A federal judge has indefinitely delayed the trial of four men from Newburgh, New York, who were charged last year with trying to bomb two synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down military planes. US District Judge Colleen McMahon said government prosecutors had failed to turn over critical information that should have been given to the defense much earlier. Defense attorney Mark Gombiner said the documents included a previously unreleased FBI memo from the lead agent on the case explaining that the four men posed no danger without the help of an FBI informant.

Mark Gombiner: “Over the last few days, the government turned over some documents that show that in January of 2009, when they were investigating this case, that the FBI concluded that James Cromitie, who was the lead defendant, was not in fact likely to be committing any acts of violence.”

The four men — all Muslim converts — face charges of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction. If convicted, they could face life in prison. The defense claims the men were entrapped by a paid FBI informant. Alicia McWilliams, the aunt of defendant David Williams, spoke outside the courthouse.

Alicia McWilliams: “This was entrapment. You know, you can’t come into a community — come on – you know, flashing money. People ain’t got no jobs. These guys, you know, they’re down on their luck. And when you go to Newburgh and you look, and you’ll be, like, come on. And they pick the most isolated, impoverished community with crime-ridden. You didn’t go to Bushwick. You didn’t go to Harlem. You know, you went to an isolated place where you could do your sneakiness and be manipulative and tricky. And that’s the sad part, that our government would even do that to our own damn people.”