July 22, 2005

Amateurish terrorist plot in Los Angeles?

Earlier this month Torrance police arrested two South L.A. residents for a series of armed robberies. However, after searching their apartment the cops found a list of possible terrorism targets, including three National Guard facilities.

Over to the NBC4 Investigative Unit and July 15th's "Possible Terror Evidence In Robbery Probe":

According to a senior official familiar with the case, when police searched Washington's apartment on West 27th Street, looking for evidence of the robberies, they instead found a list of targets and notes of an operation which detailed a need for cash, explosives, weapons, even remote control devices. Our informant tells us it was all part of a plot to blow up targets in the Los Angeles area... A local police source says Gregory Patterson may have worked at LAX; the airport was on the list of targets. LAX officials say they the FBI has asked them not to comment....

Both suspects are reportedly converts to Islam, and one is reportedly a current or former gang member:

A source close to the investigation says Washington and Patterson may be linked to a wider plot involving a prison-based gang called "Jimiyat Islam Sahid" or JIS. According to gang experts, JIS recruits former gang members such as the Crips in prisons such as Folsom, where Washington served time.

The L.A. Times offered the earlier "Suspect Possessed a Military Sites List", but, the NBC4 report covers more possibilities. NPR weighed in with yesterday's "FBI Investigates Suspected L.A. Homeland Threat".

Posted to Terrorism at July 22, 2005 05:35 AM

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