2009 Bronx terrorism plot: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:43, 1 November 2023

Revision as of 16:19, 12 December 2023

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[[Michael Bloomberg]], the mayor of New York City, praised the [[New York City Police Department]]. Other local politicians also praised law enforcement and expressed relief.<ref name="nyt" /> New York Governor [[David Paterson]] said the plot illustrated the constant terrorist threat New York faces.<ref name="terrorist1" /> On May 30, 2009, New York Governor [[David Paterson]] announced he would give the [[Riverdale Jewish Center]] and the [[Riverdale Temple|Riverdale Reform Temple]] $25,000 each to improve their security. The money will come from the [[Department of Homeland Security]] (DHS) and will primarily involve the installation of alarms and surveillance equipment.<ref>[http://jta.org/news/article/2009/06/02/1005549/paterson-gives-25k-each-to-synaguges-that-were-targeted-in-ny-terror-plot Targeted Bronx synagogues to get security funds] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510001122/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2009/06/02/1005549/paterson-gives-25k-each-to-synaguges-that-were-targeted-in-ny-terror-plot |date=May 10, 2012 }}, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), June 2, 2009.</ref>

An award-winning 2014 [[HBO]] documentary about the case, ''[[The Newburgh Sting]]'', showed that the attack plans and materials were all supplied by the FBI informant who coaxed the accused into participating by offering incentives including $250,000, described as a clear case of entrapment. The arrest was described (by the documentary) as having been expertly stage-managed in the style of a Hollywood production, needlessly deploying multiple armoured vehicles and over a hundred officers from various departments, including bomb squads although there was no bomb. The FBI, it was claimed, was motivated throughout by a desire to maintain public fear of terrorism and to enhance their reputation for effectiveness.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/results/null/1/2014/2014/title/asc|title=2014 Peabody Awards|access-date=2015-04-16|publisher=[[Peabody Award]]|archive-date=April 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416132609/http://www.peabodyawards.com/results/null/1/2014/2014/title/asc|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lally |first1=Kevin |title=At the Tribeca Fest: Two bold documentaries expose FBI spying and entrapment |url=http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/news-and-features/features/movies/e3ie40903ba76038c2e61b4fadc966e89ed |publisher=[[Film Journal International]] |date=22 April 2014 |url-status=dead |df=mdy |access-date=August 16, 2015 |archive-date=April 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423234049/http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/news-and-features/features/movies/e3ie40903ba76038c2e61b4fadc966e89ed }}</ref>

A man believed to be the same Shahed Hussain subsequently founded and operated the limousine company implicated in the 2018 [[Schoharie limousine crash]] in upstate New York, which killed 18 aboard the vehicle and two bystanders. However, Hussain had left the United States when the crash occurred, and U.S. investigators were unable to locate, question, or positively tie him to the accident.<ref>{{cite news|last1=McKinley|first1=Jesse|last2=Ferré-Sadurní|first2=Luis|last3=McGeehan|first3=Patrick|title=Owner in Limo Crash Had Shoddy Record and Shady Dealings|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/nyregion/prestige-limousine-crash-schoharie.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 8, 2018|access-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref> The crash was attributed to slipshod vehicle maintenance by Hussain's company and lax oversight by New York state regulators. In a 2021 [[plea bargain]], Shahed's son Nauman Hussain—who managed day-to-day operations at the company—pleaded guilty to 20 counts of [[criminally negligent homicide]] for his role in the crash,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Nauman-Hussain-pleads-guilty-faces-no-prison-16430370.php |title=Nauman Hussain pleads guilty, faces no prison time in Schoharie crash |last=Rulison |first=Larry |newspaper=[[Albany Times-Union]]|date=September 2, 2021|access-date=June 29, 2022}}</ref> and was sentenced to five to fifteen years in state prison in 2023.<ref name=2023release/>

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In 2022, [[U.S. Representative]]s [[Elise Stefanik]] and [[Paul Tonko]] called on the FBI to reveal whether it had any knowledge of Shahed Hussain's activities with the limousine company before the crash. At an April 2022 hearing of the [[House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House Intelligence Committee]], Stefanik questioned FBI director [[Christopher A. Wray]] about whether Hussain's history as an informant may have led the bureau to protect him from consequences for the limousine company's extensive history of regulatory violations, but Wray refused to answer directly, citing confidentiality concerns. In August, Stefanik told ''[[Fox News]]'' that she had not received any response from the bureau, and a spokeswoman for Tonko stated likewise when asked by the ''[[Albany Times Union]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rulison|first=Larry|title=Stefanik continues to slam FBI over Schoharie limo crash case|url=https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Stefanik-continues-to-slam-FBI-over-Schoharie-17392078.php|newspaper=[[Albany Times Union]]|date=August 23, 2022|access-date=August 24, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=Stefanik Demands Answers from FBI Director Wray on Schoharie County Limo Crash|url=https://stefanik.house.gov/2022/3/stefanik-demands-answers-from-fbi-director-wray-on-schoharie-county-limo-crash|___location=[[Washington, DC]]|publisher=Rep. [[Elise Stefanik]]|date=April 1, 2022|access-date=August 25, 2022}}</ref>

On July 27, 2023, a federal judge in the S.D.N.Y. granted a motion by 3 of the 4 defendants for compassionate release. “Three of the four Muslim converts convicted of a post-9/11 plot to bomb New York synagogues and shoot down planes were ordered to be released from prison by a judge who declared their 25-year sentences ‘unduly harsh and unjust’ — and blamed the FBI for radicalizing them.” <ref>Reilly, Patrick (July 28, 2023). “3 of ‘Newburgh Four’ convicted in 2009 New York synagogue bombing plot to be released, judge rules while blaming FBI.” ''New York Post'', New York, N.Y. Retrieved September 28, 2023.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2023/07/28/3-of-newburgh-four-to-be-released-judge-rules-while-blaming-fbi/|title=3 of 'Newburgh Four' to be released, judge rules while blaming FBI|date=July 29, 2023}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' was unable to locate Shahed Hussain for comment, saying he was believed to be in Pakistan.<ref name="2023release" />

==See also==