Seas of David
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Seas of David was an alleged militant religious group that became famous on June 23, 2006, when the FBI arrested seven members as a part of a terror sting in Miami, Florida. Deputy FBI Director John Pistole has described this religious group as more "aspirational than operational" in its terrorist nature. They sought to buy weapons from someone they believed to be a representative of al-Qaeda in order to destroy the Sears Tower and the FBI building in Miami, Florida among other targets, such as TV and Movie studios in Hollywood and the Empire State Building.
The group claims to combine the teachings of both Christianity and Islam. The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced shortly after the indictment of the seven men that this group's values do not reflect those of the Muslim community.
A friend of one of the defendants arrested in June 2006, Narseal Batiste, said that the group's teachings derive from the religious organization Moorish Science Temple of America. [1]
Followers wore uniforms bearing a Star of David and met for Bible study and martial arts practice. [2]
[edit] Florida Members
This is a list of the Liberty City, Florida members of the Seas of David group who were arrested in conjunction with planning to blow up the Sears Tower as well as the Miami FBI building, known informally as the "Liberty City Seven":
- Narseal Batiste
- Patrick Abraham
- Stanley Grant Phanor
- Naudimar Herrera
- Burson Augustin
- Lyglenson Lemorin
- Rotschild Augustine
[edit] External links
- Oddballs tried mix of creeds & religions, New York Daily News, June 24, 2006
- Sect inspired 'leader of Sears Tower plot' Telegraph UK
- U.S. v. Batiste, et al., FindLaw