[Asia One] Two men have been incarcerated in New York on suspicion of plotting to attack a synagogue, US media reports said Thursday.The pair were caught in a sting operation discussing plans to buy guns and grenades with the "aspirational" plan to attack a Jewish house of worship, The New York Times
...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
quoted unidentified law enforcement officials as saying.
According to the report, the men will be prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorney's office, rather than federal prosecutors, who usually handle terrorism cases.
A spokeswoman for the DA's office refused to comment but said a statement was expected later.
Reports said the men were of North African descent, but it was not clear whether they were US citizens or not.
New York, which has been targeted by Islamist bombers repeatedly over the last two decades, has been on heightened alert since US commandos killed the late Osama bin Laden
... who no longer has to waste time and energy breathing...
in Pakistain.
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At a news conference Thursday, Mr. Kelly said that just before he was tossed in the slammer, Mr. Ferhani told the detective he wanted more guns, silencers, a box of grenades, bullet-resistant vests and police radios. "Using an expletive, [the suspect said] that he was fed up with the way Mohammedans were being treated around the world: 'They're treating us like dogs,'" Mr. Kelly said.
The arrests stemmed from an investigation that began seven months ago. Police wouldn't say what first drew their attention to Mr. Ferhani. To an undercover detective, he "expressed interest in killing Jews," Mr. Kelly said.
After an arraignment in a crowded Manhattan courtroom Thursday evening, the men were jugged without bail. As prosecutor Margaret Gandy listed the charges and evidence, they shook their heads, as if in disbelief. Mr. Mamdouh mouthed the word, "what?" after Ms. Gandy said the suspects considered disguising themselves as Hasidic Jews to gain entry to a temple.
Mr. Mamdouh's attorney, Steven Fusfeld, said his client, who lives with his family in Whitestone, Queens, denies any involvement in a terror plot. Stephen Pokart, a Legal Aid lawyer defending Mr. Ferhani, also from Whitestone, said his client denied the charges, too.
The arrests mark the first time New York state terrorism
... any action taken by a non-Moslem state that constrains the violent impulses of Moslems or their allies ...
charges, rather than federal, will be used against individuals suspected in a terror plot. If convicted, the men could face life in prison without parole.
Mr. Kelly said that it was decided the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance would handle the case because an unrelated criminal case in that office had touched off the probe.
However,
The wishy-washy
However...
a law-enforcement official with knowledge of the case said detectives from the New York Police Department's Intelligence Division brought the case to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of multiple agencies, including the NYPD, but is led by the Department of Justice and the FBI.
JTTF members declined to participate because they were concerned the case wasn't strong enough to win a conviction in federal court, the official said. Since Mr. Kelly's return as police commissioner in 2002 there have been several well-publicized festivities between the FBI and NYPD. Under Mr. Kelly, the NYPD started its own antiterrorism unit.
At the news conference, the police commissioner said Sherlocks found no ties between the men and al Qaeda or other terrorist groups. "We are concerned about lone wolves acting against New York City in the wake of the killing of [Osama] bin Laden," Mr. Bloomberg said.
Mr. Ferhani has been tossed in the slammer at least six times, including for robbery, according to a law-enforcement official. Mr. Kelly said Mr. Ferhani moved from Algeria with his family in 1995. His parents were granted asylum, and he is a permanent resident. However,
The wishy-washy
However...
because he failed to appear before an immigration judge to answer questions about his arrests, his case was under review for possible deportation, Mr. Kelly said.
Mr. Mamdouh immigrated to Queens from Casablanca in 1999 with his family. He is a U.S. citizen.