Four US men charged in alleged terror plot

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Four Southern California men have been charged with plotting to kill Americans overseas and in the United States by joining Al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan, United States federal officials said on Monday.

The defendants were arrested for plotting to bomb government facilities and public places after federal authorities uncovered their plans to engage in "violent jihad," FBI spokeswoman Ms Laura Eimiller said.

According to a federal complaint unsealed on Monday during their initial appearances, Sohiel Omar Kabir, 34, introduced two other California men to the radical Islamist doctrine of Anwar al-Awlaki, a deceased Al-Qaeda leader.

The two, Ralph Deleon, 23, and Miguel Alejandro Santana Vidriales, 21, converted to Islam in 2010 and began engaging with Kabir and others online in discussions about jihad, including posting radical content to Facebook and expressing extremist views in comments.