Four white men arrested over attempted terrorist attack on US Muslim community
January 23, 2019
NEW YORK CITY: A student's tip-off led to the arrest and charging of four white men — one of them a teenage boy — on Tuesday for allegedly planning to bomb Islamberg here in the city.
Islamberg, a community set up by a Pakistani cleric in the early 1980s, has lately been the focus of numerous conspiracy theorists, including Infowars, claiming it to be the hub of terrorism training.
The arrested suspects — identified as Andrew Crysel, 18, Vincent Vetromile, 19, and Brian Colaneri, 20 — are "accused of possessing homemade bombs and firearms", the BBC reported.
The publication, citing investigators, wrote that the group "made at least three improvised explosive devices using duct tape and large jars and cylinders containing nails and other projectiles" and "23 firearms were also found at various locations".
The tip-off was received from a student who heard the teenage suspect talking about his plans, Greece Police Chief Patrick Phelan said, adding that a probe was launched into the incident.
The community has earlier faced threats from Robert Doggart, who plotted to burn down its mosque in 2017 and John Ritzheimer, who warned of an armed confrontation in 2015.
