Najibullah Zazi is an Afghan-American citizen and former al-Qaida terrorist who plotted to bomb the New York City subway system in 2009. He was arrested by the FBI in 2009 and released in 2019 and placed under lifetime supervision.
Wiki/Biography
Najibullah Zazi was born on Saturday, August 10, 1985, in Paktia Province, Afghanistan (age 37; as of 2022). His zodiac sign is Leo. His father immigrated to the United States on August 8, 1990, while he remained in Afghanistan with his family. In 1992, he and his family moved to Peshawar, Pakistan, as Afghan refugees. In 1999, he moved to the Flushing community in Queens, New York, United States, where he attended Flushing High School; however, he dropped out of school in his senior year to support his father’s work. He lived with his family in a one-bedroom apartment and worked as a cashier at a Norion supermarket grocery store and a restaurant before becoming a coffee and pastry vendor. From 2004 to 2009, he worked as a coffee and pastry cart vendor in New York City, with a “God Bless America” sign on his cart.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′10″
Weight (approximately): 65kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
His father’s name is Mohammad Wali Zazi. He has 2 brothers and 2 sisters.
Najibullah Zazi’s father Mohammad Wali Zazi
wife and children
In 2006, he married his 19-year-old cousin in an arranged marriage in Peshawar, Pakistan. His wife and 2 daughters live in Pakistan.
religion
He believes in Islam.
Al Qaeda camp training in Pakistan
Around 2005, he began listening to radical Muslim clerics, and in 2008 he began watching videos of al Qaeda and the Taliban carrying out mortar and suicide attacks in Afghanistan. In August 2008, he rented his cart to another supplier and traveled to Peshawar, Pakistan, with his classmates Zarein Ahmedzay and Adis Medunjanin. He plans to fight with the Taliban against U.S. forces in Afghanistan. However, he encountered Al Qaeda operatives and traveled to an Al Qaeda camp in the Waziristan region of Pakistan. At an al-Qaeda training camp, he learned how to use AK-47 rocket-propelled grenades and how to make bombs using common ingredients such as nail polish remover, hydrogen peroxide, butter and flour. Senior leader Saleh Somali convinced him and his friends to return to the United States and carry out suicide attacks. He took lengthy notes on the preparations for the explosives and emailed them to himself for future reference. He discussed potential targets in the United States with al Qaeda members and provided funds and computers to al Qaeda leaders before returning to the United States on January 15, 2009.
Behavioral changes and bankruptcy
According to one person, although Najibullah was religious, he despised violence and condemned the “9·11” terrorist attacks; however, when Najibullah began reading and listening to religious scriptures in 2007, he His behavior changes and everyone around him notices. His friends, neighbors, and customers noticed that he wasn’t as friendly as he once was. He had a long beard, wore rosary beads, and wore a tunic instead of Western clothing. He was trying to sell a Quran to one of his customers. He once got into an argument with a customer because he believed money alone could not make people happy. From April 2008 to August 2008, he purchased and used 7-8 credit cards from different companies. After returning from Pakistan in January 2009, a representative from GreenPath Debt Solutions called him for a consultation. On March 26, 2009, he filed for bankruptcy in New York State with debts of $51,000 and was discharged on August 17, 2009.
Moving to Colorado and arranging ingredients
After returning from Pakistan in January 2009, he moved to Aurora, Colorado, to live with his uncle and aunt. He found a job as a driver for Big Sky. He later worked as a driver for ABC Airport Shuttle, driving a 15-passenger airport shuttle between downtown Denver and Denver International Airport. Around June 2009, he began collecting bomb-making materials. He searched the Internet several times to find hydrochloric acid. He purchased large quantities of hydrogen peroxide and acetone products from beauty supply warehouses and stores. At one point, a warehouse employee asked him why he purchased such large quantities of goods, and Najibullah replied that he had many girlfriends. In July 2009, his parents also moved to Aurora, Colorado, and he began living with them. FBI agents listened in on his phone conversations and continued to monitor him for months. In August 2009, the FBI heard a conversation in which he was discussing mixing chemicals. He checked into an Aurora motel suite on August 28 and September 6 and 7. When authorities inspected the suite, they found traces of chemicals in the suite’s ventilation ducts.
Drive to New York and back to Colorado
On September 8, 2009, he rented a car from Hertz Car Rental Company. In the early morning of September 9, he took his laptop and the food he had brought with him and started the 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) from Colorado to New York. journey of. accumulation. FBI agents were on his trail, and on September 9, 2009, two detectives from the NYPD’s intelligence unit approached their informant, Muslim cleric Ahmed Wei, with photos of Najibullah and his friends. S Afzali. Afzali identified three photos, including one of Najibullah, and provided information about the photos to detectives. Najibullah arrived in New York on September 10, 2009, and stayed at the home of his childhood friend Naiz Khan in Flushing, Queens. He planned to bomb the New York subway. Najibullah and his friends hatched plans to carry out coordinated suicide bombings using backpacks near Grand Central and Times Square stations in Manhattan during rush hour. He also surveyed subway stations to determine where the bombs would be detonated. The FBI asked Port Authority police to search Najibullah’s car, which was stopped for a routine drug check as he boarded the George Washington Bridge. His car was searched; however, nothing suspicious was found and he was allowed to leave. On September 11, 2009, he received a call from his father, informing him that authorities were looking for him and asking him to speak to Ahmad Wais Afzali. Apparently, after the authorities left, Ahmed Weiss Afzali called Najibullah’s father and told him that Najibullah was being searched. Later that day, Najibullah’s car was towed away by police for illegal parking. Najibullah called Ahmed Wais Afzali to tell him that he was being watched and that his car had been stolen by someone who was watching him. Ahmed asked him if he had any evidence in the car, but Najibullah denied it. FBI agents searched his car and found nine images of handwritten pages on his laptop about making and detonating explosives, which they claimed were in Najibullah’s handwriting. Najibullah and his team threw away bomb-making materials after realizing they were under investigation. On September 12, 2009, he flew back to Denver, Colorado.
Evidence and Arrest
On September 14, 2009, FBI agents raided his New York home and found his fingerprints on a scale, several AA batteries and a dozen black backpacks. They also issued warnings against hydrogen peroxide bombs. On September 16, Najibullah voluntarily appeared in court with his attorney and was interviewed by the Joint Terrorism Task Force at the FBI office in Denver. During the eight-hour interrogation, he denied having any information about the pages found on the laptop and claimed he may have downloaded them accidentally. When reporters asked about his trip to New York, he told reporters that he was there to resolve issues regarding coffee trucks. He was interviewed by FBI agents on September 17 and 18, 2009, and he admitted to receiving weapons and explosives training in Pakistan. On September 19, 2009, he was arrested and on September 21, 2009, he was charged with making false statements in connection with a terrorism case pending in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. On September 23, 2009, the previous charges were dropped and new charges were filed against Najibullah in the Eastern District of New York. In February 2010, he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction against persons or property in the United States, conspiring to commit murder in a foreign country, and providing material support to a terrorist organization. He is being held as a federal prisoner at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He was initially scheduled to be sentenced on June 25, 2010; however, he was moved to an undisclosed location in April 2010.
Najibullah Zazi is escorted by U.S. Marshals into Brooklyn, New York
Cooperation with agencies and convictions of family and friends
Najibullah cooperated with agencies after agents threatened him with accusations of immigration fraud against his parents. He provided vital information about his associates, leading to their arrests and further convictions. On September 19, 2009, FBI agents arrested his father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, on charges of destroying evidence and lying to investigators. On February 10, 2012, Mohammad Wali Zazi was sentenced to four years in prison. On November 30, 2018, his U.S. citizenship was revoked and he was deported to Afghanistan on February 4, 2022. On January 7, 2010, his friend Adis Medunjanin was deported. Arrested by the police. As police searched his house, he tried to drive away and then collided with another vehicle. During the trial of Addis Medugjanin, Najibullah cried in the witness box. On November 16, 2012, Addis was sentenced to life imprisonment. He testified against his associate Zarein Ahmedzay, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on December 14, 2018. FBI agents also arrested their informant, Ahmad Wais Afzali, on charges of lying to them about Najibullah. He reached a plea deal with authorities and left the United States in July 2010. In 2017, he testified about another Al Qaeda terrorist, Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, who provided training to Muhanad at an Al Qaeda camp in 2007.
final verdict and release
On May 2, 2019, he was sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison and life on supervised release, including time he has already served. Since he had served a longer sentence, he was released after a few days.
Facts/Trivia
- In his bankruptcy petition, he declared that he was unmarried.
- As a young man, he watched videos of Indian missionary Zakir Naik on YouTube and considered him his inspiration.
- He met U.S. citizen Bryant Neil Venus at an al-Qaeda training camp in Waziristan, Pakistan. Bryant was also recruited by Al Qaeda and trained by Najibullah.
- His surname is the same as that of a tribe in Paktia Province, Afghanistan.
- His nickname was Salahuddin.
- He was a gadget fiend in his youth. When he worked as a cashier, he would often go to the store with a basketball and a prayer mat.
- While in prison, he earned a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) and 16 certificates from various programs offered by the Bureau of Prisons.
- Scotland Yard informed the FBI about Najibullah’s situation. Scotland Yard officials intercepted an email titled “Operation Pathway” that was sent to Najibullah by an al-Qaeda operative in Pakistan.
- It was later revealed in 2009 that he planned to carry out bombings similar to the 2005 London bombings.
- Through the Internet, he met Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a medical assistant who was arrested in March 2010 on charges of spreading terrorism.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education