Four arrested for plotting to bomb New York Muslim community

Three men and a high-school student have been arrested for planning to bomb a Muslim community in upstate New York, authorities said on Tuesday.

Three men and a high-school student have been arrested for planning to bomb a Muslim community in upstate New York, authorities said on Tuesday.

The Rochester-area residents are accused of plotting to attack the small Muslim enclave of Islamberg, a rural settlement about 150 miles (241km) northwest of New York City.

Brian Colaneri, 20, Andrew Crysel, 18, and Vincent Vetromile, 19, face weapons and conspiracy charges. A 16-year-old student at Odyssey Academy, a school in Greece, New York, was charged with the same offences but was not identified due to his age.

At the time of their weekend arrests, the men, three of whom were in the Boy Scouts together, had access to 23 rifles and shotguns and three home-made explosives

A lunchroom comment by the student during school on Friday launched the investigation, Greece Police Chief Patrick Phelan told reporters at a news conference.