Seven charged with terror plot

A group of young men seized in a Miami warehouse have been charged in a federal indictment with conspiring...

A group of young men seized in a Miami warehouse have been charged in a federal indictment with conspiring with al-Qaeda to commit acts of violence in the United States, including blowing up Chicago8217;s Sears Tower.

The seven individuals indicted by a federal grand jury were taken into custody on Thursday when authorities swarmed the warehouse in the Liberty City area, removing a metal door with a blow torch. The indictment also alleges plans to blow a federal building in Miami in conjunction with the al-Qaeda network.

According to the indictment handed up on Thursday, a young man identified as Narseal Batiste, beginning in November 2005, recruited and trained the others 8216;8216;for a mission to wage war against the United States government,8217;8217; including a plot to destroy the Sears Tower.

To obtain money and support for their mission, the conspirators sought help from al-Qaeda, pledged an oath to the terrorist organisation and supported an al-Qaeda plot to destroy FBI buildings, the four-count indictment charged.

Batiste met several times in December 2005 with a person purporting to be an al-Qaeda member and asked for boots, uniforms, machine guns, radios, vehicles and 50,000 in cash to help him build an 8216;8216;Islamic Army to wage jihad,8217;8217; the indictment said. It said that Batiste said he would use his 8216;8216;soldiers8217;8217; to destroy the Sears Tower.

In February 2006, it said, Batiste told the 8216;8216;al-Qaeda representative8217;8217; that he and his five soldiers wanted to attend al-Qaeda training and planned a 8216;8216;full ground war8217;8217; against the United States in order to 8216;8216;kill all the devils we can.8217;8217; His mission would 8216;8216;be just as good or greater than 9/11,8217;8217; the indictment accused Batiste of boasting. In Washington, Richard Kolko, spokesman for FBI headquarters told the media 8216;8216;There is no imminent threat to Miami or any other area because of these operations.8217;8217;

8216;8216;It would be inappropriate for us to confirm or deny the details of the news reports about federal law enforcement action before an official statement from Justice department,8217;8217; CNN quoted Managing Director of the Sears Tower Barbara Carley as saying.