Suspects in US Muslim community bomb plot plead guilty

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - Three men accused of plotting to bomb a Muslim community in upstate New York with homemade explosives pleaded guilty on Friday, according to multiple reports.

In January three young men and a 16-year-old were arrested and accused of plotting to attack Islamberg, a town near Binghampton, New York. Police said that the suspects had access to 23 rifles, and 3 explosive devices, in the home of the 16-year old.

Police began an investigation into the plot after a suspicious comment was reported where a student said a person in a photo "looks like a school shooter."

Andrew Crysel, 18, and Brian Colaneri, 20, both pleaded guilty to terrorism-related conspiracy and face four to 12 years in prison, according to The Associated Press.

Vincent Vetromile, 19, pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted criminal possession of a weapon and faces seven to 12 years in prison.

The 16-year-old is being tried as a juvenile in a youth criminal court.

Islamberg was founded in the 1980s by Mubarak Ali Gilani, a cleric originally from Pakistan, as a rural enclave for Muslims who were escaping crime and poverty that existed in urban areas. The community is comprised largely of black Muslims.

Right winged groups claim the town is a haven for extremists and terrorists, however, no evidence has shown to support the allegations.

A 2008 counter-terrorism analysis from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point concluded there is no evidence that Islamberg is a part of a network of "paramilitary training grounds."

In 2017, a man was convicted on federal charges with attempting to burn down a mosque in Islamberg.