Friday, May 22, 2009

NYC Terror Plot

What can one say but that the power of hate and ignorance again surfaced in New York.


When I was listening to National Public Radio this morning they stated the group met in prison and that the ring leader was a high school drop out.

This small but very interesting piece of the story I believe holds strong significance. It points to the The positive power of education,and a society that provides equal opportunity to all . I believe this is an anecdote, we all can focus on. Of course diligence by those who are charged with protecting all of us is a good thing too!

On a more personal note,

my synagogue had already been involved in a security up grade and last night they sent out an email seeking to both calm and reassure congregants that we will also be diligent and prudent ourselves. But I hope all can resist their own extremist reactions. Fear can be the base of many difficult situations and cause the replication of all that we seek to overcome.

May all beings feel safe and secure and find the path of peace.
Shabbat Shalom

York terror plot broken up by FBI, police
Posted: May 20, 2009, 10:11 PM by Ron Nurwisah

Update: BNO News has a statement from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
"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. 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.”
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WNBC-NY is reporting that an alleged terror plot in New York City has been broken up by the FBI and New York Police.
Four men have been arrested in what authorities are calling a homegrown terrorist plot allegedly aimed at attacking New York area synagogues. From the WNBC story:
Raids by the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force in the Bronx captured the suspected ringleader and three followers in what law enforcement sources are calling a homegrown terrorist plot. Investigators stress the suspects' meetings had been infiltrated early on and there was "no chance" the alleged plot could succeed.Investigators said several of the suspects are Muslims who allegedly talked about destroying two Jewish temples, including at least one in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.
The New York Daily News has more information on the suspects and the police sting operation that led to the arrests. From their story:
The four men also allegedly had what they believed was a working Stinger missile in their car: officials said they wanted to shoot down a plane near Stewart Air National Guard Base.Sources said the four men were arrested after a year long investigation that began when an informant connected to a mosque in Newburg said some militants wanted to buy bombs.FBI agents posing as militants sold them what they thought were C-4 and a plane-downing Stinger missile.
The New York Post reveals that a fifth man initially involved with the alleged terror cell alerted the FBI about the plot. The Post also has the press release from the District Attorney's office. From that document:
In June 2008, an informant working with the FBI met [Alleged ring leader James Cromitie] in Newburgh, New York. CROMITIE explained to the informant that his parents had lived in Afghanistan and that he was upset about the war there and that many Muslim people were being killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by the United States Military forces. CROMITIE expressed interest in returning to Afghanistan and spoke to the CW about how if he, CROMITIE, were to die a martyr, he would go to "paradise." CROMITIE also expressed an interest in doing "something to America." The following month, CROMITIE and the informant discussed the organization Jaish-e-Mohammed, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization based in Pakistan, with which the informant claimed to be involved. CROMITIE stated to the informant that he, CROMITIE, would be interested in joining Jaish-e-Mohammed to "do jihad."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish we could all live peacefully. Our Rabbi makes a conscious effort to instigate and take part in multi-faith work as often as possible. The fear of the unknown is a great brewer of trouble, don't you think?

Shabbat Shalom to you.

rachel

Karen Zampa Katz said...

Yes I agree, the unknown s like the child saying there is a monster in the closet until we open the door fear keeps us frozen, knowledge and truth frees us......

Joel Monka said...

It's not so simple as ignorance and lack of education- many terrorists, including suicide bombers, have been doctors and engineers. Remember also that the 911 terrorists had enough education and intelligence to learn to fly an airliner. If the hate exists, the only thing education does is make better terrorists.

Dunking Rachael

Love, Faith and Life