NY rabbi defiant on armed patrols

New York has about 1.75 million Jews

The leader of a militant Jewish group says he is going ahead with plans to mount armed patrols after the FBI warned of possible terror attacks against Jewish schools and synagogues.

Rabbi Yakove Lloyd said 50 people were planning to take part in the patrols, set to begin in the Brooklyn area of New York on Sunday.

Those of us who have shotguns and/or rifles have permits

Rabbi Yakove Lloyd

The New York Police Department said any armed vigilantes would be arrested.

But Rabbi Lloyd, who leads the Jewish Defence Group, told the BBC that his followers were ready to face arrest if necessary.

"No charges can ever stick because we are legally allowed to assemble according to the first amendment [of the US constitution] and all our guns are registered legally," he told BBC World Service radio's World Today programme.

"The police can't be everywhere, so we feel we're going to be there, we'll be at specific Jewish institutions and places that they can't be at," he said.

Previous attempt

Earlier this month, Rabbi Lloyd abandoned his first attempt to send patrols onto the streets of Brooklyn, after what he called an overwhelmingly negative response from the Jewish community, and police threats to arrest gun-toting civilians.

A party on Brooklyn Bridge was cancelled due to terrorist threats

Rabbi Lloyd denied that his followers were vigilantes, saying he preferred to call them "activists". The New York Police Department says it will deal with the terror threat by adding extra patrols to synagogues and Jewish neighbourhoods.

Mainstream Jewish American leaders are taking a decidedly cautious approach. They are encouraging extra vigilance, but urging their communities not to overreact.

The Bush administration has frequently warned Americans that their country is in grave danger of further attacks.

In May, a birthday party for New York's Brooklyn Bridge had to be cancelled after warnings of possible attacks on American landmarks.

In a recent Time magazine/CNN poll 57% of people surveyed said they believed a terror attack on the Independence Day holiday was likely.

US intelligence agencies have been heavily criticised for failing to act on information received before the attacks on 11 September.