Seven arrests over «Chicago plot»
The FBI has arrested seven people in the US city of Miami who were planning to blow up Chicago's Sears Tower and other targets, officials say.
The arrests were made in the poor Liberty City area of north Miami, officials said, but no weaponry or bomb-making equipment was found.
The seven, mainly Americans, had no apparent links to international terror.
Reports suggested a US agent may have infiltrated the group by posing as a member of al-Qaeda.
"In the past couple of days, the US government has taken into custody seven people who were conspiring to conduct jihad [holy war] in the United States," one official told the Reuters news agency.
"They thought they were dealing with al-Qaeda," he said, adding that they hoped to buy weapons.
Unconfirmed media reports said that five of those detained were US citizens, and the other two were foreigners, including one Haitian.
'Brainwashed'
Neighbours in the Liberty City area spoke cautiously of the men, who were described as Muslims and apparently slept in a warehouse where they were arrested.
"They said they had given their life to Allah"
Tashawn Rose
Neighbour
One told the Associated Press that the men ran a "military boot camp" from the building.
"They would come out late at night and exercise. It seemed like a military boot camp they were working on there. They would come out and stand guard," said Tashawn Rose.
"They seemed brainwashed. They said they had given their lives to Allah," she added.
Targets
As well as the 435-metre (1,450-foot) Sears Tower, the tallest building in the US, the group were planning to target a federal building in Miami, and some FBI buildings, officials said.
But the seven were not posing any immediate danger, according to the FBI.
"There is no imminent threat to Miami or any other area," said FBI spokesman Richard Kolko.
There were a large number of law enforcement officials involved in the operation, one local businessman told AP.
"There is a ton of guys in uniforms moving around, blocking the streets," said Cedric Thomas.
US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is due to give more details of the raids at a news conference later on Friday.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/06/23 04:41:29 GMT
© BBC MMVI
2006-06-23
© BBC NEWS
Chicago
http://news.bbc.co.uk
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/5108546.stm
The arrests were made in the poor Liberty City area of north Miami, officials said, but no weaponry or bomb-making equipment was found.
The seven, mainly Americans, had no apparent links to international terror.
Reports suggested a US agent may have infiltrated the group by posing as a member of al-Qaeda.
"In the past couple of days, the US government has taken into custody seven people who were conspiring to conduct jihad [holy war] in the United States," one official told the Reuters news agency.
"They thought they were dealing with al-Qaeda," he said, adding that they hoped to buy weapons.
Unconfirmed media reports said that five of those detained were US citizens, and the other two were foreigners, including one Haitian.
'Brainwashed'
Neighbours in the Liberty City area spoke cautiously of the men, who were described as Muslims and apparently slept in a warehouse where they were arrested.
"They said they had given their life to Allah"
Tashawn Rose
Neighbour
One told the Associated Press that the men ran a "military boot camp" from the building.
"They would come out late at night and exercise. It seemed like a military boot camp they were working on there. They would come out and stand guard," said Tashawn Rose.
"They seemed brainwashed. They said they had given their lives to Allah," she added.
Targets
As well as the 435-metre (1,450-foot) Sears Tower, the tallest building in the US, the group were planning to target a federal building in Miami, and some FBI buildings, officials said.
But the seven were not posing any immediate danger, according to the FBI.
"There is no imminent threat to Miami or any other area," said FBI spokesman Richard Kolko.
There were a large number of law enforcement officials involved in the operation, one local businessman told AP.
"There is a ton of guys in uniforms moving around, blocking the streets," said Cedric Thomas.
US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is due to give more details of the raids at a news conference later on Friday.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/06/23 04:41:29 GMT
© BBC MMVI
2006-06-23
© BBC NEWS
Chicago
http://news.bbc.co.uk
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/5108546.stm
posted by Raul at
5:05 PM
