Posted on 09/22/2009 9:11:29 AM PDT by La Lydia
A depressing report in the Washington Times about the ongong terrorism investigation, suggesting that turf warring between rival agencies — the FBI and the NYPD — prematurely blew the investigation before law enforcement could gather enough evidence to make a strong terrorism case against anyone. Specifically, the FBI was watching the Denver-based prime suspect, Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old native Afghan who has reportedly received training in al-Qaeda camps. Zazi had plans to be in New York by the anniversary of 9/11 (always a date of concern) and, in fact, took two days to drive there. (Driving, rather than flying or taking trains, suggests he may not have wanted to leave a trail of evidence showing his travel.)
It is customary and common sense that, if the FBI has information of a potential plot in NYC, it alerts the NYPD. In fact, these agencies systematically work together on Joint Terrorism Task Forces in NYC and elsewhere. In this case, the FBI would have expected the NYPD to work cooperatively with the feds (and subordinately to them). But the NYPD is very independent, especially where potential terrorism is concerned, and the FBI can't make them tow the line.
Obviously, what the FBI wanted to do was keep watching Zazi to see where he would go, whom he would meet with, and what he would do — figuring that, as long as they had a covert eyeball on him, they could let the plot unfold and gather evidence without the risk that a terrorist attack would actually occur. But what appears to have happened — again, according to the report (I have no personal knowledge) — is that the NYPD decided on its own to go interview a New York based imam, Ahmed Wais Afzali, who was somehow connected to Zazi. Afzali not only refused to cooperate but alerted Zazi (probably through the latter's father, Mohammed Zazi) that he was being monitored. As a result, Zazi aborted without doing much of anything that would corroborate the existence of a massive terrorist plot (though he did try on September 10 to rent a truck in Queens, under very suspicious circumstances)...
With the investigation burned, agents grabbed Zazi for interrogation and, when he obviously didn't give it up after four days of questioning (under the usual FBI protocols that the Left insists are just as reliable in a ticking-bomb situation as the CIA's coercive methods), they finally charged him with the only offense they felt safe charging at the moment, making false statements during interrogation. Apparently, Afzali and the elder Zazi also told the FBI to pound sand when it came to cooperation, and they've similarly been charged with making false statements — evidently arising out of whatever they told the government about their conversations with each other and Zazi the younger. (The Bureau reportedly has intercepted conversations in which Afzali and Zazi senior tell Zazi junior he's being watched.) Meantime, everybody else who may have been involved in the plot now knows to destroy any evidence (e.g., explosive precursors) and scatter.
I hope this isn't what happened, but...I would not be surprised if it did. And if it did, expect a renewed debate over whether we need a British style MI-5 because, critics have long contended, our law-enforcement agencies are not competent to do effective spying.
I would just start leaking info that ALL Imams are double-agents, then watch the fun begin
The FBI and NYPD have different missions and different perspectives.
NYPD’s primary mission is protecting NYC.
I work about 2 miles from the apartment in Flushing in a large Federal Building. I also take mass transit to work.
This case is a little more immediate to me.
The FBI will cleanup this cell and make the case, but Ray Kelly wants to protect NYC.
It doesn’t matter, even if the strong case is made, Obama gives them United States’ citizen rights, let’s them go to some tropical setting, and forces us to pay for it.
Wouldn't be surprising; I've heard and read that, elsewhere.
Or...nobody was talking and they wanted to flush out—or help those unknown suspects to run and flee instead of continuing with their targets. Or they ran into a dead end—which always happens.
NYPD wins based on history;
much better to go in too early than too late.
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