Fort Dix Terror Plot

[Story]

6 Arrested In New Jersey Terror Plot
CAMDEN, N.J., May 8, 2007(CBS/AP) Six nationals of the former Yugoslavia were arrested early Tuesday on charges they plotted to attack the Fort Dix Army base and "kill as many soldiers as possible," federal authorities said.

The plot was in the planning stages only and no attack was imminent, CBS News has learned. Officials said this is more of a "homegrown" plot with no ties to al Qaeda or any other international terrorist organization, CBS News reports.

The FBI arrested five of the men in Cherry Hill, N.J. after the group allegedly tried to buy automatic weapons, the Newark Star-Ledger reported, citing an unnamed law enforcement source. The sixth man was arrested in a different location.

An arms dealer working with the FBI brought the men to a secret meeting to purchase AK-47s, newspaper reported.

The suspects will appear later today in federal court in Camden to face charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. servicemen, said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey.

[ChamberedRound]

I saw another article on this as well, which had some additional text which some here might find interesting. Note the last paragraph (I've put it in bold in the quote below):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070508/...plot_army_dc_2

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Six New Jersey men have been arrested in what authorities said was a plot to kill soldiers at a U.S. Army installation in New Jersey, local media reported on Tuesday.

Investigators said the men planned to use automatic weapons to enter Fort Dix and kill as many soldiers as possible, according to the Newark Star-Ledger and television stations in Philadelphia and New York.

FBI agents arrested five of the men in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and another elsewhere after members of the group allegedly attempted to buy automatic weapons, the Star-Ledger reported.

The suspects will be charged with terrorism conspiracy on Tuesday in federal court in Camden, New Jersey, according the reports.

The suspects traveled over the last several months from New Jersey to the Pocono mountains area in northeastern Pennsylvania where they practiced firing automatic weapons, the reports said.

I'm sure some idiot politician is going to figure out a way to twist this into use for a gun-control agenda.

[Johannes_Paulsen]

"Six Nationals of the Former Yugoslavia"?

Bosnian Muslims, perhaps?

An inner instinct says yes. If these guys were Serbs pining for revenge after the '99 war, the article probably would've said "Serb nationals".

EDIT: Washington Post says they were ethnic Albanians (presumably from Kosovo)....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=topnews

[OneLungMcClung]

Heh, this article they're from Yugoslavia. Man the media is falling all over itself for details, as usual. It doesnt help that the feds are keeping it secret.
So far in the press I've read that the shooters were from:
- Albania
- Serbia
- Yugoslavia
- Kosovo
- Bosnia

So with that in mind, maybe someone wants to hazard a guess as to the motive for the alleged attack by these AlboSerbiYugoKosoBosnian terrorists is?

[billamj]

OK, so here is the latest AP story via Yahoo.

6 charged with plot on Army base in N.J.

By GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press Writer 35 minutes ago

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. - Six men from the former Yugoslavia were arrested on charges they plotted to attack the Fort Dix Army base and "kill as many soldiers as possible," federal authorities said Tuesday.
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The suspects were described as "Islamic radicals," said U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Greg Reinert.

They were scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Camden later Tuesday to face charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. servicemen, said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey. Five of them lived in Cherry Hill, he said.

"They were planning an attack on Fort Dix in which they would kill as many soldiers as possible," Drewniak said.

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because documents in the case remain sealed, said the attack was stopped in the planning stages.

Authorities believe the men trained in the Poconos for the attack and also conducted surveillance at other area military institutions, including Fort Monmouth, the official said. The official said that the men had lived in the United States for some time.

The six were arrested trying to buy automatic weapons in a sale set-up by law enforcement authorities, the official said.

State Police Capt. Al Della Fave said Tuesday that the investigation had been in the works for about a year. The arrests were first reported by WNBC-TV in New York.

Jerri Williams, spokeswoman for the
FBI in Philadelphia, said U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie and J.P. Weis, special agent in charge of the FBI in Philadelphia, would release further information later Thursday.

Five of suspects lived in Cherry Hill, about 10 miles east of Philadelphia and 20 miles southwest of Fort Dix, Drewniak said.

Fort Dix is used to train soldiers, particularly reservists. In 1999, it sheltered more than 4,000 ethnic Albanian refugees during the
NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.

After that war, refugees were allowed to return to the U.N.-run province of
Kosovo in Serbia or to seek permanent residency in the United States. The
U.N. Security Council is considering whether to approve a plan to grant Kosovo independence from Serbia under the supervision of the
European Union and the United States.

So, based on this I would say that they could be either ethnic Bosnians or Albanians since those two areas supposedly have a higher concentration of Islamic individuals. Of course, there is more to come.

[phillyd2]

Would not mind if they were plotting against the USAF but the Army? These Yugo bastards need to die

[billamj]

Would not mind if they were plotting against the USAF but the Army? These Yugo bastards need to die

If I want any crap out of you I'll unscrew your neck and dip it out.

[ChamberedRound]

If I want any crap out of you I'll unscrew your neck and dip it out.

HHHHHAAAAHHHHH!!!! ROFL...

[762xIan]

ChamberedRound hit my thoughts exactly....article says they were shooting/practicing here in PA...how soon before Red Rendell uses this as an excuse to drum for more gun control?

[Johannes_Paulsen]

If I want any crap out of you I'll unscrew your neck and dip it out.

I'm wit ya on that. My AAFES buying privileges thru the grace of my dad (USAF Ret.) are on the line!