Wednesday, 9 May 2007PHILADELPHIA ÔÇöAmerican authorities announced Tuesday, May 8, that six "Islamic radicals" were arrested on charges of plotting an attack against New Jersey's Fort Dix military base.
"They were plotting to make an assault on Fort Dix with the intention of killing as many US soldiers as possible," Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the US Attorney's office in Newark, New Jersey, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
He added that the suspects, described by federal prosecutor as "Islamic radicals," were scheduled to appear in US District Court in Camden later Tuesday to face charges of conspiracy to kill US servicemen.
The group planned to send six or seven men into Fort Dix "to attack and kill at least one hundred soldiers by using rocket propelled grenades or other weapons," said a 27-page criminal complaint.
They reportedly discussed attacking two American warships when they were expected to dock in Philadelphia.
The suspects had acquired semi-automatic assault rifles, shotguns and hand guns and performed surveillance on Fort Dix and other US military installations in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania, the complaint said.
They were arrested Monday night in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, by FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Fort Dix is used to train reservists from all branches of the military, many of whom are preparing for Iraq and Afghanistan missions, a spokeswoman at the fort said.
It typically has 15,000 people, including 3,000 soldiers.
Since the 9/11 attacks, the once-open Fort Dix has been closed to the public.
There are heavily armed guards at entrances, along with X-ray machines and concrete barriers to make it impossible for vehicles to rush the entrances.
Planned
The suspects were identified as Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, Eljvir Duka, Dritan Duka, Shain Duka, Serdar Tatar and Agron Abdullahu.
Immigration officials said Dritan Duka, Eljvir Duka and Shain Duka were illegal immigrants. It was not immediately were whether they were brothers.
Drewniak said four of them were born in Yugoslavia, one in Jordan and one in Turkey.
Five of the suspects lived in Cherry Hill, 10 miles east of Philadelphia and 20 miles southwest of Fort Dix, he added.
The group trained in Pennsylvania's Pocono mountains in February, where law enforcement officials conducted video surveillance.
The case started in January 2006 when a retailer alerted FBI officers about a customer who had been asked to copy a video onto a DVD.
The footage depicted young men at a firing range who were shooting assault weapons while shouting "Allah Akbar," or "God is Great" in Arabic, prosecutors said the complaint.
By March 2006 the group was infiltrated by the first of two FBI informers, who obtained computer files.
One of these ÔÇô a file named "19" -- appears to be the last will and testament of at least two of the 19 hijackers who carried out the 9/11 attacks, the document said.
Another contained images of Osama bin Laden urging viewers to join their movement.
But White House spokesman Tony Snow said there is "no direct evidence" that the men have foreign terrorist ties.
"They are not charged with being members of an international terrorism organization," he indicated.
"At least at this point, there is no evidence that they received direction from international terror organizations."
May 9, 2007
Islam Online |
Wednesday, 9 May 2007
PHILADELPHIA
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