Two Indicted, Plead Not Guilty in Alleged Plot to Bomb New York Synagogues
Two men arrested last month and accused of plotting acts of terrorism at New York synagogues were indicted by a grand jury and pleaded not guilty.
Ahmed Ferhani, 26, a native of Nigeria, and Morocco-born Mohamed Mamdouh, 20, residents of Queens, New York, were arrested May 11 after an eight-month undercover operation conducted by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the New York police.
Ferhani and Mamdouh said on April 12 they wanted to blow up a synagogue and discussed how to do it without being caught, according to the indictment. Ferhani also asked an undercover detective if he could contact someone about how to make a bomb, the indictment said. Ferhani allegedly said they should dress as Jewish worshippers and leave a bag with a bomb. He said on May 9 he wanted to blow up 10 synagogues at once, the indictment said.