Synagogue Bomb Suspects: The Feds Put Us Up to It!
By JONATHAN DIENST and HASANI GITTENS
Updated 3:23 PM EDT, Fri, Mar 19, 2010
Defense attorneys say an alleged plot to bomb New York synagogues was hatched and directed by a federal informant.
Lawyers for four men from Newburgh have filed a motion to dismiss the terror indictment against them.
They said the informant badgered the defendants until they got involved in the plot.
They said the informant chose the targets, supplied fake bombs for the synagogues and a fake missile to shoot down planes. The motion said he also offered to pay the defendants, who attorneys alleged weren't inclined toward any crime until the informant began recruiting them.
"The government well knew that their case had been a government-inspired creation from day one and that the defendants had not been independently seeking weapons or targets," the motion said.
Ffederal court spokesman Herb Hadad said the government would file its response next month.
The four men, who were arrested last May, face up to life in prison if convicted. They have been previously identified as James Cromitie, 55, David Williams, 28, Onta Williams, 32, and Laguerre Payen, 27, all of Newburgh in upstate New York, where authorities were conducting raids at their homes, sources said.
Authorities have said they had the plotters under surveillance since June of 2008 and there was "no chance" the alleged scheme could succeed. They credited the work of a long time informant with keeping tabs on the group.
The FBI has said the Muslim suspects were angry and full of hate for America.
According to the criminal complaint, Cromitie said "I hate those f-ing Jewish bastards." He bragged that it would be a "piece of cake" to bomb a Jewish Center in Riverdale, according to the complaint.
He said his father lives in Afghanistan and he was upset about U.S. military presence there.
"The fact that this type of hatred exists means that we all have to be vigilant all of the time," city councilman Jeffrey Dinowitz said Thursday.
Cromitie was the first to approach the informant, authorities said. He told the informant he has ties to the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad. Authorities said Cromitie had 27 past arrests and had recently been working at a nation-wide discount retailer, authorities said.
Several of the suspects have previously been arrested on drug charges and may have converted to Islam in prison, authorities said.
The four men allegedly would meet in a safe house in Newburgh, which authorities said they had bugged with audio and video equipment.
The suspects said they wanted to get their hands on stinger missiles to shoot down planes at the nearby Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport, according to a criminal complaint unsealed late Wednesday. The suspects also received what they believed were two stinger missiles which they intended to use to shoot down military planes, the complaint said. They also bought cell phones to allegedly use in the plot.
Officials said they moved in when they did so the alleged plot could not progress any further.
In a separate motion, defense attorneys demanded more information on inducements that the informant may have offered the defendants.
The dismissal motion identified the government's agent as Shaheed Hussain, a "professional informant" for the FBI. The defense claimed he was directed to visit suburban mosques, find members with anti-American leanings and recruit them to join a fake terror plot supposedly funded by a Pakistan-based group.
He suggested there could be as much as $250,000 available and the government provided him with a BMW, a Hummer and other cars to make him appear well-funded, the defense filings said.
The defense alleged that Hussain tried to incite the defendants by blaming Jews for the world's evil and telling them that attacks against non-Muslims were endorsed by Islam.
Nevertheless, they said, he failed to motivate the defendants to any action on their own. Months went by between meetings, and the filings quote Cromitie as saying, "I'm not gonna hurt anybody" and "The plane thing ... is out of the question."
Hussain suggested the
targets, paid for the defendants' groceries, bought a gun, provided the
fake bombs and missile, assembled the explosive devices and acted as
chauffeur, the defense
said.
Since the 9/11 attacks, authorities have arrested suspects in a number
of alleged plots against area targets, including the Fort Dix New Jersey
military base, John F. Kennedy Airport, the Herald Square subway
station in Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC New York
First Published: Mar 19, 2010 12:23 PM EDT
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- JimInMT One can HATE what the government of the United States is doing without being an "enemy" of the "state". Especially if the government itself is promulgating illegal activities ("stings") in the name of some perversion they THINK is the "rule of law". The "rule of law" has become bastardized into something unfamiliar to those with the integrity and honor that were prevalent among our Founders. It is time for the government to "step back",... more1:30 PM, 3.19.10
- nesnyc718 Guys, this is the same EXACT thing that
was done in the '93 bombing according to court transcripts. Only in that
case the FBI informants suppiled live bombs and subsequently ended up
going off.
This and the fact that Israli intelligence agents were arrested on 9/11 makes one wonder if all of these "terror" attacks are staged.2:48 PM, 3.19.10
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- JimInMT One can HATE what the government of the United States is doing without being an "enemy" of the "state". Especially if the government itself is promulgating illegal activities ("stings") in the name of some perversion they THINK is the "rule of law". The "rule of law" has become bastardized into something unfamiliar to those with the integrity and honor that were prevalent among our Founders. It is time for the government to "step back",... more1:30 PM, 3.19.10
- nesnyc718 Guys, this is the same EXACT thing that
was done in the '93 bombing according to court transcripts. Only in that
case the FBI informants suppiled live bombs and subsequently ended up
going off.
This and the fact that Israli intelligence agents were arrested on 9/11 makes one wonder if all of these "terror" attacks are staged.2:48 PM, 3.19.10 - anonymous Of course, it's all fake!!! All of the
so called "terrorist" attacks are fake and government sponsored!!!!
Wake up!!!
www.infowars.com
www.prisonplanet.com
www.whatreallyhappened.com3:10 PM, 3.19.10 - jerry420 The same thing happened with Randy Weaver
in Ruby Ridge. The federal informant kept bugging him about buying a
shotgun until he gave in and then the agent asked him to saw it off and
marked the spot. The agent knew full well he was encouraging Randy to
commit a crime.
Same thing in Arizona with the "Viper Militia" The federal agent kept pushing the group to engage in "terror" until they relented and sabotaged a railroad, surprise, a FEDERAL OFFENSE, and then they were... more4:00 PM, 3.19.10 - eVince Aw Geeeze! You conspiracy Morons!! Get a
Life! A real one. As far as these boneheads are concerned -
Muhahahahahahahahahahya! The devil made me do it! No No It was the Sun - too much sun! No No! It was the brandy - No! Wait. I don't drink ?Brandy - It was that top shelf Scotch - that 12 year old stuff - Yeah! Thats it - it was the Scotch, Your bigness !4:11 PM, 3.19.10
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