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THE C I TYOF NEW YORK

OFFICEOFTHE MAYORNEW YORK, NY 10007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 12, 2011

No. 152www.nyc.gov

MAYOR BLOOMBERG UPDATES NEW YORKERS ON THE ARREST OF TWO

SUSPECTS IN SYNAGOGUE TERROR CASE WITH POLICE COMMISSIONER KELLY

AND MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY VANCE

Mayor Michael R. Bloombergs remarks as delivered in the Blue Room of City Hall today follow:

Good afternoon. Im joined by Police Commissioner Kelly, Deputy Commissioner for

Intelligence David Cohen, and our Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. And were also honoredto have with us today Rabbi Michael Miller and David Pollock from the Jewish Community

Relations Council, the JCRC, and Imam Shamsi Ali, the Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center on

96th Street and Jamaica Muslim Center in Queens.

The successful raid on Osama bin Ladens compound was a critically important victory in

our nations war against terrorism, and it was a testament to exceptional work done by our militaryand intelligence communities. But we knew that we could not rest for a moment.

New York City is an international symbol of freedom and liberty. And for that reason, wewill always be a target we will always be on guard to protect the people of this city.

Yesterday, detectives from the NYPD arrested two men who said they wanted to destroy a

major synagogue in Manhattan, and then purchased several weapons and a hand grenade from anundercover officer.

Fortunately, long before their aspirations could take hold, New York City police officers

were watching them and were in a position to take them into custody, before they could maim andmurder innocent New Yorkers.

We are concerned about lone wolves acting against New York City in the wake of the

killing of bin Laden. And thats why the case before us today is so important.

No city has invested more in counterterrorism efforts than ours, because keeping NewYorkers safe is our highest priority. By assigning 1,000 of our best officers to counterterrorism and

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intelligence duties, and by investing in high-tech systems that improve our ability to identify and

react to potential terrorist activity, the NYPD has been able to prevent terrorists from striking our

city since the attacks of 9/11.

As I said last week during our budget presentation, we always make sure the Police

Department has enough resources to protect this city, and, if necessary, well figure out how to payfor it later. Commissioner Kelly has done a masterful job over the years of doing more with less,

including assigning more than a thousand police officers daily to counterterrorism duties.

Yesterdays developments, and 12 other plots thwarted since 9/11, I think are ample

evidence of just how good a job theyve done. I wanted to commend Commissioner Kelly and his

investigators, as well as District Attorney Vance and his outstanding staff for pursuing this

important case.

Before Commissioner Kelly provides details of the investigation and arrests that took place

last evening, let me just point that even as the NYPD continues to do such great work in this area,

today there was a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on a measure that would haveprevented people on the terrorist watch list from purchasing guns. Im sorry to report that that

measure failed. Our Coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns has urged Congress to pass suchrestrictions, and last nights arrest is a perfect illustration why.

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Contact: Stu Loeser (212) 788-2958

Michael Miller and David Pollock of the JCRC attended the press conference announcing the arrest

of two suspects accused of plotting to bomb a major synagogue in Manhattan. As Mayor

Bloomberg explained in his opening remarks:

Yesterday, detectives from the NYPD arrested two men who said they wanted to destroy a major

synagogue in Manhattan, and then purchased several weapons and a hand grenade from an

undercover officer.

Fortunately, long before their aspirations could take hold, New York City police officers were

watching them and were in a position to take them into custody, before they could maim and

murder innocent New Yorkers.

Read Mayor Bloomberg's full remarkshere.

Ahmed Ferhani, 26, and Mohamed Mamdouh, 20, are charged with multiple felony counts and hate

crimes carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. In the course of the

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investigation Mr. Ferhani expressed clear anti-Semitism and asked an undercover officer whether he

would join him in a plan to bomb a synagogue.

Manhattan DA, Cyrus Vance, Jr., noted:

"The defendants plotted and took concrete steps to bomb synagogues and kill Jewish New Y orkersas an act of terrorism"

Read DA Vance's statement here. Read the full criminal complaint providing more detailshere.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly described the police activities leading to the arrests and

commended NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence David Cohen and his team for their

outstanding work.

Commissioner Kelly commented that:

"While there are no specific plots targeting New York City in the wake of Bin Laden's death, thislatest case reminds us that we must remain vigilant every day ..."

JCRC Executive Vice President &

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