2009 New York City Subway and United Kingdom plot

Foiled bombing plot June 2025 May 2017 2009 New York City Subway and United Kingdom plot United States, United Kingdom Planned suicide bombings Najibullah Zazi, Mohammed Wali Zazi, Imam Ahmad Wais Afzali, Zarein Ahmedzay, Adis Medunjanin The 2009 New York City Subway and United Kingdom plot was a plan to bomb the New York City Subway as well as a target in the United Kingdom. In September 2009, several individuals fell under suspicion and were arrested due to fears that a suspected jihadist cell in New York was planning to explode bombs in the United States. According to a July 2010 indictment, the cell had members in London plotting to carry out a companion bombing in the United Kingdom.https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/nyregion/16terror.html Man in Queens Raids Denies Any Terrorist Link 15 September 2009 Karen Zraik David Johnston The New York Times https://web.archive.org/web/20140306021256/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/nyregion/16terror.html live 6 March 2014https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/nyregion/19terror.html Denver Man Admits to a Possible Al Qaeda Connection, Officials Say 18 September 2009 David Johnston Al Baker The New York Times https://web.archive.org/web/20130712030125/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/nyregion/19terror.html live 12 July 2013https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/us/21terror.html?_r=1&ref=us Terror Suspect Had Bomb Guide, Authorities Say 20 September 2009 David Johnston William K. Rashbaum The New York Times https://web.archive.org/web/20140504142848/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/us/21terror.html?_r=1&ref=us live 4 May 2014Feds NYC Subway Plotters Targeted London, TooFive charged as al Qaeda plotters in U.S. and U.K. CNN July 7, 2010Copy of July 2010 indictment Information gathered during the interrogation of one of the men triggered a nationwide bomb alert. Officials were told to be on alert for individuals with burns on their hands that might be chemical burns.https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gT-Kwm3eHQPp5qw5B5yzpuy07XuwD9AO3UUG0 Colo. man denies terrorist ties after NYC raids 16 September 2009 The FBI and Homeland Security intelligence warning, issued to police departments, lists indicators that could tip off police to the peroxide-based bombs, such as people with burn marks on their hands, face or arms; foul odors coming from a room or building; and large industrial fans or multiple window fans. Tom Hays P. Solomon Banda Associated Press https://web.archive.org/web/20090924092435/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gT-Kwm3eHQPp5qw5B5yzpuy07XuwD9AO3UUG0 dead 24 September 2009https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gT-Kwm3eHQPp5qw5B5yzpuy07XuwD9AO08V00 NYC man: FBI asked in raids about Denver visitor 16 September 2009 The warning, obtained by The Associated Press, also said that these homemade explosive materials can be hidden in backpacks, suitcases or plastic containers. The notice was not intended for the public, said Justice Department spokesman Richard Kolko. Homeland Security and the FBI have no specific information on the timing or target of any planned attack, Kolko said, but 'we believe it is prudent to share information with our state and local partners about the variety of domestically available materials that could be used to create homemade explosives, which have been utilized in previous terrorist attacks.' Tom Hays Bonny Ghosh Associated Press June 2024 medicmedic They were told to be on alert for apartments with bad smells, or with multiple window fans. Participants Najibullah Zazi Najibullah Zazi, his father Mohammed Wali Zazi (born 1955 in Afghanistan), and Imam Ahmad Wais Afzali (born 1987) were arrested on 19 September 2009, for lying in a matter involving terrorism. All three men were long-time legal residents of the US, born in Afghanistan. According to the Chicago Tribune, American security officials suspected up to 12 individuals.http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-dc-terrorism-plot,0,3033565.story Up to 12 may be involved in terror plot 21 September 2009 Josh Meyer Tina Susman DeeDee Correll Chicago Tribune https://web.archive.org/web/20090926025632/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-dc-terrorism-plot,0,3033565.story 26 September 2009 dead 2 August 2009 The central figure in the United States wing of the group was 24-year-old Zazi, said by the FBI to have been trained in the use of weapons and explosives at an Al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan in 2008. Zazi had initially said that trips he made to Pakistan in 2007 and 2008 were to visit his wife. His last trip lasted five months. Zazi acknowledged receiving weapons and explosives training in Pakistan's semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The FBI found images of hand-written notes on how to build bombs on Zazi's laptop. Zazi said he was unaware of these notes, and speculated that he might have downloaded them accidentally with a religious book he had downloaded in August. The FBI found Zazi's fingerprints on a scale and on batteries found in a house in Queens they raided after his visit. In 2009, Zazi was living in Colorado, and got a license to work as an airport shuttle driver. Previously he had lived in Queens, New York City, where he was eventually declared bankrupt. Zazi had been under surveillance for some time, prior to renting a car for a trip to New York on 9 September 2009. On 9 January 2010, two more men were arrested in connection to the bomb plot. Taxi driver Zarein Ahmedzay and Bosnian immigrant Adis Medunjanin were charged with making false statements to the police, and pleaded not guilty. Medunjanin was arrested after his car crashed on the Whitestone Bridge on 7 January in New York City.https://ottawacitizen.com/news/arrested+bomb+plot+probe/2424125/story.htmlAugust 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes The July indictment, noting Medunjanin called an operator and said "We love death", alleged that the crash was intentional and part of a suicide attack. Mohammed Zazi was charged on the counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice, as well as conspiring to dispose of his son's bomb-making materials and chemicals.http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/02/18/2010-02-18_terror_suspect_zazis_dad_free_on_bail.html Mohammed Wali Zazi, father of terror suspect Najibullah Zazi, free on bail NY Daily News John Marzulli February 18, 2010 February 23, 2010https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gT-Kwm3eHQPp5qw5B5yzpuy07XuwD9DOU2BO0 Father of NY terror plot suspect pleads not guilty Associated Press Tom Hays February 9, 2010 February 23, 2010June 2024 medicmedic Based on a request of the Denver Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), an arrest warrant for his arrest in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1001(a)(2) was issued on September 19, 2009.https://www.justice.gov/usao/co/press_releases/archive/2009/September09/M.Zazi.pdf US District Court for the District of Colorado. Arrest Warrant for Mohammed Wali Zazi November 3, 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20121013144902/http://www.justice.gov/usao/co/press_releases/archive/2009/September09/M.Zazi.pdf October 13, 2012 He was released on a $50,000 bail on February 18, 2009. He pleaded not guilty in February 2010. He was convicted in July 2011 of destroying evidence and lying to investigators.Associated Press http://www.denverpost.com/grow/ci_19164009 Father of NYC plotter pleads guilty to visa charge Denver Post Hays Tom October 21, 2011 August 10, 2015 He was sentenced in February 2012 to four and a half years in prison.https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/11/nyregion/mohammed-wali-zazi-sentenced-for-lying-about-subway-bomb-plot.html Prison for Father Who Lied About Terror Plot February 10, 2012 New York Times August 10, 2015 In October 2011, he pleaded guilty to instructing his lawyer to falsify immigration documents for his nephew. Afzali was arrested on September 19, 2009, on "charges of lying in a matter involving terrorism.",https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gHjpcm9gxRATjDc1J9D001NgG5WQD9ARUKIG0 Timeline of events in NYC terror probe 2009-09-21 Catherine Tsai, P. Solomon Banda Associated Press https://archive.today/20240524120415/https://www.webcitation.org/5jxu4fcyh?url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gHjpcm9gxRATjDc1J9D001NgG5WQD9ARUKIG0 2024-05-24 dead citing that during his September 11, 2009, conversation, he warned Zazi that the police had come asking questions about him, and then lied to the FBI about having done so in two subsequent interrogations. He also said that the call was being monitored. Afzali was represented by human rights lawyer Ron Kuby.http://www.newsday.com/long-island/flushing-imam-ordered-held-without-bail-in-terror-case-1.1465922 Flushing imam ordered held without bail in terror case 2009-09-21 Anthony M. Destefano Newsday https://web.archive.org/web/20090925140337/http://www.newsday.com/long-island/flushing-imam-ordered-held-without-bail-in-terror-case-1.1465922 2009-09-25 dead He was released on secured bail of $1.5 million. On March 4, 2010, in a plea bargain Afzali pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of lying to US federal agents, and said he was sorry.https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704187204575101981933707478?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories Imam Pleads Guilty in New York Terror Case Efrati Amir March 4, 2010 The Wall Street Journal 6 March 2010 He faced up to six months in prison, and as part of the plea arrangement the government agreed not to request any jail time.Sulzberger, A.G., "Imam Snared in Terror Plot Admits He Lied to the F.B.I.", The New York Times, March 4, 2010, accessed March 5, 2010 Brooklyn federal judge Frederic Block sentenced Afzali on April 15, 2010. Afzali voluntarily left the US on 5 July, within 90 days of his sentencing.http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-04/afzali-admits-he-lied-during-subway-bomb-plot-probe-update2-.html Afzali Admits He Lied During Subway Bomb Plot Probe Hurtado Patricia March 4, 2010 Business Week 6 March 2010 April 2023 medicmedic As a felon and under the agreement of his plea deal, he is not allowed to return to the US except by special permission.https://archive.today/20120904210615/http://www.ny1.com/8-queens-news-content/top_stories/114628/queens-imam-linked-to-subway-bomb-plot-due-back-in-court "Queens Imam Agrees To Plea Deal In Subway Bomb Plot", NY1 News, March 4, 2010, accessed March 4, 2010 Most of Afzali's family remains in the United States. According to his lawyer, Afzali's last words in the United States were "God Bless America". Afzali denied ever having intended to aid Zazi or deceive American authorities. Other persons of interest Another man who was questioned was Naiz Khan, who attended the same mosque as Najibullah Zazi when he lived in New York.https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090919/ap_on_re_us/us_nyc_terror Man in terror probe meets with attorney, not FBI 19 September 2009 Steven K. Paulson Yahoo News https://web.archive.org/web/20090922232408/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090919/ap_on_re_us/us_nyc_terror dead 22 September 2009 A U-Haul dealership in Queens had contacted authorities to tell them that it had recently declined to rent a van to three suspicious men whose credit cards had been declined and wanted to pay cash. Naiz Khan was questioned about the failed rental, but denied he had ever been to the U-haul dealership. Khan's apartment was one of those that had been searched because Zazi was believed to have stayed there.http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/19/terror.raid/ Man questioned in alleged terror plot declines more FBI talks 20 September 2009 CNN 22 September 2009 According to The New York Times, Zazi had shared an apartment with Khan, Amanullah Akbari, and three other men, when he lived in New York a year earlier.https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/nyregion/15terror.html Terrorism Task Force Raids Queens Apartments 15 September 2009 Karen Zraik The New York Times https://web.archive.org/web/20110514014029/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/nyregion/15terror.html live 14 May 2011 On 7 July 2010, five al Qaeda members were indicted in relation to the alleged plot. Abid Naseer and Tariq Ur Rehman were charged with involvement in a companion plot in the United Kingdom. Naseer was already in custody after his arrest for sending e-mails to an al-Qaeda operative in Pakistan that were reported to be at the heart of a plot to bomb targets in north-west England.Terror suspect Abid Naseer held on US warrant BBC July 7, 2010 On 3 January 2013, Abid Naseer was extradited from the UK to the US.Al-Qaeda Terror Suspect Abid Naseer Extradited From UK To US http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/03/al-qaeda-terror-suspect-abid-naseer-extradited_n_2402223.html The Huffington Post 3 January 2013 3 January 2013 On 4 March 2015, Naseer was found guilty by a Brooklyn court of plotting bomb attacks in the US and of plotting to blow up the Manchester Arndale in the UK. Most of the evidence in his trial consisted of email exchanges between Naseer and an al-Qaeda handler who was directing plots to attack civilians in Manchester, New York City and Copenhagen. It was the first terrorist trial to include documents recovered during the 2009 Navy Seal raid against Osama bin Laden’s compound.Associated Press Abid Naseer found guilty of al-Qaida bomb plot by New York court https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/04/abid-naseer-guilty-al-qaida-bomb-plot-new-york The Guardian 4 March 2015 Britton Paul Guilty: Al Qaida terrorist Abid Naseer plotted to blow up the Manchester Arndale and a New York subway http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/guilty-al-qaida-terrorist-abid-8772640 manchestereveningnews.co.uk 4 March 2015 Manchester Evening NewsDavies Helen Liverpool student terrorist Abid Naseer found guilty in New York of plotting attacks http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-student-terrorist-abid-naseer-8775133 liverpoolecho.co.uk 5 March 2015 Liverpool Echo Adnan Shukrijumah, reported to be charge of planning Al Qaeda attacks worldwide, was charged with plotting and recruiting members for the New York attack. Over four years later, in December 2014, Shukrijumah was killed in a Pakistani manhunt operation. In the wake of NSA worker Edward Snowden's surveillance disclosures, the US government argued NSA spying helped foil the subway plot by tracking communications between Zazi and a bombmaker in Pakistan. References 30em Category:Terrorist incidents in the United States in 2009 Category:Islamic terrorism in New York (state) Category:Failed terrorist attempts in New York City New York City Subway and Category:2009 in the United Kingdom Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2009 Category:Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 2009 Category:Islamic terrorism in the United Kingdom Category:Failed terrorist attempts in the United Kingdom Category:2009 in London