Suspects May Be Part Of A U.S. Operated Terrorist Cell
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- FBI agents have arrested five men in a suburb of Buffalo, N.Y., who they believe may be part of an al-Qaida terrorist cell operating in the United States.
U.S. officials say five men of Yemeni descent, most believed to American citizens, were arrested in Lackawanna, outside Buffalo.
Officials declined to describe many of the details of the case, saying it was sealed. But officials were considering an announcement in Washington this weekend to provide more details.
The officials said the men were on U.S. soil for years and lived just a few blocks from each other, but were discovered through recent investigation and intelligence suggesting they were part of a terrorist cell.
A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Justice Department plans to charge the men in the Buffalo area capture with providing material support and resources to terrorists.
The arrests will be announced by the Justice Department at a news conference Saturday, the source said.
Officials believe there might be more suspects trained by al-Qaida and linked to this group, and they are looking for them. The al-Qaida-trained cell, a phrase use by the source, apparently trained overseas.
The evidence included a recent spike in communications with suspected terrorist locations overseas, and some evidence of attendance at a terror training camp linked to Osama bin Laden, the officials said.
The officials said, however, there was no evidence the men were in any stages of launching a terrorist attack.