapons, the accused 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 accused.
“I want to congratulate the men and women of the NYPD, the New York State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force who tonight foiled a terrorist plot that targeted Riverdale Temple and Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx for bombing," New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said in a statement, "The same plot also targeted U.S. military aircraft in Newburgh for Stinger Missile attacks. While the bombs these terrorists attempted to plant tonight were – unbeknownst to them – fake, 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.”
The investigation had been under way for about a year.
Bloomberg will be joined by New York City Police Commissioner Raymond E. Kelly and Riverdale Jewish Center Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt in greeting worshipers at morning services on Thursday.
-With AP
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