4 indicted in S. California terror plot

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Four men in southern California have been indicted for plotting a string of terrorist attacks on U.S. military facilities and synagogues.

The six-count indictment accuses Kevin James, 29, Levar Washington, 25, and Gregory Patterson and Hammad Samana, both 21, of planning attacks on National Guard recruitment centers and the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles.

The indictment alleges the plot was hatched by James, currently an inmate at one of the two state prisons in Folsom, Calif., and alleged founder of a small gang of radical Muslims.

Government officials told the Los Angeles Times they have no evidence the men were tied to al-Qaida or any other foreign terrorist group.

Federal prosecutors claim the group had gone as far as drawing up a list of potential targets, and began robbing gas stations to raise money for the attacks. The indictment also said the defendants were trying to find an explosives expert to help them.