The family of David Williams says the federal government is framing him for attempting to detonate explosives outside Riverdale Temple and Riverdale Jewish Center.

“Of course they were entrapped. My son, he takes mass transit, he doesn’t have a vehicle, he doesn’t drive, he doesn’t even own a bicycle. How could he obtain the resources to pull this stunt off?” asked David Williams III, Mr. Williams’ father, as he stood outside the federal courthouse in White Plains on June 5. His son had just made a brief court appearance.

Mr. Williams, Onta Williams (no relation), James Cromitie and Laguerre Payen were arrested on Independence Avenue on May 20 after allegedly planting what they thought were explosives in front of Riverdale Temple and Riverdale Jewish Center.

Federal prosecutors say the bombing attempt was the culmination of a yearlong conspiracy that also included plans to shoot at military cargo planes at an Air National Guard base near Newburgh, N.Y., where the four men live. An FBI cooperating witness provided the men with bomb material that couldn’t explode and a Stinger surface-to-air missile that couldn’t be fired, they say.

“He has no, the Jewish community has never done anything to him that would warrant retaliation,” the elder Mr. Williams later said of his son, who is Muslim.

Mr. Williams and his alleged co-conspirators were arraigned at the White Plains federal court on June 3, and appeared June 5 long enough for prosecutors to hand over discovery materials to the defense.

The elder Mr. Williams sought to divert attention from what the FBI claims his son did to the FBI itself, saying federal agents sought “job security.”

His son, who was working as a cook shortly before his arrest, was used by the government to scare Jews, the elder Mr. Williams said.

“All you have to do is just really, once you get the Jews involved, and you induce fear in the Jewish community, then the government can actually do whatever they want to do,” said the elder Mr. Williams.

— N. Clark Judd