June 23 (Bloomberg) -- Seven men were indicted in Miami on charges of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago, an FBI building in Florida and other federal buildings.

The seven, arrested late yesterday, were indicted by a federal grand jury and accused of supporting the al-Qaeda terrorist organization to ``wage war against the United States government.'' The plan was disrupted before any harm could be done, Deputy FBI Director John Pistole said.

The men ``made plans to hurt Americans,'' Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said at a news conference in Washington. ``They did request equipment, they did request funding, they swore allegiance to al-Qaeda.''

Officials said the men had no actual contact with al-Qaeda and were part of an increasing number of home-grown terrorist organizations in this country. The plot ``was more aspirational than operational,'' Pistole said.

The seven men met with a U.S. informant who posed as a member of al-Qaeda, the attorney general said. Five of the seven are U.S. citizens, while one is a legal permanent U.S. resident and one is a Haitian national in this country illegally.

``They certainly had the will; they were searching for the way,'' R. Alexander Acosta, U.S. attorney in Miami, said at a news conference in Florida. The leader of the plot sought al- Qaeda training for the group, and members took photos of their planned targets, he said.

`Had the Intent'

``Although this group had the intent and took steps toward'' destroying the Sears Tower and other buildings, ``they were never able to obtain the explosives or access needed to implement this plan,'' Acosta said. He said authorities believe they have arrested all members of the plot.

The men were charged with conspiring to support the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, conspiring to provide support to terrorists, conspiring to use an explosive to destroy buildings, and conspiring to levy war against the U.S. government.

If convicted the men would face up to 15 years in prison on the charges of conspiring to support al-Qaeda or support terrorists, and up to 20 years on the charges of conspiring to wage war or destroy buildings.

According to the indictment issued yesterday, the group was led by Narseal Batiste, also known as Brother Naz and Prince Manna, and began plotting in November 2005.

Batiste told the informant, according to court papers, that he wanted to build ``an Islamic army'' to wage jihad. His plan was to ``kill all the devils we can'' and conduct a mission that would be ``just as good or greater than 9/11'' starting with an attack on the Sears Tower, court papers said.

Other Federal Buildings

The group also was targeting other federal buildings in Florida, court papers said. Batiste asked the informant to provide the group with equipment, including boots, uniforms, machine guns, radios and vehicles, according to the indictment.

Along with Batiste, the grand jury charged Patrick Abraham, Stanley Grant Phanor, Naudimar Herrera, Burson Augustin, Lyglenson Lemorin and Rotschild Augustine. All are between the ages of 22 and 32, Justice Department officials said.

Frank Cilluffo, director of the homeland security policy institute at George Washington University in Washington, said the indictments are ``emblematic of a larger trend'' where ``we're seeing al Qaeda to some extent morph to a leaderless movement, groups that think globally but act locally.''

In Chicago, Police Superintendent Phil Cline said the department was notified by the FBI two days ago that the arrests would be made. He said the arrests won't change the way the department maintains security downtown.

No `Credible' Threat

Barbara Carley, managing director of the Sears Tower, said attendance at the tower's observation deck today hasn't been affected by news of the alleged plot.

``Federal and local authorities continue to tell us they have never found evidence of a credible terrorist threat against the Sears Tower that has gone beyond just talking,'' Carley said.

The Sears Tower in Chicago's financial district is North America's tallest building at 1,451 feet (442 meters). The boxy, black tower opened in 1974 and was the world's tallest building until 1998, when it was surpassed by the 1,483-foot Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.