2009 Bronx terrorism plot: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:55, 28 July 2023

Revision as of 22:08, 28 July 2023

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On May 20, 2009, [[Law enforcement in the United States|US law enforcement]] arrested four men in connection with a fake plot concocted by a [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) informant to shoot down military airplanes flying out of an [[Air National Guard]] base in [[Newburgh (town), New York|Newburgh, New York]], and blow up two [[synagogues]] in the [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]] community of [[the Bronx]] using weapons supplied by the FBI.<ref name="guardian1">{{cite news |author = Harris, Paul |title=Newburgh Four: poor, black, and jailed under FBI 'entrapment' tactics|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/12/newburgh-four-fbi-entrapment-terror|work=[[The Guardian]] |date=December 12, 2011|access-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref><ref name="guardian2">{{cite news |author = Harris, Paul |title=The ex-FBI informant with a change of heart: 'There is no real hunt. It's fixed'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/20/fbi-informant|work=[[The Guardian]] |date=March 20, 2012|access-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref><ref name="csmonitor1">{{cite web|last=Peter |first=Tom A. |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0521/p06s04-duts.html |title=New York terror plotters wanted to 'do jihad' |publisher=csmonitor.com |access-date=May 21, 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524221948/http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0521/p06s04-duts.html |archivedate=May 24, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name="nyt">{{cite news | last = Hernandez | first = Javier C. |author2= Sewell Chan | title = N.Y. Bomb Plot Suspects Acted Alone, Police Say | work=[[The New York Times]] | date = May 21, 2009 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/nyregion/22terror.html | access-date =May 21, 2009| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140724081544/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/nyregion/22terror.html| archivedate=July 24, 2014| url-status= live}}</ref> The group was led by Shahed Hussain, a Pakistani criminal who was working for the FBI to avoid deportation for having defrauded the [[New York State Department of Motor Vehicles]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/nyregion/limo-owner-fbi-informant-shahed-hussain.html|title = Limo Company Owner in Crash Revealed as F.B.I. Informant, Recruiter of Terrorists, Fraudster|newspaper = The New York Times|date = October 9, 2018|last1 = Newman|first1 = Andy}}</ref> Hussain has never been charged in the United States with any terrorism related offenses and was paid nearly {{Currency|100,000|US}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/07/shahed-hussain-fbi-informant/|title = Timeline: The Making of an FBI Superinformant}}</ref> by the FBI for his work on this plot.

The FBI's use of two informants, and offers of money and food incentives to the four men in the case has led to accusations that the FBI engaged in [[entrapment]].<ref name="guardian1" /><ref name="guardian2" /> On August 23, 2013, by a 2 to 1 vote, an appeal to overturn the convictions was denied by a Manhattan appeals court. Judge [[Jon O. Newman]] cited James Cromitie's statements as proof of intent. In [[Dissenting opinion|dissent]], the Chief Judge [[Dennis Jacobs]] said there was scarce evidence of preprevious intent and that Cromitie was "badgered" into joining the plot. All three judges unanimously rejected the entrapment claims by the three other defendants and rejected all four defendants’ arguments that their convictions should be overturned on grounds of government misconduct.<ref name="auto">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/nyregion/appeals-court-upholds-convictions-of-men-in-bronx-synagogue-plot.html|title=Convictions in Synagogue Bombing Plot Upheld|first=Benjamin|last=Weiser|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 23, 2013|publisher=}}</ref> In July 2023, Judge [[Colleen McMahon]] ordered the [[compassionate release]] of three of the conspirators whom she said had only participated because Cromitie promised to pay them.<ref name=2023release/>

==Background==

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Laguerre Payen is currently serving his 25-year sentence at the [[United States Penitentiary, Tucson]], a high-security facility in Arizona, and is scheduled for release in 2032.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=85165-054&x=109&y=20|title=Inmate Locator|publisher=}}</ref>

In July 2023, McMahon ordered the [[compassionate release]] of Onta Williams, LaguerreDavid PayenWilliams and David WilliamsPayen, ruling that the FBI had employed unscrupulous methods to manipulate them into committing illegal acts, includingnotably by using Hussain, whom McMahon described as "unsavory", to pressure Cromitie. McMahon characterized the three men as "hapless, easily manipulated and penurious petty criminals" and "small time [[grifter]]s" who only participated because Cromitie said he would pay them.<ref name=2023release>{{cite news |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=July 27, 2023 |title=Judge Orders Release of Three of 'Newburgh Four,' Criticizing F.B.I. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/27/nyregion/newburgh-four-terrorism-fbi.html |work=[[The New York Times]]|___location=New York, NY}}</ref>

==Reactions and aftermath==