Police arrested two Brooklyn men on Friday who were alleged to have been plotting to set off a bomb in the subway station at Herald Square, law enforcement officials said. The pair were to be charged with federal crimes in connection with the plan.
Investigators emphasized that the plot had no ties to the Republican National Convention, set to begin tomorrow at Madison Square Garden, one block away. He said that the men had set no time for the bombing, and had not obtained the explosives. The plot, the official said, did not get far past the "discussion stage."
But the timing of the arrests was tied to the convention because of concerns about security at the Republican gathering. Few details could be learned on Friday night of the alleged plot or the specific charges that were to be brought against the men.
But one official called the men "bumblers" and said they did not appear to be members of any terrorist group and had no terrorist training.
The official said the plan was uncovered because the two men, one 19 and one 20, discussed their desire to carry out an attack with an informant, who joined them in their plot and volunteered to get the explosives. The informant contacted the police.
The names of the men could not be learned on Friday night, but one official said that they lived in Brooklyn and that one of the men was from Pakistan. The official described the men as "zealots."
The men had said they wanted to carry out the attack to disrupt the US economy, the official said.
It was unclear how long the authorities had the men under investigation, how the two men met the informant or why they confided in him.
The arrests come at a time when New York is at an extremely high level of security, with authorities aggressively investigating even the most minor reports of suspicious activity.
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