by Charlene Muhammad

LOS ANGELES (FinalCall.com)�Two top members of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) were arrested without incident Dec. 11 in connection with a failed terrorist plot to bomb a Muslim mosque and offices of Arab-Americans.

JDL Chairman Irving Rubin, 56, and West Coast Coordinator, Earl Krugel, 59, both members of the Los Angeles chapter, were taken into custody during an evening raid of Mr. Krugel�s home and garage by FBI special agents and Los Angeles Police Dept. officers.

Documents filed with the court by the Department of Justice state that a confidential informant�whose series of taped meetings with the suspects regarding the bombings date back to October�alerted authorities to the alleged plots.

Specifically targeted were the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), and the office of Congressman Darrell Issa (D), an Arab-American.

The officers and special agents, who make up the Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), removed bomb-making devices, including explosive powder, fuses, pipes, and end caps. They also took into evidence handguns, rifles and a shotgun, some of which were loaded, according to the documents.

The bombs were scheduled to go off around Dec. 16, at the close of the holy month of Ramadan.

The legal papers further unveiled that according to a taped recording, Mr. Krugel said that Arabs needed a wake-up call and that the JDL needed to do something to one of their �filthy� mosques. Mr. Rubin said the JDL needed to let people know they were alive in a �militant way.�

�I don�t think they�re telling us everything, and I think the conspiracy is deeper and wider than what the FBI is leading on, because too much information oftentimes endangers Jewish plight,� said Nation of Islam Western Region Min. Tony Muhammad. He added that even mainstream Jewish organizations are distancing themselves from the JDL. He believes that despite the seriousness of the allegations, local media coverage, though present, is lacking.

�There�s a different media slant to it, like they�re sweeping it under the rug, and there seems to be a �white-out� of this heinous act that they were alleging to do,� said Min. Tony.

Peter Morris, Mr. Rubin�s attorney, said the Jewish activist is innocent.

�Mr. Rubin, who was and is the chairman of the JDL, has spent his life not engaging in terrorist acts, but fighting terrorists,� said Mr. Morris at a press conference.

In an official statement on a Dec. 12 phone recording at the JDL�s office, the group denied any wrongdoing, and labeled the charges against both men �ludicrous and totally untrue.�

MPAC National Director Salam Al-Marayati said he and others spared from the wicked attacks are thankful to Allah (God) for protecting them, especially during Ramadan. They also appreciate the JTFF�s efforts in �rooting out� the two suspects.

�I think they (suspects) wanted to do it at a time when they thought the public opinion was against the Muslims. This is a form of wicked opportunism,� he added.

Syndicated columnist and radio talk show host Dr. Earl Ofari-Hutchinson believes the federal government will press hard in prosecuting the suspects because America�s current climate warrants a strong message to hate mongers against ethnic or religious bigotry, and, given the violent history of the JDL.

Dr. Ofari-Hutchinson said Jewish Americans are less likely to undergo racial profiling now experienced by the Arab-American community since the Sept. 11 attacks because in the minds of the general public, there�s no correlation between the JDL and mainstream Jewish groups.

�Because the JDL has condemned itself by its own history, the general public is not going to see it as being representative of the thinking and actions of the overwhelming majority of Jews,� he stated.

John Fishell of the Jewish Federation denounced the bomb plots, stating, �We�re all Americans and we must stand together against hatred, violence and terror.� The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) described the JDL as �contemptible� with a history of �intimidation and bullying tactics.�

Mr. Al-Marayati said MPAC wants to make sure the FBI fully prosecutes the suspects. He wants an investigation launched into the funding of extremist groups like the JDL and the probability of a larger network of its kind.

Min. Muhammad also questioned whether the same rules that apply to Muslim groups alleged to be associated with terrorists will be applied to the Jewish group.

�Is the government going to do the same for those who finance the JDL? Is he (Rubin) now looked at as a terrorist? And by being the head of the organization, is it a terrorist group?� he asked.

If carried out, the alleged bombings would have ranked among California�s nearly 2,000 hate crimes reported in August for the previous year.

In February, the FBI�s annual publication, Hate Crime Statistics, reported that of a total of 7,876 bias-motivated criminal incidents, 1,411 were associated with religion, with the majority, 4,295, associated with race.

Criminal charges have been filed against Mr. Krugel and Mr. Rubin, who are being detained without bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 27, and arraignment for New Year�s Eve in U.S. District Court. Each faces a mandatory 30 years imprisonment if convicted.