Terror threat/The foiled plot

Two Yemenis with alleged ties to Al Qaeda have been charged in U.S. federal court with conspiring to murder Americans abroad, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors said the case highlights how a foreign terrorist network trained, armed and deployed a U.S. citizen to be used in attacks against other Americans.

The suspects, Saddiq Abbadi and Ali Alvi, were arrested in Saudi Arabia and began making initial court appearances in federal court in Brooklyn on Sunday and Tuesday. They are described by U.S. officials as top Al Qaeda fighters who attacked U.S. military forces stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq, killing a U.S. Army Ranger and seriously wounding several others.

But what appears most intriguing about the case is the role of the American citizen, identified in court papers as Long Island native Bryant Neil Vinas, who was captured in 2008 by Pakistani forces and turned over to U.S. authorities. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to his involvement with Al Qaeda and conspiring to murder Americans abroad. He also began cooperating with U.S. officials.

U.S. says American joined Al Qaeda, tried to blow up New York railroad