Terrorist Zazi Pleads Guilty to New York Subway Plot
Jim Kouri, CPP
February 23, 2010
During his allocution, Zazi confessed that he was recruited by al-Qaeda in Pakistan to carry out a suicide attack to protest U,S. military military operations in Afghanistan. He confessed that he went to Afghanistan to help the Taliban fight the U.S.-led coalition.
Zazi admitted that the terrorist plot targeted the New York City subway system and that at the time of his arrest he and his co-conspirators were close to launching their attack.
Attorney General Eric Holder, during a press conference, claimed the terrorist attacked planned by Mr Zazi and other suspects was "the most serious security threat to the country since 9/11." Holder stated that the investigation is ongoing, but that "there is no doubt Mr Zazi's arrest had saved lives."
Zazi surprised many by pleading guilty. Sources say he will serve the rest of his life in prison when he is sentenced in June.
A source within the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force told this writer that part of the reason Zazi cooperated with investigators is the threat that his mother would be deported from the United States.
Plot Uncovered by FBI
Records from U.S. Customs and Border Protection reveal that, on August 28, 2008, Najibullah Zazi flew to Peshawar, Pakistan from Newark International Airport in New Jersey via Geneva, Switzerland and Doha, Qatar. CBP records further reflect that Najibullah Zazi traveled from Peshawar to John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York City, on or about January 15, 2009.
According to the affidavits, on or about September 9, 2009, FBI agents observed Najibullah Zazi departed from his residence in Colorado in a rented car. He drove to New York City, arriving the following day, and spent the night at a residence in Flushing, Queens.
On September 10, 2009, New York City Police Department detectives met with defendant Ahmad Afzali , whom the NYPD had used as a 'source' in the past. According to the affidavits, the detectives questioned Afzali about Najibullah Zazi and others and showed him photographs of Najibullah Zazi and others. Afzali allegedly told the detectives he recognized Najibullah Zazi and several of the men in the photographs.
According to affidavits, on September 11, 2009, defendant Mohammed Zazi placed a call to Afzali which lasted about 20 minutes. That same day, the FBI intercepted a phone conversation between Mohammed Zazi and his son, Najibullah Zazi. The affidavit alleges that, during the conversation, Mohammed Zazi told his son that he had spoken to Afzali who had informed him about being visited by law enforcement and shown photographs. Mohammed Zazi told his son that Afzali would call him and he advised his son to speak with Afzali "before anything else," according to the affidavits.
In the midst of this phone call, Najibullah Zazi allegedly received a call from Afzali, who discussed his meeting with law enforcement the day before. According to a summary of the transcription, Afzali allegedly stated: "I was exposed to something yesterday from law enforcement. And they came to ask me about your characters." Afzali also allegedly asked Najibullah Zazi about his last trip to Pakistan and added, "Listen, our phone call is being monitored."
According to the affidavits, in another intercepted phone conversation on Sept. 11, 2009, Najibullah Zazi told Afzali that his car had been stolen and that he feared he was being "watched." Afzali allegedly asked if there was any "evidence in his car," and Najibullah Zazi said no.
That same day, FBI agents conducted a legally authorized search of Najibullah Zazi´s rental car, which was parked near the Queens residence. During the search, agents found a laptop computer containing images of nine-pages of handwritten notes. According to the affidavits, the notes contained formulations and instructions regarding the manufacture and handling of initiating explosives, main explosives charges, explosives detonators and components of a fusing system. On September 12, 2009, Najibullah Zazi flew from La Guardia Airport in New York to Denver.
On September 16, 2009, FBI agents interviewed Najibullah Zazi in Denver. According to an affidavit, when he was asked about and shown handwritten notes regarding explosives found on his laptop computer, Najibullah Zazi falsely asserted that he had never seen the document before and stated he had not written the notes.
On September 17 and 18, Najibullah Zazi was further interviewed by the FBI in Denver. According to affidavits, Najibullah Zazi admitted in the interviews that during his 2008 trip to Pakistan, he attended courses and received instruction on weapons and explosives at an al-Qaeda training facility in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, of Pakistan.
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2684-Law-Enforcement-Examiner~y2010m2d23-Terrorist-Zazi-pleads-guilty-to-New-York-subway-plot
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