Two New York men are under arrest after allegedly contacting Jewish organizations to get help making a radioactive device designed to "kill enemies of Israel."

Glendon Scott Crawford, a 49-year old man from Albany, and Eric J. Feight, a 54-year old resident of Hudson, are among the targets of a fourteen-month long investigation by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.  The investigation began after at least one of the men contacted several Jewish synagogues in the state, allegedly soliciting their assistance with the plot.

At the center of the case are charges that the men allegedly tried to make a "mobile, remotely operated, radiation-emitting device capable of killing targeted individuals silently with lethal doses of X-ray radiation."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is saying, "The defendants plotted to use this device against unwitting victims who would not immediately be aware that they had absorbed lethal doses of radiation, the harmful effects of which would only appear days after the exposure."

Law enforcement authorities say that at no time was any member of the public in danger, and that the device that was designed was "rendered inoperable at all times."

Several outlets are reporting that Crawford may have ties to the Ku Klux Klan, and are suggesting that the device was intended for sale to a KKK branch in the southern United States.  Crawford worked in manufacturing at General Electric.  A story in the Albany Times Union references a statement from GE that reads as follows: "On Tuesday afternoon the FBI informed GE that Glendon Scott Crawford, a GE manufacturing employee, was arrested for a criminal act. We have no reason to believe the act took place on GE property nor is there any information indicating that our employees' safety was ever compromised. Since this incident, Mr. Crawford has been suspended. We are cooperating fully with the authorities on their investigation."

In a written release the FBI notes that if the men are convicted each could face  a maximum sentence of fifteen years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release of up to five years following any jail time.

In addition to the FBI multiple agencies took part in the investigation including the New York State Police, Albany Police Department, Troy Police Department, New York City Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Department of Justice.

 

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