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Arrests in Queens Terror Case
By
John Kuhner
Published Sep 20, 2009
Modified Sep 20, 2009
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By
John Kuhner
Published Sep 20, 2009
Modified Sep 20, 2009
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The past few days have seen a flurry of police investigative activity in Queens, from Flushing to Woodhaven to St. Albans, to head off a possible plot to attack NYC targets. Now the first arrests have been made: CNN reports Najibullah Zazi, his father Muhammed Zazi, and their acquaintance Ahmad Wais Afzali were arrested last night in the terrorism investigation which has stretched from Denver to Pakistan to 41st Avenue in Flushing.
So far the suspects have been charged only with "lying to investigators," but evidence in the case is mounting. The FBI investigation picked up speed after seven men attempted to rent a "jumbo sized supermover truck," the largest Uhaul truck available, at the St. Alban's Uhaul in Queens (photo at left), but refused to give identification and could not produce a valid credit card.The Times today reports that a laptop seized from Zazi's rental car on September 11th - he had decided to rent a car to drive from Denver to New York - contained "formulations and instructions regarding the manufacture and handling of initiating explosives, main explosives charges, explosives detonators and components of a fusing system.”
Newsday further reports that Zazi, who made only $800 a month, had in the past two years taken on more than $51,000 in credit card debt on sixteen different accounts. MyFoxNY also reports that investigators searched the "Islamic Burial Funeral Home" in Woodhaven. No definite details as to actual targets have emerged, although reports have indicated that the suspects had plans of sports stadiums and NY Fashion Week venues, and may have been considering a Madrid-style mass transit strike.
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Afzali
Queens terrorism case
terrorism
zazi
John Kuhner
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