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Bombers Allegedly Eyed Suicide Bombing on 1, 2, 3, & 6 Trains
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 12, 2010
Modified Apr 12, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 12, 2010
Modified Apr 12, 2010
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A fourth suspect in the foiled plot to blow up crowded subway trains has been arrested in Pakistan and is awaiting extradition to the U.S. to be tried in Brooklyn Federal Court with Adis Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay of Flushing, Queens. Investigators believe the unidentified man helped plan the attack, which was to have been led by Najibullah Zazi, who confessed and pleaded guilty in February. And Zazi's confession has provided chilling new details about the martyrdom plot, which was tentatively planned for September 14th of last year.
Zazi and his two friends from Flushing High School allegedly planned to strap home-made explosives to their chests and enter subway trains on the 1, 2, 3, and 6 lines during rush hour. Once on board, they intended to position themselves in the middle of the subway cars in order to inflict maximum carnage, sources tell the Daily News.
Zazi has admitted that they traveled to Pakistan in August 2008 to fight with the Taliban and receive Al Qaeda training. But the plan was aborted when, back in the U.S., Zazi became aware that the FBI and NYPD were on to him. He allegedly discarded the bomb-making equipment and fled to Denver, were he was arrested in September. He's scheduled to be sentenced June 25th; Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay were arrested earlier this year.
The News asked one commuter on the 1, 2, and 3 line, 19-year-old Jeff Kasper, whether the latest news about the subway terror plot scared him, and he said, "I don't worry about it [terrorism] because I trust our security and the Police Department." And they do an outstanding job—when they're awake.
Tagged
crime
Najibullah Zazi
Pakistan
subway
subway attacks
terror
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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