Screenplay:
David HeilbronerPlots(1)
Eight years after 9/11, four street criminals with no history of violence or political ties - all from the impoverished and largely African-American city of Newburgh, NY - were lured by a Pakistani FBI informant into a carefully orchestrated plot: to bomb Jewish synagogues in Riverdale, a wealthy neighborhood of New York City, and to fire Stinger missiles at U.S. military supply planes. The quartet's dramatic arrest, complete with armored cars, a SWAT team and FBI aircraft, played out under the gaze of major television outlets, and resulted in 25-year prison sentences for each of the men, who became known as the "Newburgh Four." Many political figures lauded the case as a victory in the "war on terror," but others have criticized that the sting represented entrapment. THE NEWBURGH STING examines the untold story behind this highly publicized case. (HBO Europe)
(more)Reviews (1)
The Newburgh Sting provide a knowledgeable look into the case of four Muslims who were allegedly involved in the shooting down of two military aircraft and the bombing of synagogues in the Bronx in 2009. The documentary presents evidence indicating that the FBI had a hand in the event, targeting poor members of the Muslim community, whom they subsequently attempted to draw into a previously prepared plan for a terrorist attack. The capture of these artificial suspects then serves as justification for tightened security measures. The documentary filmmakers raise doubts about the published findings of the investigation and offer their own version of what really happened in Brooklyn in May 2009 and why it happened. The basis of the investigative documentary comprises footage from television news, secret FBI records and covertly taken photographs. The connective tissue that binds the wealth of material together is made up of talking heads including lawyers, relatives and acquaintances, as well as members of the Muslim community. The high informational value of the film makes up for its low aesthetic qualities – the film does not in any way excel formalistically. It’s a shame how one-sidedly this gripping subject is dealt with. Perhaps with the exception of one FBI employee, all of the speakers are convinced that the case involved a miscarriage of justice. The other side is not given enough space and, mainly, their views are not presented with the same emotional urgency. The obvious aim of the film is thus to convince the public that 25-year prison sentences were handed down to innocent men who could not have committed the crime. Despite that, however, it is a remarkable illustration of the lengths to which artificially created and exploited fear of terror can be taken. Among other things, the film exposes some of the “branding” tactics of American security forces and uses a specific case to illustrate a favourite strategy of many world governments – if there is no enemy, it is necessary to invent one.
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