Four NYC men arrested in alleged plot to bomb synagogue, Jewish community center and to shoot military planes with missiles
From the BNO Newsroom, as released by the United States Attorney's Office in New York.
NEW YORK CITY (BNO NEWS) – LEV L. DASSIN, the Acting United States
Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JOSEPH M. DEMAREST, JR., the
Assistant-Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), RAYMOND W. KELLY, the Police Commissioner for
the City of New York, HARRY J. CORBITT, the Superintendent of the New York State
Police ("NYSP"), and DANA SIMMONS, the Brigadier General of the United States
Air Force Office of Special Investigations ("AFOSI"), announced the arrests
tonight of JAMES CROMITIE, a/k/a "Abdul Rahman," a/k/a "Abdul Rehman," DAVID
WILLIAMS, a/k/a "Daoud," a/k/a "DL," ONTA WILLIAMS, a/k/a "Hamza," and LAGUERRE
PAYEN, a/k/a "Amin," a/k/a "Almondo," on charges arising from a plot to detonate
explosives near a synagogue in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York, and
to shoot military planes located at the New York Air National Guard Base at
Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York, with Stinger surface-to-air guided
missiles. In their efforts to obtain weapons, the defendants 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
defendants.
The charges, which are contained in a criminal Complaint filed yesterday in
White Plains federal court, include conspiracy to use weapons of mass
destruction in the United States and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft
missiles. The defendants are expected to appear in White Plains federal court
tomorrow. According to the Complaint:
In June 2008, an informant working with the FBI met 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."
Beginning in October 2008, the informant began meeting with CROMITIE at a house
in Newburgh, New York that the FBI had equipped with concealed video and audio
equipment. During meetings at this location, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA
WILLIAMS, and PAYEN discussed their desire to attack certain targets in New
York, including a synagogue in the Bronx and military aircraft located at the
Air National Guard Base. CROMITIE asked the informant to supply surface-to-air
guided missiles and explosives for the planned operations. The informant
responded that he could provide CROMITIE with C-4 plastic explosives.
Beginning in April 2009, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN
selected the synagogue and Jewish community center they intended to target, and
conducted surveillance, including photographs, of military planes at the Air
National Guard Base. In late April 2009, CROMITIE and DAVID WILLIAMS purchased a
9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol for use during the planned terrorist
operations. At around the same time, CROMITIE and DAVID WILLIAMS traveled to the
location from which they could shoot at the military planes using surface-to-air
guided missiles. In early May 2009, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, and PAYEN drove
with the informant toward Stamford, Connecticut, to obtain what the defendants
were told would be a surface-to-air guided missile system and three improvised
explosive devices ("IEDs") containing C-4 plastic explosive material. The
informant provided the defendants with a Stinger surface-to-air guided missile
provided by the FBI that was not capable of being fired, telling the defendants
that he had obtained it from Jaish-e-Mohammed. The informant also provided three
IEDs that each contained over 30 pounds of inert C-4 plastic explosives, again
telling the defendants that he had obtained them from Jaish-e-Mohammed. CROMITIE,
DAVID WILLIAMS, and PAYEN transported these apparent weapons back to Newburgh.
Two days later, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN met to
inspect the "missile system" and the "explosive devices" and to further discuss
the logistics of the operation.
CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN each are charged with one
count of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the U.S., which
carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and one count of conspiracy to
acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, which carries a maximum penalty of life
in prison and a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison.
CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN currently reside in Newburgh,
New York.
The charges filed yesterday were the result of the cooperative efforts of the
United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, FBI,
NYPD, NYSP, Newburgh City Police Department, Town of New Windsor Police
Department, United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and New
York State Office of Homeland Security. Mr. DASSIN praised the investigative
work and efforts of these agencies.
"As alleged in the Complaint, the defendants wanted to engage in terrorist
attacks. They selected targets and sought the weapons necessary to carry out
their plans. Fortunately, the defendants sought the assistance of a witness
cooperating with the Government. While the weapons provided to the defendants by
the cooperating witness were fake, the defendants thought they were absolutely
real," said Acting United States Attorney LEV L. DASSIN. "The defendants planned
to strike military planes with surface-to-air guided missiles and to destroy a
synagogue and a Jewish community center with C-4 plastic explosives. Thanks to
the extraordinary, collaborative work of our law enforcement partners, the
defendants' plans were thwarted and the defendants are under arrest."
Assistant United States Attorneys ERIC SNYDER and DAVID LEIBOWITZ are in charge
of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendant
is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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