Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Feds Secretly Arrested Alleged Terrorist's Uncle
By
Sabrina Jaszi
Published Jan 27, 2010
Modified Jan 27, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Sabrina Jaszi
Published Jan 27, 2010
Modified Jan 27, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The FBI has gone after school pals of alleged terrorist bomber Najibullah Zazi, and today sources revealed they have his uncle too. They arrested Naqib Jaji secretly on a single felony charge (the exact nature of the crime remains undisclosed) and arraigned him in Brooklyn two weeks ago, reported the NY Post. Jaji—Zazi's uncle by marriage—gave the accused Qaeda plotter a warm bed and hot meals when he first moved from Queens to Denver and later said it was "impossible" his nephew was a terrorist. But Jaji maligned his house guest too: “He’s very greedy,” he told the Denver Post back in September when the case was just getting underway. “He lived with me for six months and never gave me a penny.”
Though the details are still murky it seems as though loose-lipped high school chum Adis Medunjanin is likely to provide more evidence against Zazi than the uncle—who pleaded not guilty to whatever it was he was charged with. His nephew, an airport shuttle driver, is accused of purchasing beauty supplies to make homemade explosives, which he planned to use in a 9/11 style attack on NY. Jaji's lawyer wouldn't comment, but a family member told the NY Times the FBI meant business: he said agents questioned Jaji for three consecutive days before going through with the backdoor arrest.
The paper predicts Zazi's dad will be next up to bat. At the rate they're expanding this net around his associates, how long before Kevin Bacon gets charged?
Tagged
Adis Medunjanin
al-qaeda
bomb
denver
fbi
jaji
Najibullah Zazi
qaeda
queens
terrorism
zazi
Sabrina Jaszi
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
Construction crews will jack up sagging floors where two key structural columns bent in July.
By
David Brand
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 1:54 p.m. ET
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
A city investigation discovered that when the bus arrived at its destination in Crown Heights, one student was lying in a pool of urine.
By
Jessica Gould
News
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
A city investigation discovered that when the bus arrived at its destination in Crown Heights, one student was lying in a pool of urine.
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Queens mother charged with murder in death of 5-year-old daughter, NYPD says
By
Ryan Kost
NYC’s whiplash weather continues into weekend with heavy winds, chilly temps, NWS says
By
Monica Melton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .