New York terror plotters wanted to 'do jihad'

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Four men were arrested in New York on Wednesday night after plotting to blow up two synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down military airplanes flying out of the New York Air National Guard base. The suspects were caught in a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting and were reportedly motivated by anger over the war in Afghanistan.

Last year, the four men began communicating with an FBI informant who sold them fake explosives and inactive missiles. They are being charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in the US, and conspiracy to acquire and use antiaircraft missiles.

US officials say that although the attack was thwarted, it serves as a reminder that the possibility of another terror attack in the US is still very real, reports the Guardian. "While the bombs these terrorists attempted to plant tonight were – unbeknownst to them – fake, this latest attempt to attack our freedoms shows that the homeland security threats against New York City are sadly all too real," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Many are drawing parallels between this recent attempt and several individuals' plans to attack Fort Dix in 2007. CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports that, as in the 2007 attempt, "the suspects had serious intent, strong grievances against the United States and a desire to be jihadists."

The group's leader, James Cromitie, claims that his parents live in Afghanistan and told the FBI informant that he was angry about the US military killing Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan, reports the Times of London.

He said that if he died a martyr, he would go to paradise and that he was interested in doing "something to America". In July last year, he told the informant that he wanted to join Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based group designated by Washington as a terrorist organisation, to "do jihad", according to the statement.

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