The FBI arrested a 24-year-old Colorado man on charges of making false statements to federal agents in an ongoing terror investigation and supporting documents contend the man admitted receiving weapons and explosives training from al-Qaeda in Pakistan.
Najibullah Zazi was arrested late on Saturday after undergoing three days of questioning by the FBI. Zazi, a legal permanent resident from Afghanistan, is due to appear in federal court today.
Also arrested were Zazi’s father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, 53, in Denver; and an associate, Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, of Queens, New York, the Justice Department said yesterday.
Both were also charged with making false statements to federal agents, a charge that carries a penalty of eight years in prison. Court appearances for both also were set for today.
Zazi has repeatedly denied to reporters any connection to al-Qaeda or to a purported terrorist plot.
A senior US intelligence official in Washington said on Friday that Zazi has indicated that he is directly linked with al-Qaeda. 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.
The FBI is investigating several individuals in the US, Pakistan and elsewhere in an alleged plot to detonate explosive devices in the US, the Justice Department said in a statement.
“The arrests carried out tonight are part of an ongoing and fast-paced investigation,” said David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security. “It is important to note that we have no specific information regarding the timing, location or target of any planned attack.”
A joint FBI-New York Police Department task force feared Zazi may have been involved in a potential plot involving hydrogen peroxide-based explosives such as those cited in an intelligence warning issued last Monday, according to two other law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation.
In supporting documents filed with the court, investigators say Zazi admitted to FBI agents last week that last year he received weapons and explosives training from al-Qaeda in the federally administered tribal areas of Pakistan.
The investigation gathered momentum after 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, then flew home to Denver. The FBI searched Zazi’s rental car and laptop during the New York trip and listened in on telephone conversations, the affidavits said.
Last 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 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, court documents filed with the arrest warrant said.
Those notes included instructions on how to build explosives and detonators, the affidavits state.
Zazi was asked about the notes during FBI interviews last week and said he knew nothing about them, the documents said. Zazi allegedly told federal agents that he must have unintentionally downloaded the notes along with a religious book. He said he deleted it within a few days after realizing it discussed jihad, the affidavit said.
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