New York: The FBI has charged two men in Albany, New York with making an X-ray weapon that they intended to use to sicken opponents of Israel, "specifically Muslims," reported The Guardian on Thursday.
An indictment charges Glendon Scott Crawford, 49, and Eric J. Feight, 54, with conspiracy to provide support to "terrorists" with the weapon.
The men appeared in federal court separately on Wednesday and were ordered detained until hearings on Thursday. They could face up to 15 years jail time.
Investigators have revealed that Crawford approached Jewish organizations in 2012, looking for funding and technical guidance to build a weapon that could secretly deliver damaging doses of radiation against those considered to be enemies of Israel.
"Crawford has specifically identified Muslims and several other individuals/groups as targets," investigator Geoffrey Kent stated in a court affidavit.
According to the indictment, Crawford solicited money to build the weapon from a member of the Klu Klux Klan, who informed the FBI.
The two men assembled the mobile device, according to court records, which was to be controlled remotely, however it was inoperable and nobody was hurt, authorities stated.
According to The Guardian, the FBI's investigation in Albany began in April 2012 after authorities received information that Crawford had approached Jewish organizations seeking funding.
Crawford, an industrial mechanic for General Electric, met Feight, an outside contractor, through work, authorities said. Feight designed, built and tested the remote control system, which they planned to use to control an industrial X-ray system mounted on a truck.
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