Chemical Purchases Investigated In New York Terror Probe

A report from the Wall Street Journal states that investigators are trying to track purchases of chemicals that could be used to make explosives, as part of the ongoing New York / Denver terror probe.

Two officials familiar with the probe said investigators were combing records on the purchases of chemicals, particularly hydrogen peroxide, that could be used to make bombs. Peroxide-based explosives were used in a deadly attack on London’s subway and bus system in July 2005, and al Qaeda’s interest in such explosives has been a top concern for the Federal Bureau of Investigation for almost two years, according to intelligence assessments made public.

The officials stressed that the potential target of any plot remained unknown. But one of the officials said that much of the evidence authorities have gathered in raids on homes in New York City and a suburb of Denver, Colo., was suggestive of a plot to attack trains or buses, although there was no specific evidence of such a plan.

Read Full Artcle – WSJ.com

Feds Investigate Failed Attempt To Rent Truck In NY Terror Probe

The New York Daily News reports today that investigators are looking into a failed attempt to rent a truck at a Queens truck rental, for ties to a possible Al Qaeda bomb plot.

The New York end of the expanding federal probe centered on seven Afghan men who tried to rent the biggest truck at a Queens U-Haul on Sept. 9, sources told the Daily News.The size of the vehicle involved, a 26-foot-long truck, suggested the conspirators may have wanted to pack it with explosives, sources said.

[..]

The truck rental bid failed when none of the men could produce a valid credit card. All refused to surrender the identification needed to pay cash, the manager of the Flushing U-Haul said.

A team of FBI agents spent 10 hours Thursday combing through the Queens truck rental business. “We all feel very lucky right now,” U-Haul manager Robert Larson told The News.

[...]

“None of them looked suspicious,” Larson said. “They looked like laborers. Not clean-cut guys, but your average Joe’s.”

Read Full Article at new York Daily Times

Denver Man Denies Ties To Terrorism – New York Terror Probe

Najibullah Zazi, a Colorado man whose visit to New York apparently set off government raids on several Queens apartments on Monday has denied having ties to al Qaeda or any other terrorist group.

“I have nothing to do with this,” said Zazi, 25, who was reached by telephone in Colorado on Monday and Tuesday. “This looks like it’s going toward me, which is more shocking every hour.”

Mr. Zazi said on Tuesday that he was contacting a lawyer, but he invited the F.B.I. to question him.

[...]

“I was hoping they’d come question me, give me a chance to question them, ask, ‘Why are you following me?’ ” said Mr. Zazi. “If they want to investigate, they can.”

He said he left Aurora, Colo., in a rented car and headed to New York to try to resolve an issue with a coffee cart that he said his family is licensed to operate in Lower Manhattan. A spokeswoman for the New York City health department could not confirm if the man or his father operated a mobile food cart.

Mr. Zazi said he was stopped at the George Washington Bridge by the authorities, who briefly detained him and searched his car. A city official confirmed that officers stopped a man at the bridge and searched his car, and that “everything was clean.” The official could not say what prompted the stop.

Mr. Zazi said he thought the police might be profiling him or suspected him because he has a beard and had rented the car. The next day, he said he thought his car had been stolen, but the police told him it had been towed. The following day, he said, he noticed he was being followed and called the police twice to complain.

Finally, he said, he cut short his stay in New York, deciding to fly back to Colorado on Saturday.

“It was too much for me,” Mr. Zazi said. “I said, ‘I can’t stay here, even for a minute.’ ”

Read Full Article

Related Stories

FBI and Homeland Security Warn NY Police Watch For Explosives Materials

Denver Terror Cell Plotting Attack At Center of New York Probe

Joint Terrorism Task Force Raids Homes In New York Terror Probe

Police Continue Look Into Pistol-packing Flight Attendant

A Denver police investigation of a flight attendant who tried to pass through an airport checkpoint this weekend with two guns continues, and the Denver district attorney’s office will probably review the case.

Theresa L. Penwell is being investigated for a “weapons violation” at Denver International Airport that was reported at about 9:35 a.m. Saturday, according to a Denver police report.

Penwell was taken into police custody when two guns were found in her possession at a DIA checkpoint, said Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson. Penwell was interviewed and released pending further investigation.

Police investigators’ findings will be passed on to the Denver DA’s office, which will review the case to determine whether any criminal charges will be filed, Jackson said.

The Transportation Security Administration, part of the the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, also is conducting an investigation into the incident, said Carrie Harmon, a TSA spokeswoman in Denver.

Source.

Flight Attendant In Custody Over Guns At Airport – Denver

Police in Denver Colorado say a flight attendant accused of trying to take two unloaded handguns through a security checkpoint was taken into custody on Saturday.

Police have not yet released the name of the woman taken into custody or confirmed which airline employs her.

Police Detonate Suspicious Package – Denver

A loud bang was heard along the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver this evening after police found and detonated a suspicious package near Union Station.

A spokesman for the Joint Information Center said there were no injuries. It was not immediately clear what the package contained before police used explosives to “render it safe,” in the spokesman’s words.

Source

Obama Assassination Plot – Police Schedule Press Conference Amid TV Report

UPDATE: Police say there is “insufficient evidence” to charge three men who were allegedly planning to assassinate Barack Obama.

The men were arrested in Denver, Colorado, in connection with drugs and weapons offences.

Political editor Adam Boulton, in Denver, said one of the group is reported to have made comments alerting police to a potential assassination plot against the leader of the Democrats. But speaking at a press conference, police said the men were drug addicts.

US Attorney Troy Eid said: “There is insufficient evidence that there was any kind of a plot or a threat but we’ll keep an open mind as we look.

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Authorities in Denver have scheduled a press conference Tuesday afternoon amid a report by a television station of a plot to assassinate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) during his Thursday speech at the Democratic convention at Invesco Field.

Police say they will discuss the facts surrounding a traffic stop in Aurora, Colo., where methamphetamine and firearms were found. Several people are being held in state custody and federal charges are anticipated, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office in Denver. Read more

McCain Office Receives Envelope With White Powder – May Be Hoax

UPDATE: A government official said a letter sent to the office of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee near Denver contained powder, but was being treated as a hoax and was believed to have been sent by an inmate at a nearby jail in Arapahoe County.

The letter sent to the office in New Hampshire did not contain powder, but rose suspicions of staffers who were jittery after the Denver area office received its letter.

Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren said the two letters are unrelated.

Despite the likelihood of a hoax, staffers at all the Arizona Republican’s campaign offices nationwide were told not to open letters.

“Let’s be cautious and not open mail tomorrow unless we clearly know the source,” according to a campaign e-mail that was sent to staff members and obtained by The Washington Times. “Let’s see what comes of this.”

Source

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John McCain’s Denver campaign office received an envelope containing white powder and a threatening note Thursday afternoon.

Spokesman Jeff Sadosky stated the office has been evacuated, and that federal and local law enforcement have been notified.

He would only say, “It was a threatening note and that the staff on site will be seen by health care professionals immediately, and the incident is under investigation.

“We are taking all necessary precautions,” Sadosky said.

The letter was opened at about 5 p.m. ET.