Jury Selection Starts In Bronx Terror Case

Today, jury selection begins in the case of the four men accused of plotting to bomb Bronx synagogues and shoot military planes in Newburgh, NY. The men who were arrested while trying to plant a bomb outside a Riverdale synagogue; the bomb's materials were fake, given to them by an informant. While prosecutors claim the men were "disappointed...that the best target (the World Trade Center) was hit already" and Police Commission Ray Kelly said, "They stated that they wanted to commit jihad," defense lawyers say the men were entrapped by the government informant (even suggesting they were lured by fried chicken). At any rate, Riverdale residents are still unnerved; one told WCBS 2, "I can't believe it happened here. It's Riverdale."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on June 14, 2010 11:29 AM

Comments [rss]

John L

"I can't believe it happened here. It's Riverdale."

Quote of the week, lol.

I don't know why we're treating terrorists as if they're regular criminals. They should be tried for treason or create a new classification and subject them to military courts. It's just a matter of time before a jury buys one of these guys' stories and lets them loose. Maybe not in this case but in some of these cases there's sensitive and classified materials that shouldn't be made to the public. I don't know enough about this but it seems that these cases require special considerations that some juries might not understand.

Pete

Yea, it's Riverdale. Where the Riverdale Press was firebombed back in the day for supporting Salman Rushdie.

NYTimes: March 1, 1989 -

Office of Weekly Paper in Riverdale Is Firebombed