23 June 2006
Seven U.S. Terror Suspects Seeking al-Qaida Support Arrested
Case highlights threat of "homegrown" terrorist cells, says U.S. attorney general
Washington – Seven alleged supporters of al-Qaida were arrested in Miami and charged with conspiracy to target the Sears Tower in Chicago and seven government buildings for attacks, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
“Because of the fine work by law enforcement, these men were unable to advance their deadly plot beyond the initial planning stage,” said U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in a June 23 press conference.
According to the indictment, the group, which calls itself the “Seas of David,” approached an informant posing as a member of al-Qaida with a proposal to launch terrorist attacks as part of what they described as “a full ground war” against the United States.
The group conducted surveillance of several federal office buildings in Miami and discussed bombing the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the United States. According to the indictment, they told the informant that their attacks – beginning with the destruction of the Sears Tower – would be “as good or better than the 9/11 attacks.”
The group pledged allegiance to al-Qaida, according to the indictment, and asked the informant to provide them with equipment including boots, uniforms, machine guns, radios, vehicles, as well as $50,000 in cash.
Gonzales said that the men have been indicted on four counts: conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization; conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists; conspiracy to maliciously damage and destroy by means of an explosive; and conspiring to levy war against the U.S. government.
While under arrest and indicted, the men remain innocent until proven guilty, Gonzales said. Investigations of their activities are continuing and may result in additional charges. If convicted, the men could face decades in prison.
“This investigation reminds us that while we have made tremendous progress in combating terrorism, the struggle is far from over,” said FBI Deputy Director John Pistole, who joined Gonzales at the press conference. “We cannot afford to become complacent, as the threat is real and the stakes are high.”
Pistole acknowledged that while the group’s plans appeared to be “more aspirational than operational,” the arrests demonstrate the challenges faced by law enforcement against what the attorney general described as a “new brand of terrorism” created by “the convergence of globalization and technology.”
“Today, terrorist threats may come from smaller, more loosely defined cells who are not affiliated with al-Qaida, but who are inspired by a violent jihadist message and, left unchecked, these homegrown terrorists may prove to be as dangerous,” said Gonzales.
The group, which lived together in a small warehouse, consisted of five American citizens, one noncitizen national, and an individual from Haiti residing in the country illegally. Gonzales said their activities support experts’ concerns that terrorist cells are becoming smaller, harder to track and “self-radicalized.” (See related article.)
Gonzales compared the Miami men to groups of native-born terrorists that killed their fellow citizens in bombings in Spain and the United Kingdom in recent years, as well as the 17 men recently arrested by Canadian law enforcement and charged with planning a terrorist attack.
The arrests were the result of an investigation led by the FBI's South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force in Miami. There are 56 JTTFs across the United States, comprised of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose primary work is to identify and disrupt terrorist cells before they can commit acts of terror.
The attorney general’s prepared remarks as well as a fact sheet about the case are available from the U.S. Department of Justice Web site.
For more information, see Response to Terrorism.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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