Four men arrested on suspicion of planning attacks in New York

Four men have been arrested in New York on charges ranging from planning an attack on a Jewish synagogue to shooting down planes at a National Guard air base with surface-to-air guided missiles, the US district attorney said on Wednesday.Four men were arrested on charges linked with planning attacks against a Jewish synagogue and New York military bases, the US district attorney said in a statement Wednesday.The men were arrested "on charges arising from a plot to detonate explosives near a synagogue in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York, and to shoot military planes located at the New York Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York, with Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles," read the statement.To obtain weapons, the defendants dealt with an FBI informant, who provided the group "with an inactive missile and inert explosives," officials said.The men had been tracked over the past year, officials said.The suspects were identified as James Cromitie, also known as Abdul Rahman; David Williams, also known as Daoud or simply DL; Onta Williams, also known as Hamza; and Laguerre Payen, also known as Amin and Almondo.The statement was signed by acting attorney for the southern district of New York Lev Dassin, as well New York city police chief Raymond Kelly, and the acting head of the local Federal Bureau of Investigations office.