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Man in court for New York 'bomb plots'
Source: Agencies |
November 22, 2011, Tuesday
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AN "al-Qaida sympathizer" accused of plotting to bomb police and post offices in New York as well as US troops returning home remained in police custody after a court appearance on terrorism-related charges.
Jose Pimentel, of Manhattan, was described by Mayor Michael Bloomberg at as "a 27-year-old al-Qaida sympathizer" motivated by terrorist propaganda and resentment of US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said police had to move quickly to arrest Pimentel on Saturday because he was ready to carry out his plan.
"He was, in fact, putting this bomb together," Kelly said. "It would have been inappropriate for us to let him walk out the door with that bomb."
Manhattan assistant district attorney Brian Fields said Pimentel, a convert to Islam, "was approximately one hour from completing these explosive devices."
Ten years after September 11 attacks, New York remains a prime terrorism target. Bloomberg said at least 14 terrorist plots have targeted the city since then. No attack has been successful, however. Pakistani immigrant Faisal Shahzad is serving a life sentence for trying to detonate a car bomb in Times Square last May.
Kelly said Pimentel was motivated to carry out his plan by the September 30 killing of al-Qaida's US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. "He decided to build the bomb in August this year, but clearly he jacked up his speed after the elimination of al-Awlaki," Kelly said.
An unemployed US citizen originally from the Dominican Republic, Pimentel was, according to Bloomberg, "plotting to bomb police patrol cars and also postal facilities as well as targeted members of our armed services returning from abroad."
New York police had him under surveillance for at least a year and were working with an informant, Kelly said.
The mayor added: "He appears to be a total lone wolf. He was not part of a larger conspiracy emanating from abroad."
At Pimentel's hearing, his lawyer Joseph Zablocki said his client's behavior leading up to the arrest was not that of a conspirator trying to conceal some violent scheme. Zablocki said Pimentel was public about his activities and was not trying to hide anything.
"I do not believe this case is nearly as strong as people believe," Zablocki said. "He (Pimentel) has this very public online profile. ... This is not the way you go about committing a terrorist attack."
Pimentel, also known as Muhammad Yusuf, was denied bail.
Jose Pimentel, of Manhattan, was described by Mayor Michael Bloomberg at as "a 27-year-old al-Qaida sympathizer" motivated by terrorist propaganda and resentment of US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said police had to move quickly to arrest Pimentel on Saturday because he was ready to carry out his plan.
"He was, in fact, putting this bomb together," Kelly said. "It would have been inappropriate for us to let him walk out the door with that bomb."
Manhattan assistant district attorney Brian Fields said Pimentel, a convert to Islam, "was approximately one hour from completing these explosive devices."
Ten years after September 11 attacks, New York remains a prime terrorism target. Bloomberg said at least 14 terrorist plots have targeted the city since then. No attack has been successful, however. Pakistani immigrant Faisal Shahzad is serving a life sentence for trying to detonate a car bomb in Times Square last May.
Kelly said Pimentel was motivated to carry out his plan by the September 30 killing of al-Qaida's US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. "He decided to build the bomb in August this year, but clearly he jacked up his speed after the elimination of al-Awlaki," Kelly said.
An unemployed US citizen originally from the Dominican Republic, Pimentel was, according to Bloomberg, "plotting to bomb police patrol cars and also postal facilities as well as targeted members of our armed services returning from abroad."
New York police had him under surveillance for at least a year and were working with an informant, Kelly said.
The mayor added: "He appears to be a total lone wolf. He was not part of a larger conspiracy emanating from abroad."
At Pimentel's hearing, his lawyer Joseph Zablocki said his client's behavior leading up to the arrest was not that of a conspirator trying to conceal some violent scheme. Zablocki said Pimentel was public about his activities and was not trying to hide anything.
"I do not believe this case is nearly as strong as people believe," Zablocki said. "He (Pimentel) has this very public online profile. ... This is not the way you go about committing a terrorist attack."
Pimentel, also known as Muhammad Yusuf, was denied bail.
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