LOS ANGELES — FBI Director Robert Mueller warned the Senate Intelligence Committee in February that prisons are "fertile ground for extremists."

Yesterday, Mueller’s statement rang true to Los Angeles FBI and police officers who, after months of careful investigation, successfully detained four men plotting terrorist attacks on Southland military bases, synagogues and other Israeli targets. 

The attacks were planned by radical Islam group Jamiyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh (JIS) leader Kevin James, who was currently serving a state sentence for possession of a weapon, but will most likely be transferred to a federal prison. James originally founded JIS while incarcerated in 1997.

The indictment also includes JIS members Levar Washington, Gregory Patterson and Pakistan-born Hammad Samana, who over the past months have been involved in a series of gas station robberies. Authorities believe the thefts were carried out to finance the group’s more extreme plans.

A police raid of Washington and Patterson’s Torrance apartment uncovered recently purchased firearms and evidence of possible bomb making. Authorities speculate that JIS had planned their attacks, which also include Israeli airline El Al at LAX, to coincide with impending Jewish holidays beginning Oct. 3.  Authorities believe Sept. 11 could have also been a prime target day.   

In a news conference in Los Angeles, U.S. Attorney Debra Yang said, "The evidence in this case indicates that the conspirators were on the verge of launching their attack." She further noted that the entire situation was “based on one man's interpretation of Islam."

When asked how synagogues were responding to the conspired attacks, a spokesperson at Em Habanim synagogue, in North Hollywood said most synagogues “try to remain as discreet as possible” in an effort to avoid acts of terrorism. 

While the discovery and captured of the recent JIS group is a victory for Los Angeles’ Jewish population, it also serves as a reminder of the U.S.’s susceptibility to terrorism.

If convicted, all four men face life in prison.

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