Alleged terror aimed at military, Israelis

SANTA ANA, Calif., Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Four men were indicted Wednesday in California in an alleged plot to attack U.S. military facilities, Israeli property and Jewish synagogues.

All four were in state or federal custody.

The Justice Department said the men staged a series of gas station robberies to raise money for the terrorist operation, allegedly run by an inmate at California State Prison in Sacramento. The department said Kevin James, 29, founded the radical Islamic organization known as Jam'iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh, or JIS, while in prison in 1997.

The indictment alleged recruitment for the plot began in prison. It said defendant Levar Washington -- a 25-year-old U.S. national who uses "Abdur Rahman" and other aliases -- recruited other co-conspirators to plot terrorist acts and commit armed robberies.

Indicted with James -- also known as "Shakyh Shahaab Murshid" and other aliases -- were 21-year-old U.S. national Gregory Patterson and Hammad Samana, 21, a lawful permanent U.S. resident originally from Pakistan.

The indictment charges all four with conspiracy to wage war against the U.S. government through terrorism, and conspiracy to possess and discharge firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence.

Washington, Patterson and Samana are charged with conspiracy to kill members of the U.S. government uniformed services and conspiracy to kill foreign officials.