Synagogue Terror Plot 2009
TERRORIST PLOT 2
Jewish synagogues in the Bronx and a military base were the targets of a terrorist plot involving four men from upstate New York in early summer of 2009. James Comitie, David and Onta Williams, and Laguerre Payen were arrested after NYPD officers raided the home they had been investigating since the previous year. Comitie, a persistent felony offender with legitimate ties to the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad expressed anti-Western sentiments, especially towards the Jewish population and the presence of U.S. troops in Islamic countries. The FBI and NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force had been collaborating since 2008 to validate whether or not Comitie and his accomplices were capable of carrying out a homegrown terrorist plot (Dienst, 2009).
After a confidential informant joined the undercover team, the suspect’s home was tapped with audio and video devices, which recorded further evidence, suggesting Comitie and his men were soon planning to purchase bombs and missiles. Comitie approached the confidential informant to purchase explosives to be used at a Riverdale, New York synagogue and in attempts to shoot down military planes at Stewart Airport. The confidential informant, a NYPD undercover officer, gave Comitie fake explosives made by the FBI, which the suspects later planted at two Riverdale synagogues. This gave the FBI and NYPD Terrorist Task Force more than enough evidence to arrest the four individuals (McNeil, Carafano, & Zuckerman, 2009). This foiled terrorist plot exemplifies the necessity for collaboration in counterterrorism strategies. THE NYPD and FBI followed protocol for each step of the investigation, especially when providing the suspects with fake explosives in attempts to measure the validity of their threats. The actions of these two agencies, coupled with the bravery and skill of the confidential informant indefinitely saved numerous, innocent lives.
TERRORIST PLOT 3
References
Dienst, J. (2009). FBI, NYPD arrest 4 in alleged plot to bomb NY synagogues. NBC NewYork.
McNeil, J. B., Carafano, J. J., & Zuckerman, J. (2010). 30 terrorist plots foiled: How the system
worked. The Heritage Foundation.
