Police in Greece, New York, have arrested and charged four suspects who allegedly planned to attack a nearby Muslim community. The four men were each charged with three counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of conspiracy. According to court paperwork, the suspects are accused of having multiple IEDs in the shape of medium to large-sized cylinders and mason jars wrapped in duct tape. Investigators say they have recovered 23 rifles and shotguns, all legal weapons, from multiple homes, and found three IEDs in the home of one of the suspects. Each suspect is charged with the intent to use the IEDs in a plot against the hamlet of Islamberg, a small enclave of Muslim families living on shared land, located about 150 miles northwest of New York City. The enclave has been targeted in the past.
The suspects arrested are 20-year-old Brian Colaneri, 18-year-old Andrew Crysel, 19-year-old Vincent Vetromile, and an unidentified 16-year-old. The suspects planned the attack on Discord, a chat service usually used by gamers, police said at a press conference Tuesday. Police uncovered the Islamberg plot after launching an investigation when the 16-year-old suspect allegedly showed a picture of another student to a group of kids and said: “He looks like a school shooter doesn’t he?” One student immediately reported the comment to an adult. Police said there was never a threat against the school.
Read it at WHEC
