Quick-Look Report: New York City Bombing Plot, May 20, 2009

Quick-Look Report: New York City Bombing Plot, May 20, 2009

Who:


* Three American citizens and one Haitian national were arrested Wednesday evening, May 20, 2009, for plotting to commit terrorist attacks in and around New York City



* All four lived in Newburgh, New York, about 70 miles from New York City



* The men, James Cromitie, aka Abdul Rahman, David Williams, aka Daoud and DL, Onta Williams, aka Hamza, and Laguerre Payen aka Amin and Almondo, all are recent radical Islamic converts with no ties to any international terrorist groups



* At least one of the individuals (Cromitie) has family members in Afghanistan


What:


* On May 6, 2009, the men purchased what they believed was three IEDs, each containing over 30 pounds of C-4 explosive and a Stinger missile in Stamford, CT from an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant; each of these devices were fake and the explosives inert, but the men believed them to be authentic and in working order



* The group planned to attack the synagogue and community center in the Riverdale section of the Bronx with two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs)



* The men planned to drive back to Newburgh, New York and detonate the devices remotely using cellular phones, while simultaneously using the Stinger missile to attack planes at the Air National Guard Base


When:


* Arrests made on Wednesday evening, around 9pm EST on May 20, 2009



* In April 2009, the men identified their targets and began conducting surveillance; Cromitie and Williams also purchased a 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol for use during the planned attack



* The FBI continued to monitor the group and in October 2008, they actively sought to acquire improvised explosive devices (IEDs)



* The FBI had been monitoring the group of men beginning in June 2008, after Cromitie unknowingly met with an FBI informant


Where:

* Three targets: a Jewish Synagogue, a Jewish community center, and the New York Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport 60 miles north of New York City


Notes:


* At least one of the men expressed a desire to join Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based terrorist group



* The men conducted surveillance including photography when planning their attack



* The group appeared to have little knowledge of explosives and IEDs



Sources:
BBC News
ABC News
Associated Press
UK Telegraph
Bloomberg
New York Times