May 21, 2009 1:00 pm US/Eastern
Terror Plot Targeted Upstate Air Nat'l Guard Base
Newburgh Residents Saw No Indications Of Hatred Of Jews, Inclinations Toward Terror
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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James Cromitie, one of four men arrested in alleged plot to bomb Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx section of New York and a US Air National Guard Base on May 20, 2009.
AP
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The FBI arrested four men Wednesday evening who are accused of planning a terror plot, with targets including a NYC temple and an upstate New York Military airport.
CBS
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The FBI arrested four men Wednesday evening who are accused of planning a terror plot, with targets including a NYC temple and an upstate New York Military airport.
CBS
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David Williams, one of four men arrested in alleged plot to bomb Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx section of New York and a US Air National Guard Base on May 20, 2009.
AP
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Onta Williams, one of four men arrested in alleged plot to bomb Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx section of New York and a US Air National Guard Base on May 20, 2009.
AP
The FBI thwarted a plot to detonate a bomb outside a temple in Riverdale and to attack an Air National Guard Base in Newburgh.
A major leg of the investigation into the temple terrorist plot is focused on Orange County in Upstate New York. The suspects lived in Newburgh, close to the site of the NY Air National Guard base.
The alleged "key player" in the plot, James Cromitie, lived at an apartment complex on Lake Drive. Neighbors say he was a stock man at a local Wal-Mart store, and that he recently converted to Islam during a stint behind bars.
Neighbors at the apartment complex are shaken at the prospect of living in such close proximity with one of the alleged terrorists.
"I got my kids here, and [it's scary] to think they had stuff in here to hurt people," neighbor Manual Colon says.
Colon has known suspects James Cromitie and Onta Williams for years. Like others at the complex where Cromitie lived, he can't recall either man expressing a hatred of Jews or support for terror.
"I was with Onta on Tuesday – you know, we were just drinking beers, doing normal things that people do," Colon says. "I just can't believe that a friend of mine would try to hurt people in the United States."
"We are all in a state of shock right now. James was actually really good, he was a nice person" neighbor Jen Lopez says. "He was great with the kids; he brought the kids ice cream. I have no words, I'm speechless right now."
The mosque where the plotters allegedly hatched the scheme sits a mere two blocks away from the apartment complex.
Hamin Rashada, an assistant imam at the mosque, is a parole counselor who worked extensively with suspect Laguerre Payen.
"It's shocking to say the least, because it involves Laguerre – I'm puzzled," Rashada says. "He never gave a hint of being interested in anything like that."
The plotters allegedly targeted nearby Stewart Airport, hoping to take down a military plane.
The house on Broadway in Newburgh is where they allegedly met the informant who was working with the feds. Neighbors say cops spent long hours there Wednesday.
"When 9/11 happened, you know somebody who was affected by that," Newburgh resident Nick Angelo says. "But when you hear terrorism, you don't think of your neighborhood, and you don't think of something across the street."
The mother of suspect David Williams wouldn't speak on camera, but his aunt said he hasn't seemed himself lately.
"When I embraced him about a week and a half ago, when I held him, I said, 'something's not right,'" Aahkiyaah Summings said. "Because I wasn't holding my nephew, the one that I know and love."
The family of David Williams expressed relief Thursday afternoon that the plot was foiled and that no one in Newburgh or Riverdale was injured. The family also hopes to learn what Williams' role was in the terrorist plot.
The arrests came after a nearly yearlong undercover operation that began in Newburgh. The defendants bought a digital camera at Wal-Mart to take pictures of targets, they spoke in code, and they expressed their hatred of Jews on several occasions, according to a criminal complaint.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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