Six foreign-born Muslims have been arrested for plotting an attack on the Fort Dix Army base in New Jersey. Investigators say the men planned to "kill as many soldiers as possible."
The six accused men went before a judge in Camden, N.J., on Tuesday afternoon. The defendants were all born in other countries — one is a U.S. citizen; two are legal residents, and three are in the United States illegally.
Federal prosecutors say the investigators have video and audio recordings of the men talking about waging jihad and killing American servicemembers.
U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie spoke on the courthouse steps after the appearance by the defendants.
"The philosophy that supports and encourages jihad around the world against Americans came to live here in New Jersey and threatened the lives of our citizens through these defendants," Christie said. "Fortunately, law enforcement in New Jersey was here to stop them."
As NPR's Dina Temple-Raston tells Michele Norris, the investigation was sparked by a call from an employee of a video-transfer business, where the men had taken a videotape to be converted onto a DVD.
On the video, the men were shown firing weapons and shouting "God is great" in Arabic, and calling for a jihad, or holy war, against the United States. The employee then contacted the FBI.
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