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Two young men have been arrested in New York, and charged in connection with an alleged terror plot to "blow up synagogues and kill Jews" besides attacking the Empire State building.
Twenty-six-year-old Ahmed Ferhani, and 20-year-old Mohammed Mamdouh, were charged with terrorism and hate-crime conspiracy. While Ferhani is from Algeria, Mamdouh is an American citizen of Moroccan descent.
The two men allegedly paid $100 down payment for purchasing three handguns, ammunition and a grenade for the attacks in a police sting, The New York Post reported. "Make no mistake about what he wanted to do: get guns, get explosives, blow up synagogues and kill Jews," said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr, as quoted by The Post.
"(Ferhani) was committed to violent jihad and his plans became bigger and more violent with each passing week," he said. Police commissioner Ray Kelly said the men reportedly told undercover cops that they hated Jews and were "fed up of the way Muslims were being treated around the world."
According to Kelly, Ferhani said he wanted to blow up synagogues "one after the other". The two men also made fun of Faisal Shahzad, who had failed in his attempt to blow up the Times Square and said they needed to use cash instead of a card.
They were also alleged to have said they would attack the Empire State Building. Ferhani had reportedly asked two undercover cops to get him a bulletproof vest and a silencer. The Post said Ferhani repeatedly mouthed the word "innocent" to news photographers in the jury box.
If convicted, both men face life sentences under state terrorism laws. Big terrorism cases are usually handled by the federal authorities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States attorney's office in federal court. In this case, however, the federal authorities said it was a local plot. This is the first case to be tried under state terrorism laws.