NEFA Report – The New York, Denver Terror Plot Arrests
October 25, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Featured
This NEFA Foundation report, “Target: America”, provides details on Najibullah Zazi’s activities prior to his arrest and sheds light on why this case is considered by many experts to be the most significant terrorist plot on U.S. soil since 9/11.
The investigation into a plot to detonate explosive devices in the United States led by Afghan immigrant Najibullah Zazi and three yet-to-be-named accomplices is ongoing. To date, only three individuals have been arrested in connection with this case.
Only one, Najibullah Zazi, appears to be implicated in an operational capacity. Two others, Bosnian immigrant Adis Mendunjanin, and New York City cab driver Zarein Ahmedzay, have been questioned, but have not been arrested.1 A childhood acquaintance of Zazi’s, Naiz Khan, with whom Zazi stayed when he traveled to New York in September, is reported to be under surveillance in connection with the plot.
This is the most advanced U.S.-based plot since 9/11 that is said to be tied to Al-Qaida. According to media reports, high-ranking Al-Qaida operative Mustafa Abu al-Yazid3 used a middle man to contact Zazi.4 Although we have seen Al-Qaida-linked individuals in the U.S. engage in terrorist-related activities such as Iyman Ferris who surveilled the Brooklyn Bridge while in contact with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed5 we have not seen a fully operational plot in which operatives received direct training from Al-Qaida.
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Intel Agencies Go Through ‘Hot Wash’ of Terror Investigation
Time magazine takes a look at the New York terror investigation and the ongoing analysis of what worked in the investigation, what didn’t and what aspects need continued focus and exploration.
From Time
In military and intelligence parlance, it’s called a “hot wash” – an instant review of an operation, evaluating what worked, what didn’t, and how to make the next one better. With the case against U.S.-based terror suspect Najibullah Zazi now in Federal court, many of the agencies involved in the investigation, from the FBI to the police forces of Denver and New York, are retracing their steps.
“[What] we are doing now is asking ourselves why didn’t we know about this earlier,” says a senior Administration official. “Could we have known about this earlier? Could we improve our already very strong ability to identify and stop these types of activities early on?”
(Afghanistan-born Zazi has pleaded not guilty to the charge of plotting a terrorist attack; his next court date is Dec 3.)
Simultaneous to the hot washes, investigators are sifting through the evidence gathered to clear up some remaining gray areas in the case.
There are four areas of special interest:
1.The Afghan angle
2. Where the trail began.
3. Did the New York Police Department screw up?
4. The co-conspirators
New York Terror Plot Suspect, Zazi Pleads Not Guilty
September 29, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
As expected, alleged New York terror suspect Najibullah Zazi has pleaded innocent to charges he and other plotted to carry out a terror attack in New York, earlier this month.
From The New York Daily News
Under super-heavy guard, the Afghan immigrant accused of hatching a plot to bomb New York pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges Tuesday in Brooklyn Federal Court.
As three U.S. marshals hovered, Najibullah Zazi was ordered held without bail on charges of attempting to launch a large-scale massacre with explosives made out of beauty supplies.“Good morning, Mr. Zazi,” the judge said after Zazi was led in wearing handcuffs and the blue prison uniform over an orange T-shirt – and matching orange sneakers – that high profile federal inmates wear.
“Good morning,” Zazi replied.
via Read Full Article.
Terror Suspect Had Bomb Guide, Handwritten Notes
September 20, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
The central figure in what authorities describe as a widening inquiry into a possible plot to detonate explosives in the United States had been trained in weapons and explosives in Pakistan and, according to court papers released Sunday, had made nine pages of handwritten notes on how to make and handle bombs.
The court papers, released after the arrests in Colorado of Najibullah Zazi and his father, as well as that of an imam in Queens, showed that during a search in New York of the younger Mr. Zazi’s rental car on Sept. 11, agents found a laptop computer containing an image of the notes. According to a criminal complaint, the notes “contain formulations and instructions regarding the manufacture and handling of initiating explosives, main explosives charges, explosives detonators and components of a fusing system.”
Read Full Article – NYTimes.com.
Zazi, Reportedly Had Weapons and Explosives Training From al-Qaeda
September 20, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
New York Daily News reports that an alleged al-Qaeda terror operative told investigators he received training in “weapons and explosives” from Osama Bin Laden sources last year, according to documents released Sunday.
Najibullah Zazi admitted he visited Pakistan’s wartorn tribal areas for the training, documents said.
Zazi, 25, was collared by the FBI late Saturday night in Aurora, Colo., along with his father, Mohammed Wali Zazi.
Also arrested was Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, the imam of a mosque in Flushing, Queens.
All three face initial charges of lying to investigators from Joint Terrorism Task Forces in Denver and New York.
“The arrests … are part of an ongoing and fast-paced investigation,” said Assistant Attorney General David Kris.
[...]
In one Queens flat, the FBI found a “black scale” and batteries – which can be used to measure chemicals to make hydrogen-peroxide-based explosives – which had Zazi’s fingerprints, court papers revealed.
The FBI and NYPD grew alarmed that Zazi and his possible co-conspirators might be planning an imminent attack when they found backpacks and cell phones in an apartment. They also learned that Afzali and other Zazi associates tried to rent a 26-foot U-Haul truck the day before Zazi arrived in Queens.
Read Full Article and Updates At NY Daily News
Najibullah Zazi, Alleged Terror Plot Suspect Arrested By FBI
September 19, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
Fox31 reports an arrest has been made in the FBI terror case that involves Aurora resident Najibullah Zazi. At 9:30 p.m. 15 to 20 law enforcement cars swarmed into the parking lot of Zazi’s Aurora apartment near E. Smokey hill road and E-470.
Both Zazi and his father were removed from the apartment in handcuffs. Authorities have not indicated what the two men are being charged with. Earlier in the evening Zazi’s lawyer spokesperson Wendy Aiello told FOX 31 “we have not been contacted by the FBI.”
Najibullah Zazi was supposed to report to the Federal Building in Denver Saturday morning but opted not to for unclear reasons.
From CNN Wire
CNN is reporting FBI agents late Saturday arrested Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old Colorado resident and Afghan national suspected in an alleged terrorist plot in the United States. The report says the arrest came as authorities raided Zazi’s home in Aurora Colorado
Source‘
9News In Colorado Reports:The FBI has arrested Najibullah Zazi and his father at their apartment. The arrests happened at about 9:40 p.m. Saturday night. NBC justice correspondent Pete Williams tells 9NEWS that the charges will not likely be terrorism charges but may be a lesser charge that involves lying to a federal investigator.
Read Full Article at 9NEWSDeveloping….
Charges Being Prepared Against Alleged Denver Terror Suspect Zazi
September 19, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
9NEWS in Colorado is reporting it has confirmed that criminal charges are being drawn up against Najibullah Zazi of Arapahoe County and that the charges may be announced later tonight or Sunday. The breaking report states that NBC justice correspondent Pete Williams told 9NEWS that the charges will not likely be terrorism charges but may be a lesser charge that involves lying to a federal investigator.
9News is also reporting charges being prepared against Naiz Khan, the New York City pushcart vendor with whom Zazi stayed during his recent visit to the city.
Terror Suspect’s Computer Shows Sports Stadiums, Fashion Sites
September 19, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
ABC News is reporting that law enforcement officials tell them a computer belonging to alleged al Qaeda suspect Najibullah Zazi showed he had researched baseball and football stadiums and sites used in the recent Fashion Week event in New York City.
ABC News reports officials said they aren’t sure what locations might have been targeted, but information found on Zazi’s computer may provide a window into what he might have been planning. They reportedly also found a text message that said “wedding cake is ready,” which may have been a signal about preparations for an attack.
Zazi, 24, had been scheduled to spend a fourth day today being questioned by the FBI but his lawyer, Arthur Folsom, canceled the session , according to the news report.
“He has taken the day to consult with his client,” said Wendy Aiello, a spokeswoman for the lawyer. Zazi is not in custody, she said.
While officials say they do not know the targets of the alleged plot, the contents of Zazi’s computer are considered a valuable insight into what he might have been planning.
Denver Terror Plot Suspect May Be Looking To Cut Deal
September 18, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Featured
UPDATED 10:33 PST 09/18/09
The New York Daily News is doing an incredible job reporting rapidly unfolding developments in a terror investigation that stretches from Denver Colorado to Queens New York.Today’s reports from the Daily News include the following items of interest:
- Lawyers for Najibullah Zazi are negotiating with federal officials for an agreement where he could admit receiving military training,but deny plans to injure any Americans
- Two men were picked up Thursday for questioning in New York, but then released.
- The Fbi is still following several of those involved and they know they are being followed.
- When the probe began this week 5 Colorado men cited as members of the cell were under a round-the-clock watch. That number had risen to as many as 12.
CNN is also features several new developments in their latest report including the following:
- A spokeswoman for Zazi’s attorney said Zazi began meeting in Denver with the FBI at 9 a.m. Friday for the third consecutive day, and was still there by nightfall.
- Zazi’s father Mohammed met for three hours Friday afternoon with the FBI, then returned to his home.
- Further in the report CNN cites a source that says there were plans for an attack, presumably in the New York area, where crowds are large and security screening for travelers who are not flying is lax.
- Two additional sources in the report, familiar with the investigation said that Zazi had video of New York’s Grand Central Terminal.
- A former counterterrorism official briefed on the investigation said bomb instructions were found but could not say where. The former official said backpacks, computers and maps were found during searches in the New York City borough of Queens, and field tests turned up positive for explosives.
UPDATE: The operative told Zazi what to say if stopped by police, and there is also a reference to a “wedding,” which American agents believe is a code word for an attack.
ABC News Report
ABC News is reporting on it’s website that the Denver man at the center of an alleged New York bomb plot, Najibullah Zazi, has admitted he has ties to al Qaeda and is in negotiations to plead guilty to a terror charge, a senior law enforcement official told ABC News.
Najibullah Zazi declines to answer questions after meeting with FBI in Denver.
The official said Zazi had received explosives training and his possible guilty plea would be part of a deal to cooperate with the government.
[...]
The plea negotiations were first reported by the New York Daily News.
A lawyer for Zazi, Arthur Folsom, called the reports “completely unfounded.”
From The New York Post
A suspected al Qaeda terrorist from Queens has reportedly admitted to the feds that he has ties to the group after being questioned for a third straight day.
Najibullah Zazi, 24, had contact with a known al-Qeida associate, Fox News Channel reported today on its Web side.
Earlier in the day, an official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, would not provide details on the location or nature of those alleged encounter.
[..]
Zazi, who authorities claimed had once trained at a Pakistani terror camp, had bomb-making diagrams on a computer that he carried with him on a visit to the city, CNN reported.
A joint FBI-New York Police Department task force feared Zazi may be involved in a potential plot involving hydrogen peroxide-based explosives like those cited in an intelligence warning issued Monday.
From CBS 2 HD
Bob Strang is a terrorism expert who said the FBI’s intense pressure on Zazi’s family may have been what caused him to crack and make the partial confession.
“This has been a hot case, something the government has been focused on for a while and it is now just coming to a head,” Strang told CBS 2 HD.
The ties between Najibullah Zazi and al-Qaida are growing. A source who gets high-level intelligence briefings told CBS 2 HD that law enforcement officials have recorded a number of conversations between Zazi and a known al-Qaida operative in Pakistan.
The key parts of the conversation? The operative told Zazi what to say if stopped by police, and there is also a reference to a “wedding,” which American agents believe is a code word for an attack.
Sources said the formula for the explosive TATP was found in Zazi’s computer when they seized his car, and with President Barack Obama coming to the UN next week, the FBI felt it needed to act.
Denver Terror Cell Plotting Attack At Center of New York Probe
September 15, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Incident Reports
The New York Daily News is reporting the Queens New York terror raids yesterday, are a part of FBI probe into Denver-based cell plotting attack on 9/11 scale.According to the report here, the FBI probe that triggered raids in Queens is now focused on a Denver-based terror cell plotting another attack said to be on the scale of 9/11.
From the NY Daily news Article
Hundreds of FBI agents are on the ground in Colorado, conducting round-the-clock surveillance on five suspects including a man who recently visited Queens, sources told The News.
New York authorities searched three Flushing apartments and detained several men – later released – after getting a warrant to look for bomb-making components, explosive powders and fuses.
“The FBI is seriously spooked about these guys planning another 9/11,” a former senior counter-terrorism official told the News. “This is not some … FBI informant-driven case. This is the real thing.”
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters it’s an ongoing investigation with plenty of “substance.”
The 24-7 counter-terror operation included Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants used to intercept calls and e-mails, as well as overseas-linked wiretaps to eavesdrop on Arabic and Pashto-speaking targets.
From The Denver Post
The focus of an anti-terrorism investigation turned to Denver today, one day after federal authorities raided several New York City homes in an investigation sparked by a suspected al-Qaeda associate from Colorado.
Multiple news organizations are reporting that the suspect, a man known to friends as Najibullah, traveled to New York from Colorado, prompting the raids. The reports say agents in New York were looking for bomb-making components.
There has been no official announcement about the investigation’s details. Kathleen Wright, spokeswoman for the Denver FBI, said she could not confirm or deny that the agency is surveilling or investigating a terror suspect in Colorado.
Denver police referred calls to the FBI.
Denver Man Detained And Released
A Denver man, detained and then released Monday in connection with the New York City terrorism raids, had recently traveled to Pakistan before he showed up in New York last Thursday with bomb-making documents, other law enforcement officials told ABC News.
Hundreds of FBI agents are “on the ground in Colorado, conducting round-the-clock surveillance on five suspects,” the Daily News reported.
