SCI-TECH

N.Y. men accused of trying to build X-ray weapon remain jailed

The Associated Press Published Thursday, June 20, 2013 6:46PM EDT

N.Y. men accused of building X-ray weapon

Glendon Scott Crawford, 49, of Galway, N.Y., leaves the federal courthouse in shackles after being arraigned Wednesday June 19, 2013, in Albany, N.Y. (The Albany Times Union / Skip Dickstein)

Text:

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A federal magistrate has ruled that two New York men accused of trying to build a portable X-ray weapon to sicken Muslims and enemies of Israel are a threat and should remain jailed.

U.S. Magistrate Christian Hummel on Thursday afternoon ordered 49-year-old Glendon Scott Crawford and 54-year-old Eric J. Feight held without bail until a preliminary hearing in July.

Lawyers for the men had argued they did not pose a threat to the community, had no criminal history and should be allowed to return to their jobs. Neither man spoke at the short hearing in federal court in Albany.

The men were charged this week with conspiracy to support terrorism. Police say they wanted to build a remote-controlled machine that could secretly bombard people with enough radiation to eventually kill them.