A group of young men seized in a Miami warehouse have been charged in a federal indictment with conspiring with al-Qaeda to "levy war against the United States" by committing acts of violence including blowing up Chicago's Sears Tower.
The seven individuals indicted by a federal grand jury were taken into custody yesterday when authorities raided a warehouse in the Liberty City area of Miami. The indictment also alleges plans to blow a federal building in Miami in conjunction with the al-Qaida terrorist network.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other senior Bush administration officials scheduled a news conference for later today and a similar briefing was held in Miami. The seven are expected to appear in court later today.
According to the indictment handed up yesterday, a young man identified as Narseal Batiste, beginning in November 2005, recruited and trained the others "for a mission to wage war against the United States government," including a plot to destroy the Sears Tower.
The seven defendants were charged with conspiring to "maliciously damage and destroy by means of an explosive" the FBI building in North Miami Beach and the Sears Tower in Chicago.
They were are also charged with conspiring "to levy war against the government of the United States, and to oppose by force the authority thereof."
Residents living near the warehouse said the men taken into custody described themselves as Muslims and had tried to recruit young people to join their group. Tashawn Rose, 29, said they tried to recruit her younger brother and nephew for a karate class.
Residents said FBI agents spent several hours in the neighborhood showing photos of the suspects and seeking information. They said the men had lived in the area for about a year.
In addition to Batiste and Augustin the defendants were identified as Patrick Abraham, or "Brother Pat"; Stanley Grant Phanor, or "Brother Sunni"; Naudimar Herrera or "Brother Naudy"; Lyglenson Lemorin, also known as "Brother Levi" or Brother Levi-El"; and Rotschild Augustine, or "Brother Rot."