Jewish leaders arrested in bombing plot

LOS ANGELES -- The chairman and another member of the militant Jewish Defense League have been arrested on suspicion of plotting to blow up a Los Angeles mosque and the office of an Arab-American congressman, federal authorities said Wednesday.

JDL chairman Irv Rubin, 56, and Earl Krugel, 59, were arrested Tuesday night after the last component of the bomb -- explosive powder -- was delivered to Krugel's home, U.S. Attorney John Gordon said. Other bomb components and weapons were seized at the home.

Authorities said the two planned to bomb the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City and the office of freshman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

Investigators were tipped off by a government source about a series of meetings where the plot was worked out, Gordon said.

It was not immediately clear when the alleged plot began or what prompted it. In court papers, authorities quoted Krugel as saying during a meeting that Arabs "need a wake-up call."

Rubin and Krugel were booked on charges of conspiracy to destroy a building with an explosive and possession of a destructive device.