Quinn
05-08-2007, 04:08 PM
Fort Dix is where I did my basic training. It used to be a great place, before the base realignments took effect.
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. - Six men were arrested overnight on charges they plotted to attack the Fort Dix Army base and "kill as many soldiers as possible," federal authorities said Tuesday.
The men are all from the former Yugoslavia, said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey. Five of them lived in Cherry Hill, he said.
Drewniak said the six were scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Camden later Tuesday to face charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. servicemen.
The arrests were first reported by WNBC's Jonathan Dienst. WNBC is the flagship NBC television station for the New York tri-state area.
Investigators told WNBC that the group discussed a number of possible targets, including the Dover Air base, Fort Monmouth and Coast Guard stations, but that they concluded the best target was Fort Dix.
Fort Dix, which is run in part by the U.S. Army, is a reserve training center but active units also take part in training at the base, some of which is focused on counter-terrorism. It also housed refugees from Kosovo in 1999.
No attack imminent
Investigators told NBC’s Pete Williams that the plot was in the planning stages but was not imminent.
Acting on a tip, and with the help of an informant, the men were placed under surveillance. Investigators said some of the group's members -- all men and all believed to be Islamic radicals -- went to the Poconos over the past several months to practice firing guns.
Caught in sting
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because documents in the case remain sealed, said the men were arrested while trying to buy automatic weapons in a sale set-up by law enforcement authorities.
The official said that the men had lived in the United States for some time and were arrested as part of a joint federal and local investigation.
The Star-Ledger of Newark reported on its Web site that the men had agreed to buy AK-47 assault rifles from an arms dealer who was secretly cooperating with the FBI. It cited a law enforcement person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the source was not authorized to speak about the arrests.
Intelligence officials told NBC News' Robert Windrem that they do not believe the plot was directed by al-Qaida because it did not match the key al-Qaida tenet: spectacular multiple simultaneous attacks.
However, the idea that the men were using al-Qaida training films and following al-Qaida goals shows that there is a large number of people who can create such plots inspired by the terrorist organization, the officials said.
FBI spokeswoman Jerri Williams said U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie and J.P. Weis, special agent in charge of the FBI in Philadelphia, planned a news conference later Tuesday to discuss the arrests.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18549005/
-Quinn
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. - Six men were arrested overnight on charges they plotted to attack the Fort Dix Army base and "kill as many soldiers as possible," federal authorities said Tuesday.
The men are all from the former Yugoslavia, said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey. Five of them lived in Cherry Hill, he said.
Drewniak said the six were scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Camden later Tuesday to face charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. servicemen.
The arrests were first reported by WNBC's Jonathan Dienst. WNBC is the flagship NBC television station for the New York tri-state area.
Investigators told WNBC that the group discussed a number of possible targets, including the Dover Air base, Fort Monmouth and Coast Guard stations, but that they concluded the best target was Fort Dix.
Fort Dix, which is run in part by the U.S. Army, is a reserve training center but active units also take part in training at the base, some of which is focused on counter-terrorism. It also housed refugees from Kosovo in 1999.
No attack imminent
Investigators told NBC’s Pete Williams that the plot was in the planning stages but was not imminent.
Acting on a tip, and with the help of an informant, the men were placed under surveillance. Investigators said some of the group's members -- all men and all believed to be Islamic radicals -- went to the Poconos over the past several months to practice firing guns.
Caught in sting
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because documents in the case remain sealed, said the men were arrested while trying to buy automatic weapons in a sale set-up by law enforcement authorities.
The official said that the men had lived in the United States for some time and were arrested as part of a joint federal and local investigation.
The Star-Ledger of Newark reported on its Web site that the men had agreed to buy AK-47 assault rifles from an arms dealer who was secretly cooperating with the FBI. It cited a law enforcement person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the source was not authorized to speak about the arrests.
Intelligence officials told NBC News' Robert Windrem that they do not believe the plot was directed by al-Qaida because it did not match the key al-Qaida tenet: spectacular multiple simultaneous attacks.
However, the idea that the men were using al-Qaida training films and following al-Qaida goals shows that there is a large number of people who can create such plots inspired by the terrorist organization, the officials said.
FBI spokeswoman Jerri Williams said U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie and J.P. Weis, special agent in charge of the FBI in Philadelphia, planned a news conference later Tuesday to discuss the arrests.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18549005/
-Quinn