Accused men seemed ‘brainwashed’ and talked of religion
Local resident Tashawn Rose, 29, said: “They would come out late at night and exercise.
“It seemed like a military boot camp that they were working on there. They would come out and stand guard.”
She talked to one of the men about a month ago, adding: “They seemed brainwashed. They said they had given their lives to Allah.”
Twarehouse in Miami’s Liberty City area was raided by agents in the early hours of Friday morning.
Residents said FBI agents spent several hours in the neighbourhood showing photos of the suspects and seeking information.
Benjamin Williams, 17, said the group sometimes had young children with them. At times, he added, the men “would cover their faces. Sometimes they would wear things on their heads, like turbans”.
However, a man calling himself Brother Corey and claiming to be a member of the group told CNN that the individuals who worship at the building call themselves the “Seas of David.”
He dismissed any suggestion that the men were contemplating violence. “We are peaceful,” he said.
He added that the group studies the Bible and has “soldiers” in Chicago, but is not a terrorist organisation.
Xavier Smith, who attends the nearby United Christian Outreach, said the men would come by the church and ask for water.
“They were very private,” Mr Smith said. “They spoke with like an accent, sort of a Jamaican accent.”
