NEW YORK - Six alleged Islamic radicals charged with plotting an attack on a US Army base in the northeastern state of New Jersey were ordered held without bail Friday, prosecutors said.
The six were ordered detained at a hearing in Camden, just east of Philadelphia, after prosecutors argued they posed a flight risk and were a danger to the community, US attorney's office spokesman Greg Reinert said.
Five of the group are charged with plotting to kill "as many soldiers as possible" at the Fort Dix base and face life in jail if convicted. The sixth is charged with aiding in acquiring illegal firearms and faces a 10 year stretch.
Federal authorities said Tuesday the six were arrested after a 16-month sting operation as they tried to buy automatic rifles. One of the accused was believed to be familiar with the base through delivering pizzas there.
Federal authorities said the group -- which included three brothers from the former Yugoslavia, one man born in Turkey and another born in Jordan -- were not believed to have any connection with foreign Islamic militant groups.
Their alleged plot was foiled after a shore clerk alerted police to a "disturbing" video that the suspects, all in their 20s, had made of themselves firing guns and shouting "Allahu Akbar" -- Arabic for God is greater.
One of the suspects allegedly told an informer that they planned to kill "at least one hundred soldiers" by using rocket-propelled grenades or other weapons in the attack on the base, according to prosecutors.
05/11/2007 18:10 GMT