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3 arrested in federal terror probe
Source: Agencies |
September 20, 2009, Sunday
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A 24-YEAR-OLD Colorado airport shuttle driver and his father were arrested on formal charges of making false statements to federal agents in an ongoing terror investigation, and a third man was arrested in New York City on the same charges, the Justice Department said today.
Najibullah Zazi, 24, and his father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, 53, were arrested by federal agents late yesterday at their suburban Denver homes. Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, of Flushing, New York, also was arrested, the Justice Department said.
Each was charged with knowingly and willfully making false statements to the FBI "in a matter involving international and domestic terrorism," the department said in a statement.
The Zazis were scheduled to appear in federal court in Denver tomorrow, it said. Afzali was to appear tomorrow in federal court in the Eastern District of New York.
If convicted, each would face eight years in prison.
The FBI is investigating several individuals in the United States, Pakistan and elsewhere in an alleged plot to detonate explosive devices in the United States, the Justice Department said.
In supporting documents filed with the court, federal investigators say a Sept. 11 search of Zazi's rental car in New York turned up a laptop computer that contained an image of nine pages of handwritten notes. Those notes included formulas and instructions about how to build explosives, detonators and other components of a fuzing circuit.
Zazi allegedly was asked about the notes during FBI interviews last week and said he knew nothing about them, the documents said.
The FBI's court filings also say Zazi admitted to FBI agents last week that in 2008 he received al-Qaida weapons and explosives training at an al-Qaida training facility in Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan.
Zazi has repeatedly denied any connection to al-Qaida or to a purported terrorist plot.
Wendy Aiello, a spokeswoman for Zazi's defense team, says Zazi and his father were taken to FBI headquarters in Denver. Zazi's attorney, Art Folsom, was meeting the father and son there.
Zazi had been scheduled to go to the Federal Building in Denver yesterday for a fourth straight day of FBI questioning. However, the meeting was canceled so Zazi could meet with his attorney, Aiello said.
A senior U.S. intelligence official in Washington told The Associated Press Friday that Zazi has indicated that he is directly linked with al-Qaida. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence matters, said Zazi played a crucial role in an intended terrorist attack but that it was not immediately clear what the targets were.
Folsom dismissed the official's remark, calling it "rumor." Folsom also said Zazi never met with al-Qaida operatives and isn't involved in terrorism.
Another official familiar with the investigation told the AP on Thursday that Zazi had contact with a known al-Qaida associate. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, would not provide details on the location or nature of the encounter.
The official said agents have been monitoring Zazi and four others in Colorado as part of a terrorism investigation.
FBI agents in Denver questioned Mohammed Zazi on Friday about his son's background, said attorney Armstrong Graham.
The FBI has searched Zazi's apartment and his uncle and aunt's home in suburban Denver. Authorities have not said what they found there.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Friday that the FBI was "working this case around the clock" in New York, Denver and other parts of the country but that there was no imminent threat.
Authorities say Zazi rented a car and drove from Denver to New York, crossing into Manhattan on Sept. 10. Zazi said he went to New York to resolve some issues with a coffee cart he owns in Manhattan.
On Monday, FBI agents and police officers with search warrants seeking bomb materials searched three apartments and questioned residents in the Queens neighborhood where Zazi stayed.
A joint FBI-New York Police Department task force feared Zazi may have been involved in a potential plot involving hydrogen peroxide-based explosives like those cited in an intelligence warning issued Monday, according to two other law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation.
Folsom has repeatedly denied any such claims.
Zazi was born in Afghanistan in 1985, moved to Pakistan at age 7 and emigrated to the United States in 1999. He returned to Pakistan in 2007 and 2008 to visit his wife, Folsom said.
Najibullah Zazi, 24, and his father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, 53, were arrested by federal agents late yesterday at their suburban Denver homes. Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, of Flushing, New York, also was arrested, the Justice Department said.
Each was charged with knowingly and willfully making false statements to the FBI "in a matter involving international and domestic terrorism," the department said in a statement.
The Zazis were scheduled to appear in federal court in Denver tomorrow, it said. Afzali was to appear tomorrow in federal court in the Eastern District of New York.
If convicted, each would face eight years in prison.
The FBI is investigating several individuals in the United States, Pakistan and elsewhere in an alleged plot to detonate explosive devices in the United States, the Justice Department said.
In supporting documents filed with the court, federal investigators say a Sept. 11 search of Zazi's rental car in New York turned up a laptop computer that contained an image of nine pages of handwritten notes. Those notes included formulas and instructions about how to build explosives, detonators and other components of a fuzing circuit.
Zazi allegedly was asked about the notes during FBI interviews last week and said he knew nothing about them, the documents said.
The FBI's court filings also say Zazi admitted to FBI agents last week that in 2008 he received al-Qaida weapons and explosives training at an al-Qaida training facility in Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan.
Zazi has repeatedly denied any connection to al-Qaida or to a purported terrorist plot.
Wendy Aiello, a spokeswoman for Zazi's defense team, says Zazi and his father were taken to FBI headquarters in Denver. Zazi's attorney, Art Folsom, was meeting the father and son there.
Zazi had been scheduled to go to the Federal Building in Denver yesterday for a fourth straight day of FBI questioning. However, the meeting was canceled so Zazi could meet with his attorney, Aiello said.
A senior U.S. intelligence official in Washington told The Associated Press Friday that Zazi has indicated that he is directly linked with al-Qaida. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence matters, said Zazi played a crucial role in an intended terrorist attack but that it was not immediately clear what the targets were.
Folsom dismissed the official's remark, calling it "rumor." Folsom also said Zazi never met with al-Qaida operatives and isn't involved in terrorism.
Another official familiar with the investigation told the AP on Thursday that Zazi had contact with a known al-Qaida associate. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, would not provide details on the location or nature of the encounter.
The official said agents have been monitoring Zazi and four others in Colorado as part of a terrorism investigation.
FBI agents in Denver questioned Mohammed Zazi on Friday about his son's background, said attorney Armstrong Graham.
The FBI has searched Zazi's apartment and his uncle and aunt's home in suburban Denver. Authorities have not said what they found there.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Friday that the FBI was "working this case around the clock" in New York, Denver and other parts of the country but that there was no imminent threat.
Authorities say Zazi rented a car and drove from Denver to New York, crossing into Manhattan on Sept. 10. Zazi said he went to New York to resolve some issues with a coffee cart he owns in Manhattan.
On Monday, FBI agents and police officers with search warrants seeking bomb materials searched three apartments and questioned residents in the Queens neighborhood where Zazi stayed.
A joint FBI-New York Police Department task force feared Zazi may have been involved in a potential plot involving hydrogen peroxide-based explosives like those cited in an intelligence warning issued Monday, according to two other law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation.
Folsom has repeatedly denied any such claims.
Zazi was born in Afghanistan in 1985, moved to Pakistan at age 7 and emigrated to the United States in 1999. He returned to Pakistan in 2007 and 2008 to visit his wife, Folsom said.
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