Eyewitness account of alleged terror plot’s end

By Jason Fields
jfields@riverdalepress.com

Sitting on his terrace four floors above the intersection of West 239th Street and Independence Avenue, Daniel Langer was pulled out of his chair by what he described as a bang followed by loud, sustained shouting. When he looked down onto the street, he saw numerous police and other cars with lights flashing, as well as uniformed NYPD officers and people wearing jackets with “FBI” branded on the back.

As he watched, more police cars and emergency service vehicles “streamed,” into the area surrounding the Riverdale Jewish Center, one of the targets of the alleged plot.

He also witnessed a dark-skinned man being led into a police car, possibly one of the suspects, Mr. Langer said.

“When I first saw the police, I thought it was just some local crime thing,” Mr. Langer.

Instead, what Mr. Langer saw was the foiling of an alleged terrorist plot involving four men and neutralized C-4 explosive, which authorities said they planned to use to destroy Riverdale Temple and the RJC.

Standing amid a crowd of media the following morning, David Winter, executive director of RJC, said of the media throng, “It could be a lot worse. They could be here for something terrible. Instead they’re here for a victory against terrorism.