Very big story out of Lodi, Calif., this morning:

Federal agents searched the homes of two Islamic leaders in Lodi, California, and have made four arrests since Sunday, part of an ongoing terrorism investigation, according to the FBI and witnesses.

Two of those arrested are top Muslim leaders in Lodi, including one who publicly condemned the September 11, 2001, terror attacks and issued a declaration of peace with Christian and Jewish leaders in Lodi three years ago.

I’ll keep this post updated as details are released. [130pm: Just obtained the federal criminal complaint. See update below.] The Los Angeles Times has best coverage so far. An excerpt:

In a case that was still unfolding, officials confirmed that Hamid Hayat, 23, and his father, Umer, 47, were taken into custody Sunday. Authorities said late Tuesday that they were still trying to determine whether the arrests represented the discovery of a small network of Al Qaeda sympathizers operating in the agricultural town of Lodi, 40 miles south of Sacramento.

The arrests came days after the younger man was discovered aboard a San Francisco-bound plane even though his name appeared on a “No Fly” list of suspected extremists.

At the time, according to an FBI affidavit, Hayat was returning to the U.S. after having visited Pakistan.

According to the affidavit, he told agents that after attending Al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan in 2003 and 2004, he was given his pick of where to carry out his terrorist mission.

“Hamid advised that he specifically requested to come to the United States to carry out his jihadi mission,” the affidavit says. “Potential targets for attack would include hospitals and large food stores.”

And more:

According to the seven-page FBI affidavit that was unsealed Tuesday, Sacramento FBI officials were first contacted at 5:30 a.m. on May 29, with information from FBI headquarters that Hayat would attempt to enter the U.S. later that day on a flight from Korea that was bound for San Francisco International Airport.

Sacramento Agent Pedro Tenoch Aguilar, in the affidavit, said authorities determined Hayat was en route to the U.S. despite being on a “No Fly” list. The plane, according to Aguilar’s statement, was diverted and allowed to land in Japan for refueling.

On related notes, here’s more on hospital-based terror plots (which I’ve been researching) and here’s a story that didn’t attract much attention (but will now) on how school lunches may be targeted by jihadis.

Update: Milblogs and War on Terror blogs are already all over the story. Rusty Shackleford has more info on the suspects’ terror ties and the Farooqia Islamic Center, plus a good round-up of over blog coverage.

Ed Morrissey writes:

This also shows the fallacy of the “they hate us because they don’t know us” crowd. The Hayats and the other fanatics in Lodi had the freedom to practice their religion and earn a decent living in California — certainly they made a higher standard of living there than they could have expected in Pakistan or Afghanistan, especially before the Taliban were ejected by American military action. They don’t hate us because they misunderstand us. They hate us because all they know is hate, and outreach and kind words don’t make a damned bit of difference to fanatics.

More blogger reax: E-claire, Jihad Watch

Update II: The Political Teen has video of a brief press conference held by the suspected Jihadis’ family.

Update III: Just obtained the federal criminal complaint. Read the whole thing: Download file. Here’s one highlight:

9. Hamid admitted that he attended a jihadist training camp in Pakistan for approximately 6 months in 2003- 2004. Hamid stated that Al-Qaeda supports the camp and provides instructors for the camp. Hamid later confirmed this camp was run by Al-Qaeda. Hamid described the camp as providing structured paramilitary training, including weapons training, explosives training, interior room tactics, hand to hand combat, and strenuous exercise. Classroom instruction included ideological rhetoric detailing opposition towards the United States and other non-Muslim countries. Hamid stated that during his weapons training, photos of various high ranking U.S. political figures, including President Bush, would be pasted onto their targets. Hamid further stated that he and others at the camp were being trained on how to kill Americans. Hamid stated that although he did not participate in all the available instruction, he was aware the other training was ongoing.

10. Hamid observed hundreds of attendees from various parts of the world at this camp. According to Hamid, these attendees rotated into the camp depending on their stage of training. Camp attendees were given the opportunity to choose the country in which to carry out their jihadi mission including the United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kashmir and other countries.

Jeff G. at Protein Wisdom has some choice comments. Heh-heh.

Update IV: Evan Kohlmann at The Counterterrorism Blog has background on al Qaeda training camps along the Pakistani-Afghan border in Waziristan. And Dan Darling at Winds of Change has a good analysis.

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