New York Terrorist Cell

"You will lose in the end. You want to know why? Because you fear what we embrace."

Not named, the New York Terrorist Cell was active in Seasons Three and Four of Criminal Minds.

Background
Not much specific detail is given about the cell's past, not even who first founded it, when, and where. What is known about it is that it intends to kill a government official whose name is never revealed through a complex plan. The first phase of the plan is have the cell's members pose as a single serial shooter who kills people in highly public places with a virtually unnoticeable .22 handgun. After three people are killed, the murders are connected and SSA Kate Joyner, an old acquaintance of Hotch's, is called in to aid the local police. However, after two more people are killed by the shooters, it is clear that more help is needed and this leads to the summoning of the BAU.

Lo-Fi
A civilian is seen walking on the sidewalk, bumping into a woman and apologizing to her quickly before purchasing a sandwich from a vendor. He then attempts to hail a taxi; as he does so, another man wearing a dark-colored sweater with a drawn hood walks up behind him, pulls out a gun, and shoots the man in the back of the head. Before fleeing, the shooter leaves behind a card with the word 'Death' printed on it. The BAU theorizes that the card symbolizes a message left by the UnSub. Meanwhile, Garcia, who went along with the rest of the team, runs a height check on the fifth and sixth shooters and finds that they're different in height, leading the BAU to believe that they are looking for a two-person killing team.

When a woman is murdered by a shooter that proves to have a height different from the previous two shooters, the BAU believes that they're dealing with a pack of killers. They also theorize that the pack is planning something big, and realize that they might be timing the police's response times in order to perform a suicide bombing on the same locations, killing many police officers, then perform a second suicide bombing to kill the first wave of emergency responders. The BAU decides to patrol the streets while Garcia surveys the security cameras. When a shooter murders a woman, Garcia gets him under her sights and alerts Prentiss and the detective accompanying her, Cooper, that he's heading their way. The two spot the shooter, who flees; after a lengthy chase, the shooter runs into an alleyway and shoots Cooper in the chest, then aims his gun at Prentiss, who fires her own gun. Having survived his gunshot wound, Cooper is taken to the hospital, while Prentiss recalls how the shooter looked calm when he aimed his gun at her, leading Morgan to believe that it was suicide by cop.

Meanwhile, after presumably realizing that the latest shooter has a height different from the three other shooters, Rossi realizes that they may be dealing with a terrorist cell. The following night, the team members head to separate hotels for the night in identical black government SUVs. One of the aforementioned SUVs suddenly blows up.

Mayhem
It is revealed that the SUV that blew up belonged to Hotch and Joyner. A dazed and injured Hotch recovers from unconsciousness and is approached by a bystander, Sam, who asks if he's okay. Hotch doesn't respond, and instead remembers that Joyner was with him when the SUV blew up. Hotch immediately finds Joyner, bloodied and heavily wounded but alive. Police cars and ambulances suddenly arrive, but they strangely keep their distance, preventing any help to Joyner. Hotch remembers that the BAU stated the first wave of responding police officers and paramedics are possibly being targeted for a suicide bombing. Sam panicks at the scene's current progression.

Morgan, having discerned Hotch and Joyner as the owners of the destroyed SUV, arrives at the scene, only to be denied access by policemen. However, he manages to gain entry into the scene and helps Hotch and Sam give aid to Joyner. Meanwhile, Garcia surveys the security camera that recorded the SUV explosion, and realizes that Sam is the one who planted the bomb under the SUV. She calls Morgan and informs him of her discovery, causing Morgan to pursue Sam, who flees. The chase is concluded at a subway tunnel, where Sam commits suicide by electrocuting himself on the train tracks.

Meanwhile, a paramedic, manages to drive through the barricade with an ambulance and takes Hotch and Joyner to a nearby hospital, which had been closed by Secret Service agents as the government official the cell is targeting is in surgery there. Because of the severity of Kate's injuries, however, Hotch was able to convince them to let the ambulance in. The rest of the BAU arrives at the hospital, where they realize that the cell is commencing to the second phase of its plan: kill the government official. The BAU identifies the paramedic that took Hotch and Joyner to the hospital as the one given the responsibility to detonate the hospital bomb, and Morgan steals the bomb intended to be detonated and flees inside the paramedic's ambulance. The paramedic, distraught at his failure, decides to kill Morgan with the bomb, but Morgan jumps out of the ambulance after taking the SUV to an empty area. The ambulance explodes without injuring anyone, and the paramedic commits suicide. Unfortunately, Joyner dies from her wounds. The status of the cell afterwards is unknown.

Modus Operandi
Initially, the cell would send out a member dressed in a dark-colored sweater with a drawn-hood and armed with a .22 handgun. The member would travel around New York, eventually picking which person he should shoot before committing the act. Later, the cell would attempt to use bombs to kill their victims.

Known Members

 * Eight different shooters, all unidentified. The eighth shooter committed suicide by cop after being found by Prentiss and Det. Cooper.
 * "Sam", the SUV bomber. Had no records. Committed suicide by electrocution.
 * "Ben Abner", the paramedic. Committed suicide after detonating the ambulance bomb by slitting his own throat.
 * Several other members, faces not seen.
 * Possibly Dr. Azahari Husin, "the Demolition Man". According to Rossi, Asia's most wanted bomb maker. Apparently died shortly before the events of Lo-Fi.

Known Victims

 * Four unnamed victims killed prior to Lo-Fi
 * Tom
 * An unnamed man
 * An unnamed woman
 * An unnamed woman
 * Detective Cooper
 * SSA Kate Joyner
 * Aaron Hotchner
 * "Sam"
 * Colm Lagan and three other unnamed Secret Service agents
 * Numerous hospital employees and patients, including the unnamed government official
 * Derek Morgan
 * "Ben Abner"

Appearances

 * Season Three
 * Lo-Fi
 * Season Four
 * Mayhem
 * The Angel Maker