Riverside Men Charged in Terror Plot
Four Southern California men were charged Tuesday with planning to join Al-Qaida and attempting to wage a holy war against American soldiers in Afghanistan, according to the FBI.
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Sohiel Omar Kabir, 34, a Pomona resident, served in the Air Force from 2000 to 2001. Kabir and three others planned to bomb government facilities and public places overseas, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
Kabir recruited three other men to assist him in carrying out his planned acts of terror. Ralph Deleon, 23, of Ontario, Miguel Vidriales, 21, an Upland resident and Arifeen Gojali, 21 of Riverside were also charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles for plotting to kill Americans, according to the FBI.
According to a federal complaint Deleon and Santana said they planned to engage in a "violent jihad."
READ: Click to read the FBI complaint
The complaint also states that from August 2010 until their apprehension by federal authorities, the group conspired to provide material support and resources, including weapons of mass destruction, to aid in their planned terrorist attacks.
Santana, Gojali and Deleon were arrested Friday by the Joint Terrorism Task Force and remain in federal custody in Riverside. Kabir is detained by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
The federal investigation is ongoing and the four men will be prosecuted in federal court in Riverside. If convicted, each man could face up to 15 years in federal prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
