A series of photos has revealed the intriguing daily life of the upstate Muslim enclave of Islamberg, which was recently the target of an alleged bombing plot.
About 150 miles northwest of New York City, Islamberg was thrust into the news last week with the arrest of four suspects in a plot to massacre residents of the isolated hamlet.
The suspects were arrested in Greece, New York, about 200 miles away, and although they had never visited Islamberg, police say the suspects believed that the community is an Islamic terrorist training ground.
To the contrary, police and counterterrorism experts say there is nothing to support that theory, and neighbors say that they have had no problems with the members of the enclave.
A pickup truck stops at a security post for the Muslim enclave of Islamberg in Tompkins, New York in 2017. The community was recently the target of an alleged bombing plot by four suspects who believed it was a terrorist training camp
The entrance to Islamberg is seen in a file photo. The community in upstate New York has about 200 residents
State troopers walk with community leaders during a 2017 goodwill visit to Islamberg. The enclave was founded in the early 1980s by mostly black Muslims from New York City who sought to escape the crime and vices of city life
Hussein Adams, chief executive of The Muslims of America, talks during an interview at Islamberg in Tompkins in 2017
Muslim schoolboys stop to drink from a pipe carrying well water at Islamberg in 2017. The community was founded around 1980 by followers of Pakistani cleric Sheikh Mubarik Gilani
A girl studies for school while a man chops wood in the Muslim enclave of Islamberg in Tompkins in 2017
This map shows the locations of the Muslim enclave of Islamberg as well as Greece, where four were arrested last week
Islamberg was founded around 1980 by followers of Pakistani cleric Sheikh Mubarik Gilani.
Mostly African-American Muslims from New York City, the residents who settled in Islamberg sought to escape crime in the city, as well as distractions from religious life.
They settled on the plot of about 60 acres of private land in Tompkins, New York near the Pennsylvania border.
Today, the community has about 200 residents, and boasts its own grocery store, bookstore, and school.
The community also includes homes, a mosque, and land to raise livestock and crops.
Residents of Islamberg were stunned to learn last week of the arrest of four people accused of plotting a deadly attack against the enclave.
Brian Colaneri, 20, Andrew Crysel, 18 and Vincent Vetromile, 19 were arrested after police in Greece, New York recovered three explosive devices and 23 weapons from the suspects' homes, police said. A fourth unidentified suspect, aged 16, was also detained.
It is unclear how the suspects knew each other, although the three men were in Boy Scouts together, and two attained the rank of Eagle Scouts.
Family members said that Colaneri and Crysel have Asperger's Syndrome, a 'high-functioning' disorder on the autism spectrum.
Suspects (left to right) Brian Colaneri, 20, Andrew Crysel, 18 and Vincent Vetromile, 19 were arrested last week in Greece, about 200 miles from Islamberg, after allegedly plotting a gun and bomb massacre in the Muslim enclave
Islamberg resident Rashid Clark discusses his Muslim community while standing outside the enclave's mosque in 2017
Men pray at the mosque at Islamberg in 2017. The enclave just west of the Catskills was the target of a recent bombing plot
Community members are seen engaged in religious activities in Islamberg in this undated file photo
Men in Islamberg engage in study and prayer in this undated file photo. The community was rocked by a recent bomb plot
Women in Islamberg engage in a religious gathering in this undated file photo. The community was founded by black Muslims in Brooklyn who sought a life away from the crime and temptations of the city
A Muslim ceremony is seen inside the Islamberg mosque. Four suspects allegedly planned a massacre in the community
The four were arrested after a comment the 16-year-old made to fellow students in the lunch room, police said.
The student showed others a photo of someone on his phone, saying he 'looked like the next school shooter', which the other students reported to adults.
In the course of investigating, police discovered the alleged plot. The person in the photo was also questioned, but did not appear to be related and was released.
Court papers say the men had multiple, cylinder-shaped explosive devices and mason jars wrapped in duct tape and were plotting to attack Islamberg.
The Muslims Of America, a group based in Islamberg, released a statement strongly condemning the alleged plot.
'It is beyond tragic that our nation continues to fester with Islamophobia, hate and religious intolerance,' the group said. 'To bring justice and properly deter similar terrorist plots against our community, we are calling for the individuals charged, as well as their accomplices, to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'
Residents of Islamberg join a community gathering in an undated file photo. The hamlet is located on about 60 acres of private land in Tompkins, New York near the Pennsylvania border
The Islamberg community gathers for an outdoor celebration in this undated file photo
A resident of Islamberg shows off his plate of food during a community celebration in this undated file photo
Young men of Islamberg gather for a community event in this undated file photo
Two young girls run down the dirt path in Islamberg in this undated file photo
A store that sells Muslim products is shown at Islamberg in 2017. People in the Muslim enclave say they are frustrated by repeated accusations that their community is a breeding ground for terror
The latest arrests are not the first time someone has been arrested for plotting an attack on Islamberg.
In 2017, Tennessee man Robert Doggard was sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison after he was convicted of planning an attack on Islamberg.
Conspiracy theorists who believe the community is a terrorist training compound often point to the 2017 arrest of 64-year-old Ramadan Abdullah, who stole ammunition from a store in nearby Johnson City.
The investigation led police to a cache of high-powered weapons in a storage locker. Abdullah was sentenced to four years in prison on weapons charges.
The group has also drawn scrutiny over the founding cleric, Gilani, who also founded the violent militant group Jamaat ul-Fuqra.
As well, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was on his way to interview Gilani in Karachi over his alleged ties to shoe bomber Richard Reid when the journalist was abducted and later beheaded, but Gilani's involvement in the kidnapping was never proven.
A woman makes her way through the snow in Islamberg in 2011. The community is located west of the Catskills
Children in Islamberg play in the snow in this undated file photo. The residents were terrified by a recent bomb plot
Residents of Islamberg celebrate a birthday in this undated file photo. The community has about 200 residents
However, state police and terrorism experts say there is little to fear from Islamberg.
'They are law-abiding,' Maj. William F. McEvoy, the State Police commander in the region, told the New York Times. 'They are positive, solid members of the community.'
'They believe in education,' McEvoy said. 'They believe in hard work. They believe in raising their children with those goals in mind.'
A 2008 analysis published in the CTC Sentinel, a journal published by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, concluded that there was no evidence proving Islamberg was part of a covert training operation.
'It should also be mentioned that neither the presence of weapons (or even arsenals), nor weapons training are particularly unusual phenomena in rural America,' the authors wrote.
Islamberg residents turn out to support their town ahead of a planned motorcycle protest against the African-American Muslim community on Sunday, May 15, 2016
Bikers who rode past the town in protests were outnumbered by hundreds of cheering Islamberg supporters who gathered to defend the community from charges that it is an 'Islamic jihad training camp'
Neighbors made this sign in support during the 2016 rally to oppose a biker group's protest of Islamberg
Neighbors also say that, despite initial uneasiness when Islamberg was first founded, they have come to view the community as good neighbors.
'We've never had a problem,' Nancy Furdock, who has lived in nearby Hancock for nearly two decades, told the Times.
The three recently arrested suspects in the plot against Islamberg all face three counts of first-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of fourth-degree conspiracy.
Under the state's new Raise the Age laws, the teen will be adjudicated as an adolescent offender. However, he could still serve state prison time if convicted of felony charges.
Crysel was released on bail from the Monroe County Jail last week.
Vetromile and Colaneri remained in jail on Friday in lieu of $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond. The teen was remanded to custody in lieu of $1,000,000 bail.
The teen is expected back in court on January 30, and the three men are scheduled to appear in Greece Town Court on February 5.
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Main photo article A series of photos has revealed the intriguing daily life of the upstate Muslim enclave of Islamberg, which was recently the target of an alleged bombing plot.
About 150 miles northwest of New York City, Islamberg was thrust into the news last week with the arrest of four suspects in a plot to...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
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