April 23, 2010
Note: The following text is a quote:
newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/nyfo042310.htm
Zarein Ahmedzay Pleads Guilty to Terror Violations in Connection with al Qaeda New York Subway Plot
WASHINGTON—The Justice Department announced that Zarein Ahmedzay, a U.S. citizen and resident of Queens, N.Y., pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of New York to terrorism violations stemming from, among other activities, his role in an al Qaeda plot to conduct coordinated suicide bombings on New York’s subway system in September 2009.
At a hearing this afternoon before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven M. Gold, Ahmedzay, 25, pleaded guilty to the following violations: conspiracy to use a weapon of mass of destruction (explosive bombs) against persons or property in the United States; conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country; and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, namely al Qaeda. Ahmedzay faces a sentence of up to life in prison.
Ahmedzay was first indicted on Jan. 8, 2010, in the Eastern District of New York on charges of making false statements to the FBI about his travels to Pakistan and Afghanistan. On Feb. 25, 2010, he was charged in a superseding indictment in the Eastern District of New York with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction; conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country; providing material support to al Qaeda; receiving military-type training from al Qaeda; and making false statements.
“The facts disclosed today add chilling details to what we know was a deadly plot hatched by al Qaeda leaders overseas to kill scores of Americans in the New York City subway system in September 2009,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “This plot, as well as others we have encountered, makes clear we face a continued threat from al Qaeda and its affiliates overseas. With three guilty pleas already and the investigation continuing, this prosecution underscores the importance of using every tool we have available to both disrupt plots against our nation and hold suspected terrorists accountable.”
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller said, “Ahmedzay’s plea makes clear that he betrayed his adopted country and its people by providing support to al Qaeda and planning to bring deadly violence to New York. The FBI and our law enforcement and intelligence partners will continue to investigate this plot and to bring all necessary resources to bear to protect Americans from terrorist attacks.”
As Ahmedzay admitted during today’s guilty plea allocution and as reflected in previous government filings and the guilty plea allocution of co-defendant Najibullah Zazi, Ahmedzay, Zazi, and a third individual agreed to travel to Afghanistan to join the Taliban and fight against United States and allied forces. In furtherance of their plans, they flew from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., to Peshawar, Pakistan at the end of August 2008. Ahmedzay and the third individual attempted to enter Afghanistan but were turned back at the border and returned to Peshawar.
Within a few days, Ahmedzay, Zazi, and the third individual met with an al Qaeda facilitator in Peshawar and agreed to travel for training in Waziristan. Upon arriving, they met with two al Qaeda leaders, but did not learn their true identities. As the government represented during today’s guilty plea, the leaders were Saleh al-Somali, the head of international operations for al Qaeda, and Rashid Rauf, a key al Qaeda operative. The three Americans said that they wanted to fight in Afghanistan, but the al Qaeda leaders explained that they would be more useful to al Qaeda and the jihad if they returned to New York and conducted attacks there.
Ahmedzay and the others received training on several different kinds of weapons. During the training, al Qaeda leaders continued to encourage them to return to the United States and conduct suicide operations. They agreed, and had further conversations with al Qaeda about the timing of the attacks and possible target locations in Manhattan. Al Qaeda leadership emphasized the need to hit well-known structures and maximize the number of casualties.
After the initial training, the three Americans left Waziristan. The plan was for Ahmedzay and Zazi to return to Waziristan a month later to receive explosives training from al Qaeda. Ahmedzay later changed his mind about attending the training, and Zazi went by himself. Ahmedzay later reviewed Zazi’s bomb-making notes from the training. Ahmedzay and Zazi returned to New York, and Zazi moved to Denver.
Ahmedzay initially had reservations about going forward with the suicide bombing, but resolved to go forward with the plan. Zazi traveled to New York from Colorado and the three Americans met in Queens and agreed to carry out suicide bombings during the month of Ramadan, Aug. 22, 2009 to Sept. 20, 2009. They agreed that Zazi would prepare the explosives, that Zazi and Ahmedzay would assemble the devices in New York, and that all three would conduct suicide attacks. Ahmedzay later evaluated potential bombing targets in Manhattan.
Zazi traveled a second time to New York, and Ahmedzay and Zazi discussed the attack in further detail. By that time, Zazi had begun researching and experimenting with explosives in Colorado. Based on the amount of explosives Zazi anticipated he could produce by Ramadan, Zazi and Ahmedzay decided that they would conduct suicide attacks on subway trains rather than targeting a larger structure such as a building.
Zazi returned to Colorado and constructed the explosives for the detonator components of the bombs. In July and August 2009, Zazi purchased large quantities of components necessary to produce the explosive TATP [Triacetone Triperoxide] and twice checked into a hotel room near Denver, where bomb making residue was later found.
On Sept. 8, 2009, Zazi rented a car and drove from Denver to New York, taking with him the explosives and other materials necessary to build the bombs. Zazi arrived in New York City on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009. Zazi and Ahmedzay intended to obtain and assemble the remaining components of the bombs over the weekend and the three of them would conduct the attack on Manhattan subway lines on Sept. 14, Sept. 15, or Sept. 16, 2009. However, shortly after arriving in New York, they realized that law enforcement was investigating their activities. Ahmedzay and Zazi discarded the explosives and other bomb-making materials, and Zazi traveled back to Denver.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The investigation is being conducted by the New York and Denver FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces, which combined have investigators from more than 50 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2544942/posts
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2339523/posts
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http://www.fbi.gov/terrorinfo/elshukrijumah.htm
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http://www.investigativeproject.org/blog/2010/07/the-pilot-indicted-in-ny-subway-plot
“The Pilot” Indicted in NY Subway Plot
by IPT News • Jul 7, 2010 at 4:47 pm
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July 7, 2010
Quote:
http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/nyfo070710a.htm
Charges Unsealed Against Five Alleged Members of al Qaeda Plot to Attack the United States and the United Kingdom
WASHINGTON—The Justice Department today announced charges against five members of an al Qaeda plot to attack targets in the United States and United Kingdom. The charges reveal that the plot against New York’s subway system uncovered in September 2009 involving Colorado resident Najibullah Zazi was directed by senior al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan, and was also directly related to a scheme by al Qaeda plotters in Pakistan to use Western operatives to attack a target in the United Kingdom.
The superseding indictment, which was returned and unsealed today in the Eastern District of New York, charges the following defendants each with several terrorism violations: Adnan El Shukrijumah, also known as “Hamad;” Adis Medunjanin, also known as “Mohammad;” Abid Naseer; Tariq Ur Rehman; and a fifth defendant known as “Ahmad,” “Sohaib,” or “Zahid.” Each of the defendants faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
According to the indictment, court filings and plea proceedings in the case, the plot involving Zazi was organized by Saleh al-Somali, Rashid Rauf, and El Shukrijumah, who were then-leaders of al Qaeda’s “external operations” program dedicated to terrorist attacks in the United States and other Western countries.
Between September and December 2008, Saleh and El Shukrijumah recruited Zazi and Zazi’s co-conspirators, Zarein Ahmedzay, and Medunjanin, to conduct suicide bombings in New York City using improvised explosive devices made from supplies such as hydrogen peroxide, acetone, flour, and oil. According to the indictment and court filings, Saleh communicated with Zazi through “Ahmad,” an al Qaeda facilitator in Peshawar, Pakistan. In early September 2009, after Zazi constructed the detonator explosives for the attack, he e-mailed with “Ahmad” in Pakistan about the proper ingredients for the flour-based main charge explosive. Zazi pleaded guilty to his role in the New York subway plot on February 22, 2010; Ahmedzay similarly pleaded guilty on April 23, 2010.
The indictment adds formal charges against El Shukrijumah, a 34-year-old native of Saudi Arabia who served as one of the leaders of al Qaeda’s external operations program. According to the indictment, El Shukrijumah recruited Zazi, Ahmedzay, and Medunjanin to return to the United States and conduct terrorist attacks there. El Shukrijumah has been wanted by the FBI for several years and is the subject of a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. He remains at large.
The investigation by authorities in the United States and United Kingdom has revealed that “Ahmad” was also communicating with Manchester-based, United Kingdom resident Naseer. Naseer, like Zazi, was in Peshawar, Pakistan in November 2008, according to the court filings.
After returning to the United Kingdom, Naseer sent messages back and forth to the same e-mail account that “Ahmad” was using to communicate with the American-based al Qaeda cell on behalf of Saleh, the indictment and court filings allege. In the messages, Naseer used coded language to refer to different types of explosives. At the culmination of the plot, in early April 2009, Naseer, again using coded language, told “Ahmad” that he was planning a large “wedding” for numerous guests between April 15 and 20, 2009, and that “Ahmad” should be ready. Notably, “Ahmad” and Zazi had agreed on a similar code to mean the attack was ready to be executed, and Zazi e-mailed Ahmad that “the marriage is ready” just before he left Colorado for New York in early September 2009.
On April 8, 2009, Naseer and Rehman were arrested in the United Kingdom on terrorism charges. In connection with the arrests, U.K. authorities conducted searches of the plotters’ homes, where they found large quantities of flour and oil, as well as surveillance photographs of public areas in Manchester and maps of Manchester’s city center posted on the wall, with one of the locations from the surveillance photographs highlighted. Naseer is currently in custody in the United Kingdom. The United States intends to seek his extradition to face trial. Rehman is not in custody.
The superseding indictment also adds new charges to the pending indictment against Medunjanin. Specifically, the indictment charges that, in furtherance of the New York plot, and, after Zazi was already in custody, Medunjanin attempted to crash his car into another car on the Whitestone Expressway in Queens, N.Y. as a last attempt to carry out a suicide attack on American soil. Just before crashing his car, Medunjanin called 911 to identify himself and announce his intentions. Medunjanin remains in federal custody in the United States. No trial date has been set.
Medunjanin is charged with conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction; conspiring to commit murder abroad; providing and conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda; receiving military training from al Qaeda; committing and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries; and using firearms and a destructive device in relation to the above offenses.
Shukrijumah and “Ahmad” are each charged with providing and conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda; conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction; assisting the receipt of military training; committing and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries; and using firearms in relation to the same offenses. “Ahmad” is also charged together with Naseer and Rehman with providing and conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda and conspiracy to use a destructive device in relation to the U.K. branch of the plot.
“These charges underscore the global nature of the terrorist threat we face. They further reflect the effectiveness of mutual investigations and cooperation with our global partners in disrupting terrorism threats. I thank our counterparts in the United Kingdom for their assistance in this investigation,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
“As today’s charges demonstrate, we will not rest in our pursuit of those responsible for plotting terrorist attacks,” said Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Ms. Lynch also expressed her gratitude to the law enforcement personnel, both domestic and foreign, who took part in the investigation.
FBI Executive Assistant Director Sean Joyce, National Security Branch said, “The threat posed by terrorists around the world is a threat to security and a threat to the rule of law. The transnational nature of this conspiracy, and its connection to plots targeted outside the U.S. underscores the importance of international coordination and collaboration to do everything we can to ensure public safety.”
“The charges announced today illustrate the coordinated and persistent attempts by our adversaries to harm American citizens,” said FBI New York Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos. “FBI personnel around the world are dedicated to working with our international law enforcement partners to uncover and thwart attacks.”
The investigation is being conducted by the New York, Denver, and Miami FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces, as well as the Washington Field Office of the FBI. The North West Counter Terrorism Unit and Greater Manchester Police Department have also provided significant assistance.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has also provided assistance in the investigation.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains mere allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
- View Adnan El Shukrijumah’s wanted poster