Former
Laotian Gen. Vang Pao, as seen in this May 2004 photo, was among those
charged in the alleged plot.
CNN) -- Ten people, including a former general in the Laotian army, were
arrested and charged in the United States with an alleged plot to
overthrow the Laotian government.
More than 200 federal and local enforcement agents were involved in the
raid, which involved six Californian cities, early Monday. Prosecutors
described the alleged plan as "audacious" and said it was aimed at
obtaining guns, missiles, rockets and explosives.
The suspects include Vang Pao, 77, who emigrated to the United States in
1975 after serving as a general in Laos, and Harrison Jack, 60, a
West-Point educated former U.S. military officer, according to the
prosecutor's office.
If convicted, the 10 suspects face possible life prison sentences.
"The United States cannot provide a safe harbor to those plotting to
overthrow a government with whom we are at peace," said U.S. Attorney
McGregor Scott in a statement. "These defendants flagrantly violated
numerous federal laws, including the Neutrality Act, in planning to
topple the government of Laos."
Most of the alleged conspirators were Hmong, an ethnic minority group
in Laos that helped U.S. operatives fight communist insurgents during
the Vietnam War. Vang led CIA-backed Hmong forces as a general in the
Royal Army of Laos, while Jack was involved in covert operations during
the Vietnam War, according to The Associated Press.
After Laos fell to the communists in 1975, Hmong people began
emigrating to the United States, and more than 500,000 now live in the
country, according to the State Department.
The six cities where the arrest and search warrants were executed were:
Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fresno, Chico, Stockton and Woodland.
One suspect, Lo Cha Thao, discussed an operation to send special
operations mercenaries into the Laotian capital, Vientiane, to blow up
government buildings, according to prosecutors.
The work of an undercover agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms foiled the plot, leading suspects to believe he could supply
them with the weapons they wanted, prosecutors said. Those included the
powerful C-4 explosive, AK-47 automatic rifles and missiles, rockets and
mines.
Laos, like neighboring Vietnam, remains a communist country, but the
government has liberalized the economy in recent years, allowing more
private enterprise. The United States normalized trade relations with
Laos in 2005.
