LOS ANGELES (FinalCall.com)�The preliminary hearing that was set for late December in the case of two Jewish Defense League (JDL) members who allegedly planned to blow up a mosque and the offices of a prominent Arab-American congressman was waived by prosecuting attorneys and attorneys representing the accused.

Federal prosecutors must reach an indictment by January 11 or all charges will be dismissed.

JDL Chairman Irving Rubin and West Coast Coordinator Earl Krugel were arrested on Dec. 11 in connection with an alleged conspiracy to manufacture and detonate explosive devices. At Final Call press time, they were being held without bond in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center.

Thom Mrozek, U.S. attorney public affairs officer, said the mutually-agreed-upon waiver, which was sought by the prosecution in an effort to meet deadlines before the holiday crunch, represented nothing more than a two-week extension to indict.

"As it stands, we have a case pending, but the case goes away unless we indict or receive another extension of time," he said. He said he was not able to say whether prosecutors would in fact indict the suspects, as grand jury proceedings are secret.

Mr. Mrozek added that there have been no other reports of alleged threats or incidents. Atty. Bryan Altman said he and his partner, Atty. Peter Morris, have yet to witness any hard evidence against Mr. Rubin.

"The government has not yet released any of these transcripts that they claim show any criminal activity, so in the meantime, we are awaiting January 11," he stated.

Atty. Altman said that although he believes prosecutors will indict, the defense maintains Mr. Rubin�s innocence.

Salam Al-Marayati, director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), said the task now is to wait on the prosecution.

"We feel pretty strongly about the case and were informed by the federal government that the threats were pretty real, so we will see what happens on January11," he said.

�Charlene Muhammad