US authorities have accused two upstate New York men of assembling a portable X-ray weapon they intended to use against opponents of Israel.
Prosecutors say 49-year-old Glendon Scott Crawford and 54-year-old Eric J. Feight have been charged with conspiracy to provide support to terrorists following a yearlong undercover investigation.
Investigators say Crawford approached local Jewish organisations looking for people to help him with technology that could be used to secretly deliver damaging and even lethal doses of radiation against those he considered enemies of Israel.
Authorities say they assembled the mobile device, but it was inoperable and nobody was hurt.
Both are scheduled to appear in federal court today. Authorities say they could face up to 15 years in prison.
