2 Deny Plot to Incite Terror

Two more men accused in an alleged plot to attack Southern California synagogues and military facilities pleaded not guilty Monday to federal terrorism charges.

Gregory Vernon Patterson, 21, and Levar Haney Washington, 25, both of Los Angeles, are accused of plotting the attack with a prison-founded group of radical Muslims.

“In the name of Allah, I plead not guilty,” Washington said during a brief hearing in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.

Santa Monica College student Hammad Riaz Samana, 21, of Inglewood, pleaded not guilty last Tuesday to the same charges.

The fourth man accused, Folsom prison inmate Kevin James, 29, directed the other defendants to rob gas stations around Southern California to finance their plan for “homegrown jihad in the United States,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Kevin Smith said.

James is expected to be brought to Santa Ana for arraignment Sept. 26.

Trial was set for Nov. 8, although defense attorneys said they would seek a delay. The defendants will probably be tried together.

According to the charges against Patterson, he was recruited to join the plot because he had no criminal record and would be allowed to purchase guns.

The indictment accuses him of buying a .22-caliber rifle to be used in the attacks.

Outside court, Patterson’s lawyer would not discuss details of the case but disputed the prosecutor’s allegations about his client, a student who had worked as a cashier at Los Angeles International Airport.

“He has been a productive citizen his entire life, and we hope to put this behind him,” said attorney Winston McKesson. “He’s a very religious man. He prays five times a day.”

Washington’s lawyer, Ellen Barry, said she had been appointed to the case Monday and had not yet received additional information on the charges. Her client, she said, seemed optimistic about the outcome of the case.

According to the indictment, the defendants used the Internet to research potential targets.

Authorities say they found a list of potential targets at Washington’s South Los Angeles apartment that included National Guard recruitment centers and El Al Israel Airlines.