Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Search of Subway Bomb Plotter's Car Failed to Find Explosives
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 26, 2010
Modified Apr 26, 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
John Del Signore
Published Apr 26, 2010
Modified Apr 26, 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
Would-be subway bomber Najibullah Zazi had two pounds of explosives in his car when he drove over the George Washington Bridge on September 10th of last year, but Port Authority police waved him through after a "cursory" inspection of the vehicle. Now the NYPD is trashing the Port Authority police over the potentially catastrophic incident, reports the Wall Street Journal in an exclusive scoop nicely timed with the debut of their Metro section today.
NYPD sources tell the Journal that "letting Mr. Zazi continue into the city was a potentially catastrophic gaffe by the Port Authority Police." The behind-the-scenes sniping between the two departments is also a sort of vindication for the NYPD, which was previously accused of blowing the FBI's cover by interviewing a Queens-based imam who worked as an NYPD informant. That imam admitted to tipping Zazi off about the investigation, but now it looks like the Port Authority's fruitless search may also have led Zazi to suspect he was under surveillance. At least that's what Ron Kuby, who's representing Imam Ahmad Wais Afzali, contends.
The FBI had trailed Zazi all the way from Colorado and notified the Port Authority of his approach. In an attempt to avoid arousing Zazi's suspicion, officials staged a random "drug checkpoint." But police did not have a warrant to search the vehicle, and one unidentified Port Authority officer maintains that they could not conduct a thorough search without tipping Zazi off, adding that "anything seized from the car in such a search would have been inadmissible in court." Well, we wouldn't want that—better to let the suspect blow some people up first.
"Either the Port Authority [Police] found the explosives and were under orders by the FBI not to seize anything," says Kuby, "or somehow they missed the explosives that they were explicitly told to search for." Zazi disposed of the explosives (triacetone triperoxide, or TATP) shortly after September 10th and returned to Colorado, where he was arrested. He pleaded guilty in February and will be sentenced June 25th.
Tagged
explosives
fbi
george wasington bridge
Najibullah Zazi
nypd
port authority
search
subway terror plot
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.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Need help with mental health or addiction services? NYC has a new tool.
In surveys, many who say they want want help state they don't know where to start.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
NYC sues personal injury law firm accused of bogus trip-and-fall claims
City attorneys allege the firm said its clients were injured by defective city streets or sidewalks when in reality they were hit by cars or banged up in fights.
By
Walter Wuthmann
News
NYC sues personal injury law firm accused of bogus trip-and-fall claims
City attorneys allege the firm said its clients were injured by defective city streets or sidewalks when in reality they were hit by cars or banged up in fights.
By
Walter Wuthmann
NYC Council to consider earlier Legionella reporting after deadly outbreaks
By
Catalina Gonella
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
By
Giulia Heyward
Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law
By
Gino Fanelli
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 .