Part One of this story of government-sponsored terrorism can be found here.
The trial for James Cromitie, 55, David Williams, 28, Onta Williams, 32, and Laguerre Payen, 27 -- otherwise known as the Bronx Bomber 'terrorist' suspects -- seems to be imminent. They face up to life sentences if convicted. Recently, the lawyers of the four accused have filed a motion to dismiss the terror indictment against them.
The most recent mainstream news regarding the development comes from NBCNewYork.com. The article is titled "Synagogue Bomb Suspects: The Feds Put Us Up to It!"
The writers open with the claims of the defense attorneys, who say that the alleged plot to bomb New York synagogues was hatched and directed by a federal informant, Shaheed Hussain (aka Maqsood). They said the informant chose the targets, supplied fake bombs for the synagogues and a fake missile to shoot down planes. The motion said Hussain also offered to pay the defendants, who attorneys alleged weren't inclined toward any crime until the informant began recruiting them.
"The government well knew that their case had been a government-inspired creation from day one and that the defendants had not been independently seeking weapons or targets," the motion said.
The article is selective when it comes to describing the motivations of the would-be Bombers. The government criminal complaint is cited, emphasizing that the suspects were "angry and full of hate for America." Cromitie hated "those f-ing Jewish bastards" and that it would be a "piece of cake" to bomb a Jewish Center in Riverdale. The defense alleged that Hussain tried to incite the defendants by blaming Jews for the world's evil and telling them that attacks against non-Muslims were endorsed by Islam.
However, it's also stated: "Months went by between meetings [between the informant and the four accused], and the filings quote Cromitie as saying, "I'm not gonna hurt anybody" and "The plane thing ... is out of the question."
Curiously, the writers from NBCNewYork.com sidestep reports of cash bribes, gifts of free rent money, promises of cars and jobs, payments for an expensive family hospital bill, and all the marijuana handed over to the would-be bombers by the government asset. Instead, we're vaguely told informant Hussain had "as much as $250,000 available and the government provided him with a BMW, a Hummer and other cars to make him appear well-funded, the defense filings said." When it comes to details, the writers only say the FBI informant gave them groceries, supplied them with money to buy a pistol, and finally gave them the fake bombs and fake missile launcher.
No doubt, the defense attorneys will have more to say about that. While we have yet to hear anything else from NBCNewYork.com, the writers did briefly mention: "In a separate motion, they [the defense attorneys] demanded more information on inducements that the informant may have offered the defendants." In other words, the bribes.
Even stranger, the article says Cromitie approached the FBI informant first, thus triggering the entire chain of events. This claim is the opposite of what was reported earlier. Previous stories agree that the informant targeted Cromitie and badgered him until the arrests were made. Finally and most importantly, we're told the informant couldn't motivate the accused to commit acts of terrorism through ideological and religious means. And yet the four became motivated somehow later, with no explanation. Why was this?
In conclusion, there also remains speculation that the would-be Bombers were even thinking about defrauding the informant in the end. Take the money and run, so to speak. Other misguided, opportunistic criminal suspects under investigation have attempted such schemes before, thus hastening the government to move in and end the 'sting'. In such a scenario, the would-be bombers might have gotten cold feet and decided to flee instead with whatever cash and other rewards Hussain had given them. This scenario would surely bring about their arrest no differently than if they got caught trying to enact the fake crime.
Whatever the case, the upcoming trial will be intense, and may linger with several mistrials for lack of a clear case.
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