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.

The charges carry jail terms of between 25 years and life imprisonment.

The four, all Muslims, are to appear in a federal court later.

They were named as James Cromitie (also known as Abdul Rahman), David Williams (aka Daoud and DL), Onta Williams (aka Hamza) and Laguerre Payen (aka Amin and Almondo).

A senior FBI official in New York said three were US citizens and one was from Haiti.

BBC defence and security correspondent Rob Watson says the case appears to be a classic sting operation against suspected home-grown militants rather than a plot with any links to known international terrorism.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the alleged plot showed "homeland security threats against New York City [were] sadly all too real".

'Sought weapons'

The arrests were the result of a year-long investigation, officials said
"The defendants wanted to engage in terrorist attacks," said Lev Dassin, acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York.

"They selected targets and sought the weapons necessary to carry out their plans."

According to prosecutors, the men planned to detonate cars packed with C-4 plastic explosives outside the Riverdale Temple and the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx district of the city.

They also intended to target military planes at the New York Air National Guard base at Stewart Airport, 60 miles (85 km) north of New York City.

In their efforts to obtain weapons for the attack, the men dealt with an informant from the FBI, who provided the group "with an inactive missile and inert explosives."

"They had bags that were set up that they believed to be bombs, carrying about 30 pounds of explosives which they believed to be explosives," FBI official Joseph Demarest told reporters.

'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"'.

From October 2008, the informant began meeting him regularly along with the four others at a house in which the FBI had concealed video and audio equipment.

The group allegedly "expressed desire" to attack targets in New York and Mr Cromitie "asked the informant to supply surface-to-air guided missiles and explosives", prosecutors say.

In April 2009, the group agreed on the synagogues they intended to attack and proceeded to conduct surveillance, including taking photographs of the warplanes at the military base, prosecutors say.

Mr Cromitie allegedly pointed out Jews in the street, saying "if he had a gun, he would shoot each one in the head", according to the district attorney's statement.

According to the statement, he told the informant that attacking the Jewish community centre would be a "piece of cake".

He also said he would be interested in joining Jaish-e-Mohammed - a Pakistan-based group considered a terrorist organisation by Washington - "to do jihad".

__________________
Some People say the most important thing
a fighter can have is heart.
show me a fighter who's nothing but heart,
and I'll show you a man waiting for a beating.
كافر

Thank heaven these wankers were caught in time....hats off to the FBI and other intelligence services a job well done.

It kind of validates the point I was trying to make in the Pledge of Allegiance thread.

We all have to keep watch for not only threats from overseas but at home aswell

__________________
Some People say the most important thing
a fighter can have is heart.
show me a fighter who's nothing but heart,
and I'll show you a man waiting for a beating.
كافر

It's a good thing that our Homeland Security, FBI & whoever are on the ball.

Obama was on TV yesterday yapping about the "torture" of detainees, how he wants to close down Gitmo, & sending those detainees to a maximum security prison in the Sates. After all the Bush bashing he did & how the previous administration really made us hated in the Muslim world & made us a target, he never mentioned 9/11, the fact that we haven't been attacked since, or the arrest of those home-grown terrorists the other day.

If I was king of the world I'd gladly waterboard 10,000 prisoners to get information to be able to save just one innocent life. By the way - the World Court does not consider waterboarding as torture. I think we can consider cutting someone's head off with a dull knife as the most extreme form of torture & for no other reason than execution, not even trying to get one scrap of information. Killing for the sake of killing & if there's a bunch of pain involve, oh well.

I guess some of the Islamic apologists are right - if we continue this war on terrorism they won't like us. Schit - they hate us so much, at least as of 9/11/01, that they're trying to kill us. I can't see where they can dislike us any more than that!!!

__________________
Proud Dad of a USArmy Ranger SFC - 3/75 Rangers
USNavy 1960-1966 Submarine Service, Navy Diver-UDT 21
USArmy 1980-2001 Airborne Infantry,G3, Army Instructor, Commo Instructor Company 1SG
Retired MSG
I was a Soldier. I am a Soldier. I will always be a Soldier.

I can almost understand the raging raghead lunatic that has nothing to look forward to in life except an extremely ugly wife,(probably his sister) a few camels and a lifetime spent shoveling sheep Shiite! But these 4 knuckleheads are Americans!! Homegrown terrorists they call them. I call them traitors and they deserve a traitors death!!

Counter Terrorism Section of theFBI deserve a rather nice bottle of Whiskey for that one.. its a another win for the good guys, and Im sure the light of day will have bars blinkering their view.... I have to agree that treason fo the US citizans is right, but politics and the wider struggle against this foe requires quarter to be given to these "people"... Its neccesary but not very tasteful in any sense...

__________________
"Barrel High, Powder Dry!"

"Illic est haud effrego ex Veneratio"

The ROE have changed havent they MSG....we cant apply yesterdays standards to today....the Tangos are not playing ball and its time to get passed this PC bollocks and get real.This war would have been over by 2004 if we weren't so caught up in our own bureaucracy.

9/11 was the time when it changed....we didnt start the fire...How can you as Americans and us as Brits be anymore hated by these people then we already are...They brought the war to our cities and killed our Women and children.I consider myself a reasonable person MSG...but if someone wants a fight they can have it.. and I will skip to the gates of hell happy in the knowledge Ive done what I think is right.

The older I get the more I feel Muslims cant be trusted(Sorry if that offends anyone)Opinions are formed through experience and the more experience through life I get....the more I feel Im right on that matter

Take these four So called Americans in NY and the so called Brits that carried out 7/7....our countries gave these people the best chance of living their life free of oppression and a chance to become happy successful and the best people they could be....What was the repayment Glenn?

These scumbags feel they have been hurt along with their Muslim brothers thousands of miles away...they are not messing around so neither should we.

Appeasers are those who feed a crocodile....hoping it will eat them last

__________________
Some People say the most important thing
a fighter can have is heart.
show me a fighter who's nothing but heart,
and I'll show you a man waiting for a beating.
كافر

I have been saying to Americans for years...."Homegrown terrorists" will become a problem for you guys just as it has been for us over the years since 2001...Its just another strain of the extremist disease...Its one of many tactics used(IEDs Suicide bombers)They know in a fair fight they are getting their arses handed to them by western armies.

They inprison these jokers.....why should American or British taxpayers pay for these people

Im with you...if I got my way they would be lined up and slotted

__________________
Some People say the most important thing
a fighter can have is heart.
show me a fighter who's nothing but heart,
and I'll show you a man waiting for a beating.
كافر

When they are convicted after a trial, I agree!

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Once found guilty, I would say yes, but we need to qualify it by the effect on the "Mytrdom" question and also their value of an Intel asset. I would say, strip them of their citizenship, their rights under ANY laws and work them until they are broken shells with no more secrets to tell.... and then leave them in their own slop for the rest of their days, it doesnt have to cost much... a mud hut made of barbed wire will do...

__________________
"Barrel High, Powder Dry!"

"Illic est haud effrego ex Veneratio"

I wouldnt even give them the luxury of a mud hut and barbed wire......thousands of people go missing everyday on this planet

__________________
Some People say the most important thing
a fighter can have is heart.
show me a fighter who's nothing but heart,
and I'll show you a man waiting for a beating.
كافر