Four men arrested in suspect NY bombing plot

[BuyingThyme]

Source: Reuters / Yahoo


Four men arrested in suspect NY bombing plot

Reuters
7 mins ago

NEW YORK, May 20 (Reuters – Four men were arrested on Wednesday in a suspected plot to bomb a synagogue and Jewish community center in New York and to shoot at military planes with stinger missiles, federal law enforcement officials said.

...

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090521/us_nm/us_security_newyork_plot_1

[xchrom]

1. so then we were protected BEFORE anything bad happened?

too bad busco didn't get that 'memo' -- oh wait...

[BuyingThyme]

2. It's apparently one of those deals where the FBI sold them fake weapons.

[xchrom]

4. whatever works -- if they can catch them legally before they work

their personal nightmares out on others.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. FBI was probably in "ring leader" & paid them cash along the way &

Promised them a bunch of shit. It's happened before.

[shadowknows69]

16. Yes it has, and it's a bullshit way to meet our "terra" quotas

In a few of these stings it sounds like the FBI is actually the Genesis of the whole plot. More recruiting for the crime than actually catching a "mastermind" of one. You give me enough money and I'll go find some random schmoes and make them do something really stupid.

[winter999]

44. Paranoia will destroy ya.

[MinM]

47. FBI sets up patsies

again :nopity:

Rare TV NEWS report about WTC bombing FBI Foreknowledge

[winter999]

48. Are you referring to Oswald or Twin Towers?

[MinM]

59. Rare TV NEWS report about WTC bombing FBI Foreknowledge

Click the link...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x112440

to get your answer.

[winter999]

65. What does this have to do with setting up "patsies"?

The FBI incorrectly released an informant that had real information. A screw-up. Hindsight is 20/20.

[MinM]

69. RE: What does this have to do with setting up "patsies"?

Good point. Here's a more accurate description.

Agent provocateurs leading unwitting, yet apparently willing, dupes. :shrug:

[MinM]

82. FBI Blows It: Supposed Terror Plot Against NY Synagogues Is Bogus

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5707715

Who woulda thunk it??? :sarcasm:

FBI Agent on Synagogue Case Has Questionable Record (Rayman | Village Voice)

[harun]

81. I don't think it is so much for quotas but to get a bunch of press

to make people think they have caught all the bad guys and everything is good.

[harun]

80. They've done this quite a few times now.

[Xipe Totec]

3. No innocents were tortured during the investigation of this crime

and no violations of the Constitution were required to uncover the plot.

Just solid police work.

Otherwise, we are screwed...

Again...

[tomm2thumbs]

5. 'rah rah Cheney - he's our man - if he can't do it, no one can'

(repeat until you vomit - or turn Republican, which in turn would make others vomit...)

He'll step in front of the limelight on this one, you wait and see...

[BuyingThyme]

7. But these evil Muslim people are not being rushed out of the country to be tortured

by good Christian folk.

[ck4829]

6. Since the media is making a big deal out of it, these guys are clearly not white supremacists

If Bubba and his Klan buddies were behind this, it would get pushed back to the Friday news dump.

[tom_paine]

54. Exactly so. 99.9999% certainty. n/t

[MidwestTransplant]

9. Did they have the stingers? I hope not.

[BuyingThyme]

10. The FBI apparently sold them some fake ones.

Before that, they apparently had nothing.

[Johnyawl]

11. I'm damn glad the FBI didn't sell them REAL stinger missles!

[joshcryer]

33. Haha

:rofl:

[customerserviceguy]

78. These asshats

wouldn't have had enough brains to buy more than a spray can of paint to deface a Jewish house of worship, and chances are, they would have gotten the swastika backwards.

Nope, this is the "war on terror" wiretapping plan at work. "Hey, Joe, wanna be a hero today? I found these four assholes who are spouting hate, we can have our fun with them, and then 'save the nation' when we bust them for actually responding to our goading!"

The four had no ties to any actual Islamic terror organizations, and probably didn't have the collective smarts to set off a smoke bomb in a parking lot. We're better off with them locked up, but it really wouldn't make any difference if it were SuperMax or a nut house.

[shadowknows69]

15. Sting operation is more like it.

[Abecca]

12. Very upsetting

I was so upset when I saw this on the news, like if we do not already have enough to worry about with this recession and war going on in Iraq. How in the world could this stuff STILL be going on. I guess terrorists are 24/7 365 with their message of hate. That is so sad. We should all be coming together not apart...this is just so very sad. I hate to think what would have happened had the authorities not intercepted in time. Horrific!

[shadowknows69]

17. Well, it could be because we're continuing to create the hate 24/7 365

By continuing to kill innocents in other countries we've invaded.

[MrBig]

56. Irrelevant

This world will end up killing itself if we continue to answer violence with more violence. You cannot justify acts of violence based on another's act of violence unless it is a case of self-defense. Not the kind of self-defense that Dubya tried to have us swallow, but actual self-defense.

[shadowknows69]

57. I agree, but we still do it. Why would we expect anyone else not to?

[MrBig]

58. Hopefully

we won't be doing it for long. Luckily, President Obama has shown himself to be a man who will choose words over weapons. IMO, he is doing a great job cleaning up Dubyas mess while bringing some respect back to America.

[shadowknows69]

60. Tell that to the civilians we've killed in Afghanistan, Pakistan and probably Iraq since Jan 20th

[MrBig]

62. But realize

that if we were to just pull all the troops in one big swoop, the death numbers would be exponentially higher. I truly believe he will get the troops out, but he knows he has to do it carefully to limit the deaths. You can't just create a mess and then say, "Whoops, my bad" and leave. Yes people are dying, and this is no solace to those families that have lost loved ones, but that number would be higher if we just pulled out now.

[shadowknows69]

64. You can still pull out carefully, something there is no evidence we are doing yet

Without continuing a draconian air assault policy that continues to create more enemies than we can kill, thus assuring we can never leave. We will always be at war with Eastasia.

[MrBig]

66. Your last sentence

is very scary both because of what it says and because its becoming more and more of a fact every day.

[shadowknows69]

68. Not to beep my own horn or anything

But I'd be honored if you checked out a column I wrote recently with a slightly similar theme

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5660205>

[Mz Pip]

13. Cheney must be pissed.

:sarcasm: Obama is keeping us safe unlike what Cheney keeps insinuating.

I hate it that national security has become a conservative versus liberal issue. Good grief, how dim can you be to realy believe that the Democrats don't care about keeping terrorists from blowing things up? That is just the dumbest partisan drivel.

So here's to the good work of law enforcement.

[BuyingThyme]

14. Puke Rep Peter King says all four were born in the U.S.

[Ian David]

18. Four men arrested in suspected NY (synagogue, plane) bombing plot

Source: Reuters

Wed May 20, 2009 10:59pm ED

NEW YORK, May 20 (Reuters - Four men were arrested on Wednesday in a suspected plot to bomb a synagogue and Jewish community center in New York and to shoot at military planes with stinger missiles, federal law enforcement officials said.

A joint release from the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, the FBI and the New York Police Department said the suspects were charged with plotting to detonate explosives near a synagogue in the Riverdale section of New York's Bronx borough.

The men were also charged with plotting to shoot military planes located at New York's Air National Guard base at Stewart airport in Newburgh, New York, with stinger surface-to-air guided missiles, the statement said.

"The defendants wanted to engage in terrorist attacks. They selected targets and sought the weapons necessary to carry out their plans," Lev Dassin, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in the statement.




Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE54K0K620090521

---

Hat tip to: http://twitter.com/buzzflash/

[Muttocracy]

19. some sources you can use over here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5693631

[ShortnFiery]

20. Oh gee, given Reid pissed all over himself today at the prospect that "terrorists" would

be kept in American Prisons, Harry must be sleeping under his bed tonight.

Yes, given the PARANOID rantings of both Democrats and Republicans today on The Hill, all I can say is, "Nice timing PsyOps geniuses." :eyes:

[Doremus]

21. The terrorists were equipped with duct tape, rope and a dog-eared copy of Mother Jones.

Ahhh, thank goodness they're keeping us safe.

:sarcasm:

[Purveyor]

22. Timely...indeed! eom

[Garbo 2004]

23. Fed complaint filed against the accused available here in .pdf format:

http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/BombPlot.pdf

[shadowknows69]

24. Another FBI sting operation I see

Sold them fake bombs and a fake missle. Another group of boneheads who probably couldn't harm anyone, had some bad ideology to be sure, but you have to wonder how much FBI psyops are going on in order to create these quota filling terrorists.

[bottomtheweaver]

25. Not sold, gave.

"Made available" is the term I'm hearing on BBC. Can synthetic terra get any faker?

[shadowknows69]

26. So they've been arrested for thought crimes.

I used to own a plastic toy bazooka as a kid, and I used to pretend to blow up cars with it. Am I past the statute of limitations on that? Could my parents be accessories for giving me a fake anti-tank weapon? Bizarro World is nice this time of year don't you think?

[bottomtheweaver]

27. It looks that way.

And if the bombs weren't real, how are their crimes more serious than yours? :shrug:

[shadowknows69]

28. They wanted to blow up a room full of people and a plane

I just wanted to light up a Pinto or two. Be doing the world a service really.

[bottomtheweaver]

29. I imagine the targets were selected by the FBI too.

and in all likelihood the car and driver. The "plotters" may as well have been sleeping, and probably were.

[winter999]

45. Been watching too much 24 I see.

[bottomtheweaver]

83. Apparently so has the FBI.

It's an old story. Frankly I think the FBI was always basically a propaganda front to cover government crimes.

[joshcryer]

34. Heh, you're comparing your playing bazoka as a kid is the same as these guys presumably receiving...

...a functional one? Seriously?

Some idiot kids went down in the "ecoterrorist" bullshit over receiving goods from an agent. They were idiots for receiving the materials.

Only in that case they actually used them.

[MrBig]

53. Not exactly a thought crime

In this situation, they were actually in the process of carrying out the attack in their mind. Thinking about carrying out an attack and actually taking the necessary steps to do so are completely different things. This case was the latter.

What's the difference between the FBI doing this or someone who actually wants to carry out an attack?

[shadowknows69]

61. Because by our laws the FBI is only allowed to up to a certain point

I'm not defending the desire of these men to carry out the attack but if the FBI did more than "make available" the fake weapons, but in fact planned the whole thing as well then IMO it crosses the entrapment line.

[MrBig]

63. I'm tending to agree with you...

but like you said it does depend on what kind of role the FBI played in this. If these were just four regular people that the FBI manipulated and turned into wannabe terrorists, then you are correct, it is clearly entrapment.

If, like you said, the FBI just made available the means to carry out acts that they themselves had already committed to doing, then I'm thankful the FBI did their job.

[bsd13]

74. The question is...

Did they INTEND to commit acts of terrorism or not?

[underpants]

32. The FBI is good at what they do

okay time for the CIA boys to get in there and start waterboarding

[breadandwine]

30. These guys were obviously creeps, but talk about perfect timing.

The FBI sting was completed exactly at the same time as Capitol Hill's revolt against President Obama's Gitmo closing.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[annabanana]

35. Arrests in New York 'attack plot'

Source: BBC

Four men were arrested late on Wednesday over alleged plots to attack targets in and near New York.

The four planned to blow up synagogues and use Stinger missiles to bring down military planes, US prosecutors said.The men were seized after allegedly planting what they thought were bombs near two synagogues in the Bronx area.

They earlier agreed to buy explosives from FBI agents posing as Islamic militants. New York has been on alert for a new terror attack since 9/11.

The four are charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the US and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, officials said.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8060684.stm

---

Good police work. No torture required.

[sam sarrha]

36. Cheney will want them tortured anyway..

[MetaTrope]

37. Whoa, do you suppose...our LAWS will actually deal with them?!

The mind boggles.

[No Elephants]

38. They CAN"T be tried. They may have an entrapment defense. We allow that only for members of

Congress caught up in Abscam. We don't risk it with actual Muslims, ffs.

[dvdaves75]

39. good job to the fbi

I am glad that the FBI is able to infiltrate these terror cells. I am surprised that they are talking about it on the news, I figured that they would give the locals credit to protect the program. But it seems like they know what they are doing.

[shadowknows69]

55. Infiltrating or helping to create, so they can keep busy?

[winter999]

67. Because there's nothing else in the US that could keep the FBI busy?

Didn't know they had so much time on their hands.

[geckosfeet]

40. Yeah. Good set up and sting is more like it. It's good that they are off the street

where they can't follow through, but they probably did not have the capacity to pull it off without the FBI spoon-feeding them anyway.

'Afghan war anger' According to prosecutors, Mr.Cromitie - whose parents are from Afghanistan - told an FBI informant in June 2008 that he was angry over the US-led war in Afghanistan.

He "expressed an interest in 'doing something to America"'.

Just imagine all the hate filled Afghans and Iraqis out there that want to blow up something American. There is probably an endless supply of them these days.

Permanent job security for the national security agencies.

[joshcryer]

41. Yeah, they were undoubtedly idiots.

But as we know, the idiots who do manage to get a hold of some nasty stuff, well, they tend to use them and cause massive damage.

[geckosfeet]

42. You're right. They are just stupid enough to do it.

[dvdaves75]

43. you are right

As Oklahoma City proved, all you really need is a Uhaul, fertilizer, and motor oil. I am surprised that they thought that they would be able to hang outside the fence of a US Air Force base and set up a stinger missile without the sentry noticing it.

[reprehensor]

46. "FBI agents posing as Islamic militants"

Previously:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/18137343/the_fear_factory

"...For all his bluster, Shareef was, by any objective measure, a pathetic and hapless jihadist — one of a new breed of domestic terrorists the federal government has paraded before the media since 9/11. The FBI, in a sense, elevated Shareef, working to transform him from a boastful store clerk into a suicidal mall-bomber. Like many other alleged extremists who have been targeted by the authorities, Shareef didn't know that his brand-new friend —the eager co-conspirator drawing him ever further into a terror plot —was actually an informant for the FBI...

...In fact, before he encountered the might of the JTTF, Defreitas was a vagrant who sold incense on the streets of Queens and spent his spare time checking pay phones for quarters. He had no hope of instigating a terrorist plot of the magnitude of the alleged attack on JFK —until he received the help of a federal informant known only as "Source," a convicted drug dealer who was cooperating with federal agents to get his sentence reduced. Backed by the JTTF, Defreitas suddenly obtained the means to travel to the Caribbean, conduct Google Earth searches of JFK's grounds and build a complex, multifaceted, international terror conspiracy —albeit one that was impossible to actually pull off...

...At trial, the judge brushed aside questions about why the government was after Aref in the first place. "The FBI had certain suspicions, good and valid suspicions, for looking into Mr. Aref," he told the jury. "But why they did that is not to be any concern of yours." For their role in a conspiracy confected entirely by the FBI, both Aref and Hossain were convicted of attempting to provide material support to terrorists and sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison...

...While real threats undoubtedly exist, what the Bush administration promotes as a nationwide pattern of terrorist activities is largely the result of its own policies in the age of lawfare. Last May, the FBI arrested the "Fort Dix Six," charging the men with conspiring to attack the New Jersey military base. The supposed terror cell was discovered when a clerk at Circuit City was asked to transfer to DVD a video of the men allegedly training for jihad in the Pocono Mountains and shouting, "Allahu Akbar!" As in other cases, the FBI itself proved to be the mastermind behind the plot. The men —who included three roofers, a taxi driver and a former delivery boy for Super Mario's Pizza — had little money and no connections to real extremists. All were in their twenties and spent their weekends playing paintball. Under the guidance of two informants for the JTTF, the men planned an assault on Fort Dix using rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s —none of which actually existed..."

See also: Truth or Terrorism? The Real Story Behind Five Years of High Alerts

Inspired by their American cousins, Canadian "anti-terrorism" teams have made life a living hell for another group of Muslims in Toronto, the story stunk to high heaven, even from the get go; Canadian Terror Coverage.

A local Toronto film-maker created a short documentary about the "Toronto 18" that you can watch here;
http://captiveincanada.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=358:unfair-dealing&catid=26:interviews-a-documentaries&Itemid=70

Who are the real terrorists? Who is pushing our "fear" buttons? Framed hapless Muslims, or the agencies that are supposed to "protect" us?

[winter999]

50. How's "posing" any different than

Vice undercover officers posing as a call girl, drug dealer, pawn shop for stolen goods, etc.? All they did was put it out there and see who came. Not a "call-to-arms".

[ButterflyBlood]

76. A sting operation is a standard law enforcement technique

Undercover agents pose as criminals all the time. There's nothing unusual about this at all.

[Blue_Tires]

70. correct me if i'm wrong, but

how can a stinger missle bring down a military plane? unless the plane is big, and flying very low and slow?

[brendan120678]

71. Stewart is an ANG base at an Int'l Airport, not an AFB...

And I think that all they have there pretty much are C-5 Galaxy planes, which do fly low and slow when landing/taking off.

[Thothmes]

77. That is what it is designed to do

Look at what the Afghanis did with stinger missiles against Soviet Helos and Cargo aircraft.

[KansDem]

49. See, Chimpie? This is how it works...

Through intelligence, investigation, and monitoring the situation, the FBI was able to grab these suspects before they attacked Americans.

Now, you want to tell us how you "missed" 19 terrorists who were under surveillance (for an entire year, I believe) before they hijacked four planes and flew two of them into high-rise buildings?

[winter999]

51. The investigation's been going on over a year.

[MrBig]

52. Couldn't have said it better myself N/T

[Gregorian]

72. They hated us for our freedoms?

Actually, I don't get the military plane part. That really doesn't sound like the kind of thing one would expect from the typical criminal.

[smirkymonkey]

73. Something about this whole thing seems a little "staged" to me.

I don't know why, but I am just having this visceral reaction where I feel that it's all a put on. I live in NYC, so maybe I am just a little jaded when it comes to "thwarted" terror attacks.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

75. they were from Newburgh...it was a sting operation in ther making for over a year

[customerserviceguy]

79. It was staged

to make a bunch of FBI types look like "heroes" for busting a bunch of assclowns who wouldn't have the brains to inflate a paper bag, then pop it behind a rabbi.

Just a bunch of big mouths who were the lucky losers to get caught in an attempt to show us that there's still a war on "terra".

[Haole Girl]

84. The article doesn't say much

Any more links about this story?