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Florida Men Aspired To Bomb NYC But Couldn't Afford It, Feds Say
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 19, 2012
Modified Dec 19, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 19, 2012
Modified Dec 19, 2012
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A Pakistani-born Florida resident and his brother plotted to blow up a NYC landmark, but were too broke to actually pull it off, federal prosecutors asserted yesterday. Raees Alam Qazi, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2006 who attended public schools in Florida, was arrested on November 29th along with brother, Sheheryar Alam Qazi. "Raees Alam Qazi's plans were aspirational," an FBI spokesman tells ABC News. "He had no specific plan or targets identified to carry out an attack."
According to prosecutors, Raees Qazi, 20, tried to relocate to NYC last month, just another dreamer on a mission to commit acts of terrorism to avenge U.S. drone attacks. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Gilbert says the dream curdled after he failed to find a job. He wound up sleeping in public transportation stations and spending his days riding a bicycle around NYC doing reconnaissance. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah Steve Cuozzo and Marcia Kramer! After a few days Qazi took a bus back to Florida, where he was arrested upon arrival.
At a bail hearing yesterday, Gilbert said Raees Qazi, an avid Inspire magazine reader, had "bomb-making and related components" in his family's Florida home, and his computer was used to research bomb building. He allegedly intended to stage a suicide attack "or a remote-control device to kill people in a crowded place such as New York’s Times Square, a Broadway theater or perhaps on Wall Street," the Associated Press reports. His brother, the feds say, "provided financial and logistic support," which apparently wasn't enough. New York City is freaking expensive!
Qazi and his brother were charged with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. Raees Qazi’s attorney tried to persuade the judge to allow his release on bail yesterday, noting that "Qazi had made money by selling bicycles on the Internet, had no criminal past and had already relinquished his passport." But bail was denied—the judge declared, "He wanted to carry out an attack. If he is released from custody, he will." Provided he can finally get that Capital One card approved.
Tagged
lone wolf
Raees Alam Qazi
terrorism
terrorists
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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