Two men have been sentenced for their involvement in a plot to attack Jewish institutions and other targets in the Los Angeles area, including synagogues, the Israeli Consulate, Los Angeles International Airport, U.S. military recruiting offices and military bases.
Levar Haley Washington, 28, and Gregory Vernon Patterson, 23, were sentenced on June 23 and July 21, 2008, to 22 years and 12 years respectively. The men, who were arrested in 2005, were convicted of conspiracy to levy war against the United States through terrorism and conspiracy to possess and discharge firearms. Washington was also sentenced to an additional 22 years in prison on August 25, 2008, on related robbery and weapons charges.
A third defendant, Kevin James, 31, the apparent leader of the terror cell, pleaded guilty in federal court in Santa Ana to conspiring to levy war against the United States on December 14, 2007. James, currently an inmate at the New Folsom Prison near Sacramento on robbery charges, faces up to 20 years in prison in accordance with the plea agreement.
Both James and Washington admitted in their plea agreements that the purpose of their plot was "to retaliate against the governments of the United States and Israel by attacking targets in Southern California associated with the U.S. military and the Jewish religion."
In addition, James prepared a document titled "Notoriety Moves," which was to be given to the media following the planned attacks, announcing that this was just the first of a series of upcoming attacks. In the document, James warned that "those Jewish and non-Jewish supporters of an Israeli state…have a legitimate reason to fear for their safety."
In 1997, James founded Jam'iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh (JIS) – Arabic for Assembly of Authentic Islam – a group based on his interpretation of Islam, according to court documents. While in prison, James advocated targeting the U.S. and Israeli governments, as well as Jews, in retaliation for their policies regarding Muslims.
James' views are apparent in several documents he wrote in prison, including a 104-page document titled the "JIS Protocol." In this document, James supports the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate in the U.S. and describes "Jihad [as] the only true 'anti-terrorist action' [,] a defensive battle against the aggression of theological imposters led by Zionism." The document also advocated the killing of "lawful targets," including non-Muslims.
James met Washington in prison in 2004 and introduced him to JIS and its beliefs. Prior to Washington's release from prison that same year, James provided him with "Blueprint 2005," an instructional document urging prospective members of JIS to blend into society by getting married, obtaining a job and dressing casual. The document also urges followers to learn Arabic, to acquire two pistols with silencers and to learn how to make bombs.
Washington, who converted to Islam while he was in prison, used this document to recruit Patterson, an employee at Los Angeles International Airport, and a fourth defendant, Hammad Riaz Samana, at the Jamaat-E-Masijudal mosque in Inglewood, California, where they all worshipped. Both Patterson and Samana swore allegiance to Washington and pledged to serve as "mujahideen," according to court documents.
Samana, 24, has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial and is undergoing psychiatric care.
The object of the conspiracy was to "kill as many people as possible who were present at the locations," according to Washington's plea agreement. For example, the men planned to carry out their attack on a synagogue during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in order to increase the number of casualties. Another day the plotters had discussed as a possible occasion to carry out an attack was the fourth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, according to court documents.
The men reportedly conducted surveillance and used the internet to research possible targets. They did not plan to carry out suicide attacks initially, but Washington pledged his loyalty to James "until death by martyrdom," according to court documents. In addition, Patterson told authorities that "the ultimate goal is to die for Allah in a jihad."
In July 2005, the men engaged in firearms training and physical training at a park in Los Angeles in preparation for the attacks, according to the indictment.
In order to raise money to finance the plot, Patterson and Washington robbed at least 10 gas stations (part of the funds obtained in these robberies was directly linked by the FBI to Patterson's purchase of a .223 caliber rifle). The men were arrested by the Torrance police after Patterson dropped his cell phone at the scene of one of the robberies in July 2005.
Police were able to connect the robberies to the larger terror plot after authorities searched Washington and Patterson's apartment (the men were roommates). In their apartment, authorities discovered a two-page handwritten document, titled "Modes of Attack," which Samana wrote. The document consisted of a list of the addresses of each location they intended to attack and some phone numbers. The locations included the National Guard and military installations and a range of Jewish targets including synagogues in the Pico Robertson area of Los Angeles and the "Consulate of Zion," followed by the address of the Israeli consulate, an unexplained "Camp Site of Zion," and the El Al ticket counter at the Los Angeles International Airport.
Authorities found "Jihadi" literature, maps and bulletproof vests in the men's apartment. Washington and Patterson were also in possession of a shotgun and a rifle, which they used to rob the gas stations and planned to use to carry out the attacks.
Patterson admitted to authorities that the gas station robberies "were part of a jihad against the U.S., particularly against American oil companies who are stealing from 'our countries,' i.e., Muslim countries," according to the affidavit.
