Suspects trained in gated community

Nestled in the northeast corner of the Poconos, Big Bass Lake provides a getaway from the flurry of corporate America.

The gated community in Covington Township provides its tenants with playgrounds, picnic areas, six Laykold surface tennis courts, and a lake where the record bass caught was 11 pounds.

But the private community that hosts all these relaxing amenities was also a residence for six terror suspects during the first week in February, which is when authorities say they trained in the Poconos for their “mission.”

The six foreign-born Muslims, described by prosecutors as “Islamic radicals,” were arrested Monday in New Jersey for allegedly planning to kill soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J. Big Bass Lake is about 130 miles from Fort Dix.

Cassy Herman, of Blackwood, N.J., who owns the 5,000-square-foot home at 2717 Eagles View Drive, where the six men stayed, said the man she rented to, suspect Eljvir Duka, seemed like a “polite and honest guy.”

“He looked like an upstanding guy,” Herman said Tuesday. “Other than having a really long beard, he appeared like someone you’d meet everyday.”

But a few days into their stay, Herman said the men received citations from Big Bass Lake Police for firing paintball guns at the resort. Herman also said empty 9 mm casings were found in the driveway of the rental property.

“After hearing about the citations, I called them and asked them what they were doing,” Herman said. “(Duka) told me not to worry and that they’d pay for any damages.”

Duka visited Herman at her New Jersey home a week after their stay and paid her for the damages. She said the men shot paintballs at trees, lights and the home on her rental property.

“It was a little weird though,” Herman said. “He showed up at my house at midnight with the money for the damages.”

Herman said Duka contacted her via the Internet just a week before renting the home. She said people usually request the home months in advance.

“It gets even weirder,” Herman said. “His pizza shop, Power Pizza, is right around the corner from my (New Jersey) home. Once he realized this, he came to my home and paid in cash, which is also unusual.”

Herman said Duka paid $1,595 for the lease from Feb. 1 through Feb. 8, and he listed 14 people on the contract.

During their stay at Herman’s rental home, authorities say the men were using a nearby shooting range on State Game Lands 127 for practice.

Authorities say the range is featured in a film the men recorded of themselves firing multiple handguns and rifles; the same video that foiled their plans after the men took the video to a store in Philadelphia to have the footage put onto a DVD. A store clerk notified authorities.

According to Dan Figured, law enforcement supervisor for the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Northeast Region Office, the shooting range on State Game Lands 127 is open to the public and has sections for handguns and rifles.

The range is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to sunset, and it is accessible from River Road in Thornhurst and Interstate 380.

“It’s heavily used and gets a lot of traffic from individuals from New Jersey and the summer communities in the area,” Figured said. “There are always people utilizing it, and it’s pretty remote.”

The range has rifle targets at distances of 100 and 200 yards and is located near the Lehigh River on the border of Lackawanna and Monroe counties. Figured said SGL 127 consists of 25,000 acres and the terrain is primarily forested and swamps.

The property extends for seven miles from state Route 423 to Plank Road. Bradys Lake is also located within SGL 127.

According to the court affidavit filed in federal court in Camden, N.J., the suspects allegedly used five firearms and each fired approximately 400 bullets at the range. Multiple conversations were recorded by an undercover agent who was staying with the group of suspected terrorists.

Antoynette Boruta helps her son run Borutas, a general store about 2 miles from Big Bass Lake.

“They may have come in here (Borutas) but I don’t know,” she said. “We get so many people in here from New Jersey and New York they all end up looking the same.”

Boruta, 67, who was born and raised in Gouldsboro, said everyone knows each other in the community, and up until a few years ago, most people wouldn’t have to lock their doors.

“But now we’re in shock,” she said. “Could you believe that … terrorists training in Gouldsboro?”

According to the affidavit, while staying at Big Bass Lake, the suspects watched terrorist training videos on a laptop computer, and at one point in a video that showed a U.S. Marine’s arm being blown off, “laughter erupted from the group.”

The affidavit states the group engaged in a discussion concerning bombs, nitroglycerin and the explosive C-4. The affidavit also states the suspects discussed additional targets they wanted to hit, such as two American warships when the ships would have docked in the Port of Philadelphia.

Tobyhanna Army Depot spokesman Kevin Toolan would not comment on whether the facility has beefed up its security in light of the investigation.

“As a matter of policy, we do not discuss specifics of our installation security measures,” Toolan said. “We are in regular contact with law enforcement agencies and we adjust our force protection measures based on this coordination and our own assessments of potential threats in order to ensure the safety and security of our personnel and facilities.”

The six men whose goal was “to kill as many American soldiers as possible” now face charges with life in prison sentences.

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