On Friday, two women in New York pleaded guilty to planning a terrorist attack using explosives against both law enforcement and military targets.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Queens residents — Noelle Velentzas and Asia Siddiqui — did their homework as they aimed to employ a weapon of mass destruction.

U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue explained:

“In an effort to implement their violent, radical ideology, the defendants studied some of the most deadly terrorist attacks in U.S. history, and used them as a blueprint for their own plans to kill American law enforcement and military personnel.”

Among those instances of terror examined: the 1993 World Trade Center assault, the Oklahoma City tragedy, and the Boston Marathon attack.

As per the Justice Department, Asia and Noelle bought materials and taught each other electrical skills and chemistry in order to build bombs, including those of the car variety.

Knives, machetes, soldering tools, propane tanks, car bomb instructions, and jihadist literature were among things seized upon their arrest in April of 2015.

The ladies weren’t exactly trying to keep it a secret: Among other exercises, Asia wrote a poem for a jihadist magazine that implored readers to violently attack the enemies of Islam.

Here’s a bit of her offering:

“[I taste] the truth through fists and slit throats. … [There is] no excuse to sit back and wait — for the skies rain martyrdom.”

In secret recordings, Noelle praised 9/11 and claimed a suicide attack would guarantee entrance into heaven. Furthermore, when committing terrorism, she said, “You go for the head.”

And:

“A suicide bomber does not take her life, she gives her life in the name of Allah.”

Among her heroes, Noelle named to an undercover officer Bin Laden and Abdulah Azzam, Osama’s mentor.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. summarized the women’s unaccomplished mission:

“Velentzas and Siddiqui were intent on waging violent jihad here in the United States, researching at length historical terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, educating themselves on how to turn propane tanks into explosive devices, and dreaming up plans to kill Americans on our own turf.”

Asia and Noelle are now looking at up to 20 years in prison.

Thank goodness the pair was stopped. Gratitude to law enforcement and other government agencies for their work to save innocent lives.

-ALEX

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