By N. Clark Judd
It was all over in about 25 minutes.
That’s what Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said about last night’s attempted bombings at Riverdale Temple and Riverdale Jewish Center. Four men planted what they believed was active C-4 explosive in two parked cars, one for each Independence Avenue institution.
The explosives were inert, Mr. Kelly said; an FBI informant had sold it to the alleged would-be bombers, along with an inoperable Stinger missile launcher they planned to use to shoot down planes at a New York Air National Guard base near their homes in Newburgh, N.Y.
Mr. Kelly said the institutions’ proximity to the Henry Hudson Parkway may have made them “convenient” targets for James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen, the men accused of attempting the bombings.
With the exception of Mr. Payen, who is Haitian, the men are all American citizens. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the men believed they were receiving their supplies from Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organization based in Pakistan. Mr. Kelly said the men wished to retaliate against the United States for its involvement there and in Afghanistan.
Asked if it was safe to infer the men were amateurs because they could not tell they had been sold inoperable equipment, Mr. Kelly replied, “The only thing I would infer is they wanted to kill people.”
He added the men apparently had virulent anti-Semitic tendencies.
In a press conference this morning, Mr. Kelly said the men were “petty criminals” who had all spent time in prison, where they are believed to have met.
NYPD Emergency Services Unit officers waited nearby last night as the men planted what they thought were explosives outside the temple and the Jewish center, Mr. Kelly said. When the men returned to their sport-utility vehicle, police approached in an armored vehicle called a BearCat, shattered the windows — the windows were tinted and the officers needed to see inside — and made their arrests, said Mr. Kelly.
A witness previously told The Riverdale Press she heard gunshots. Mr. Kelly said no weapons were discharged in the event; it’s likely the witness was hearing the SUV’s windows being shattered.
Mr. Kelly said Riverdale would see an increased police presence in the coming weeks; local elected officials expressed fear that someone would attempt a copycat attack.
“I think our community needs special protection now,” said City Councilman Oliver Koppell. “I’m sure we’ll get it.”
