Newburgh, New York, residents James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams, and Laguerre Payen were arrested last night after they planted what they thought were four bombs in cars in front of two Riverdale synagogues. The group also planned to try and shoot down aircraft outside of Air National Guard base Stewart International Airport, near where they live. The “bombs” were duds provided to them by an FBI informant, and the whole plot was monitored from beginning (June 2008) to end by federal investigators. According to the Times, James Cromitie told the FBI spy that his parents had lived in Afghanistan and he was angered by the U.S. presence there. He wanted to do “something to America,” he said, and “the best target” (the World Trade Center) “was hit already.” Not all of the men were of Arabic descent, but all were Muslim, the paper reported. The group has made no comment since they’ve been arrested, but already Mayor Bloomberg, Representative Peter King, and Senator Charles Schumer have sung the praises of the law enforcement officers who took down the group. The men will appear in court in White Plains today.
