Times Herald-Record : Informant's story never questioned

Informant's story never questioned

By Jeremiah Horrigan | May 22, 2009

CITY OF NEWBURGH — The terrorist suspects arrested Wednesday in Newburgh didn't do their homework very well.

The unidentified informant who supplied the men with phony bomb and missile equipment claimed to be a member of a Pakistan jihadist group, but his credentials were apparently never questioned.

Jaish-e-Mohammad ("Army of Mohammed"), or JEM, which is based in Pakistan, has been implicated in the attacks on Mumbai, India, last year. The U.S. government has designated the group as a foreign terrorist organization.

According to FBI documents, James Cromitie, one the four accused men, told the informant he would be "interested" in joining Jaish-e-Mohammed to "do jihad."

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said if there can be any good news out of this case, it's that "the group was relatively unsophisticated, penetrated early and not connected to any outside group."

jhorrigan@th-record.com