Storage Sites Searched for Bomb Materials In Terror Probe
September 22, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Incident Reports
Detectives were combing Queens storage facilities on Monday for stockpiled explosive chemicals that Al Qaeda terror thugs planned to use to bomb New York,according to the New York Daily News.
At the same time, the Daily News has learned that prime terror suspect Najibullah Zazi has confessed he was a jihadist hell-bent on murderous mayhem, the sources said.
NYPD investigators, in coordination with the FBI, hit chemical and fertilizer companies looking for customers who bought bulk and paid cash – and they were also showing up at storage centers in Long Island City.
Investigators believe they were going to use the units to mix chemicals for explosives.
“They’re full on, and still going full bore,” a counterterror official said of the bomb hunt, according to the report.
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.
FBI Again Questions Colorado Man in Terror Probe
September 17, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
An airport shuttle driver at the center of a federal terrorism investigation returned Thursday for further questioning by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in Denver, a day after federal agents searched his apartment and interviewed him for eight hours.
Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old immigrant from Afghanistan, provided a DNA swab, a handwriting sample and fingerprints during his eight-hour interrogation on Wednesday afternoon and evening, according to one of his attorneys, Armstrong Graham. “It sounds worse than it was,” Mr. Graham said. “It was very cordial, very productive.”
The agents pressed for information about Mr. Zazi’s family and friends and his travel history, Mr. Graham said. Mr. Zazi’s wife lives in Pakistan, and his lawyers say he 
visits her there regularly. Last week, Mr. Zazi rented a car and drove to New York. He said he had to deal with some problems involving a coffee-vending cart that he operated for years on Wall Street. Mr. Zazi stayed with an old friend in the borough of Queens; earlier this week, the friend’s apartment and two others were searched.
Mr. Zazi hasn’t been arrested or charged. Authorities haven’t released any information about the results of their searches in Queens or in the Denver area.
Both Mr. Zazi and his lawyers have repeatedly said he has no ties to terrorism.
via Read Full Article – WSJ.com.
On another note…CBS News Reports
A Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing obtained by CBS News raises more questions about the 24-year-old Afghan national now at the center of a multi-state terror investigation.
[..]
Perhaps most interesting: In the five months between April and August of 2008, Zazi opened up 15 separate revolving credit card accounts eventually racking up more than $38,000 worth of debt ($38,786) on those cards.In the filing, Zazi also claimed he was “unmarried,” in contrast to statements that he had traveled frequently to Pakistan to visit his wife, who his attorney said he married in 2006.
FBI Sees No Imminent Threat Following New York Terror Raids
FBI Director Robert Mueller said on Wednesday there was no imminent security threat related to an investigation that included raids of New York homes this week in an apparent search for homemade explosives.
“I do not believe there is imminent danger from that particular investigation,” Mueller said in response to a question from New York Senator Charles Schumer. He declined to elaborate on the investigation.
A joint anti-terrorism task force carried out raids on Monday in the Queens borough of New York, in an area believed to have been visited by a man suspected of sympathizing with al Qaeda. The raids rattled some residents as they came just days after the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
New York police and the FBI have provided few details about the raids. Witnesses said dozens of heavily armed FBI agents arrived in a phalanx of unmarked vehicles and stormed the building in the early morning.
A federal law enforcement official said three search warrants had been executed.
via FBI sees no imminent threat following New York raids | Markets | Markets News | Reuters.
Report: FBI Hostage Rescue Team Prepared For Terror Raids If Needed
September 16, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Incident Reports
The New York Daily News is reporting that the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team arrived in New York in anticipation of an offensive to thwart any terror plot related to this weeks terror raids in Queens.
The NY Daily News also reports that another source said an earlier raid uncovered nine backpacks and cell phones. We have been unable to confirm this report.
The source told The Daily news that authorities feared a potential attack on the city subway, with its 5.2 million daily riders.FBI Director Robert Mueller, speaking at a Senate hearing Wednesday, said the plot posed “no imminent danger.”"New Yorkers are well benefited from the work of the NYPD and Commissioner Ray Kelly,” said Mueller, offering no other details on the HRT deployment.
Read Full Article At NY Daily News
Local and Federal Law Enforcement officials have not confirmed this report.
Denver Man Denies Ties To Terrorism – New York Terror Probe
September 15, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
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.’ ”
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
FBI and Homeland Security Warn NY Police Watch For Explosives Materials
September 15, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Incident Reports
The FBI and Homeland Security officials are warning local police departments to be on the look out for materials that could be used to make explosives. The warning came as officials investigate a suspected al-Qaida associate and raided three New York City apartments.
Investigators issued warrants to search the residences for explosives material but did not find any, according to a person briefed on the matter who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity.
The joint intelligence warning, issued Monday, lists indicators that could tip off police to homemade hydrogen peroxide-based explosives, such as people with burn marks on their hands, face or arms. The warning was obtained by The Associated Press.
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.
Joint Terrorism Task Force Raids Homes In New York Terror Probe
September 14, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Incident Reports
UPDATE 2:18pm PST: Al Qaeda Suspect Tracked to New York Over the Weekend, Met with Possible Followers
Authorities raided properties in New York City today in an effort that was intended to disrupt the plans of a terror suspect whose travels had been tracked by the FBI, according to an official briefed on the raids.
“He was being watched and concern grew as he met with a group of individuals in Queens over the weekend,” said Congressman Pete King (R-NY). “The FBI went to court late last night for an emergency warrant to conduct the raids this morning.” A resident in the neighborhood said there was police activity around 2 a.m. Monday.
UPDATE 1:48pm PST: – Two U.S. intelligence officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly, said the target of any purported attack, or who would carry it out, remained unclear. Authorities have not found any weapons ready for use, such as a bomb, that would indicate an attack was imminent, they said. Nevertheless, one of the officials called the threat very real and emphasized the urgency of the threat. Source – WCBS Radio
UPDATE 1:40pm PST: NYPD and FBI, citing ‘activity’ Sunday night, raided the residences in Queens as part of joint anti-terror probe.
Original Post
Law enforcement agents have raided several homes in New York City as part of a terrorism probe, and are preparing to brief Congress about the investigation later today. A NYPD spokesman confirms that searches were conducted in the borough of Queens on Monday by agents of a joint terrorism task force.
Additional Reports
From Reuters
New York City police are conducting an investigation into suspected terrorism in the borough of Queens, a spokesman said on Monday. “There was activity in Queens last night by the NYPD and the FBI that was part of an ongoing joint terrorism taskforce investigation,” Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said.
NYPD, FBI Complete Queens Terror Drill Exercise
August 4, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
The multi-agency—including the NYPD and FBI—terror drill that was conducted in Queens over the past few nights was deemed a success by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. He told the AP, “We plan for the worst with the best exercises possible. This one was realistic — at night, in the rain, with traffic. We put our personnel to the test and they performed well.” The exercise involved hundreds of police officers and federal agents, who were on the hunt for a radiological device.
As part of the drill, the NYPD set up a “radiological dragnet,” using various radiation detectors to find the materials before the device was to be detonated. The device was traveling in Queens, which meant the NYPD had to close lanes and inspect cars, ultimately finding a red SUV that had a mock device designed by the Department of Energy to emit safe levels of neutrons (there were technicians protecting it in the SUV, too).
