FBI agents arrested Najibullah Zazi and his father at at 9:55 p.m.,  on 9/19/09. Both man were  were handcuffed without incident late Saturday. FBI agents in New York arrested Ahmad Wais Afzali, a resident of Flushing, New York.

All three men are charged with knowingly and willingly making false statements to the FBI. The younger Zazi lied about documents on explosives that authorities found on his computer.

 Zazi had video of New York's Grand Central Terminal, a massive junction of rail and subway lines, as well as shops and restaurants. Search of Zazi's car in New York turned up a laptop that contained images of handwritten notes on how to make and handle explosives and detonators.

There were plans for an attack, presumably in the New York area, where crowds are large and security screening for non airport travelers is lax. A computer belonging to Zazi showed that he had researched baseball and football stadiums along with some sites being used for Fashion Week in New York City.

According to the New York Daily News, seven Afghanis tried to rent the largest-sized truck on September 9, but were turned down when they did not show a valid credit card or identification.

It was Zazi's arrival in New York last weekend that set off a series of raids in Queens and shifted the terror investigation into high gear. The alleged terrorist plot, which came to light this week after raids in New York, may have involved a major transportation center, like a large railroad or subway station. Zazi was expected to decide when the cell would launch their attack.

 "They were going to blow up several places simultaneously and take out as many people as possible - a large number of people, a federal law-enforcement official said

Najibullah Zazi played a crucial role in an intended terrorist attack but that it was not immediately clear what the targets were.

Federal agents raided residences in New York City early Monday, September 14, 2009 as part of a terrorism investigation. They raided homes connected to him, his relatives and friends in New York and Colorado

Empty backpacks were among the evidence seized from one of the Flushing apartments raided by a NYPD-FBI team. Backpacks, computers and maps found during searches in the New York City borough of Queens, and field tests turned up positive for explosives.

FBF agents were monitoring Zazi and four others in Colorado as part of a terrorism investigation. When Zazi traveled to New York ahead of the anniversary of 9/11, the FBI as a precaution alerted the NYPD.

Najibullah Zazi is a driver for an airport shuttle service in Denver. He drives passengers to and from Denver International Airport for a living. 

 

 

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