A Colorado man with alleged links to Al Qaeda has been charged with conspiracy to detonate explosive bombs in the U.S.
Najibullah Zazi, 24, a U.S. permanent resident from Afghanistan, was indicted in the Eastern District of New York on a charge of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction against persons or property in the United States on September 24, 2009. Zazi was originally charged in Denver with lying to federal authorities in an ongoing terrorism investigation after his arrest on September 19, 2009. The government has moved to drop the false statements charge in light of the indictment in New York.
Zazi, a shuttle driver at the Denver International Airport, allegedly admitted that he attended an Al Qaeda training facility in Pakistan where he received training in explosives and weapons from August 2008 until January 2009. At that time, Zazi was in possession of nine pages of handwritten notes containing “formulations and instructions regarding the manufacture and handling of different kinds of explosives,” according to the government’s motion of detention. These same nine handwritten pages, which court documents allege match Zazi’s handwriting, were transferred to his personal laptop in June 2009.
The notes give detailed information about the explosive Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), which was used in the 2005 London transit bombings. In July and August of 2009, Zazi and at least three others reportedly used stolen credit cards to purchase a large amount of hydrogen peroxide and acetone products – which are components of TATP – from beauty supply stores in the Denver area. Zazi also conducted Internet searches for the products. According to media reports, Zazi’s three accomplices visited Colorado from New York City to help Zazi stockpile the chemicals and traveled with Zazi in August 2008 to Pakistan for terrorism training.
After buying the products, Zazi checked into a hotel in Aurora, Colorado in August 2009. FBI testing for explosives and chemical residues found traces of acetone in a kitchen stove vent in the hotel, suggesting that Zazi may have used the stove to heat chemicals, as the bomb-making notes instruct.
In September, Zazi drove a rental car from Aurora to Queens, New York. On his way into New York City, Zazi was stopped at a security checkpoint on the George Washington Bridge, where Port Authority Police reportedly searched Zazi’s car at the behest of federal agents.
While in New York, Zazi spoke on the phone with a Queens-based imam and sometime government informant who allegedly tipped him off that he was under surveillance. Zazi flew back to Denver the next day.
The imam, Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, a U.S. permanent resident, has been charged in Brooklyn federal court with lying to federal authorities about an ongoing terrorism investigation. Officials claim that after he allegedly warned Zazi, Afzali lied to authorities about what he said on the phone call with Zazi, which was monitored.
Zazi’s father, Mohammed Zazi, 53, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan, was also arrested on allegations of false statements. Mohammed Zazi spoke to Afzali on the same day that his son did, but apparently later lied to FBI officials about this conversation, saying that it never happened and that he does not know anyone by Afzali’s name.
Police carried out raids on apartments Zazi visited in Queens during his recent trip, where they reportedly seized cell phones and more than a dozen backpacks. Officials discovered Zazi’s fingerprints on a scale and batteries, presumably used by Zazi to weigh chemicals for a bomb. Police also carried out raids of Zazi and his father’s home in Aurora. After the arrests, officials carried out more raids in Queens on homes of Zazi’s friends.
During a raid on Zazi’s rental car, authorities seized Zazi’s laptop, which reportedly showed that he had researched baseball and football stadiums, as well as locations used for Fashion Week in New York. Two sources familiar with the investigation have also reportedly indicated that Zazi had video of New York’s Grand Central Terminal.
According to initial reports, Zazi and seven other men attempted to rent a U-Haul moving van in Queens, but were unsuccessful after three credit cards were declined. The FBI searched the U-Haul location as well.
If convicted, Zazi faces up to life in prison. Mohammad Zazi and Afzali both face up to eight years in prison.
Several other American Muslim extremists have been charged, convicted or sentenced on terror-related charges in 2009. For more information, see: Criminal Proceedings in 2009.
