Thread: Denver man at heart of New York terror probe, Najibullah Zaz

Denver man at heart of New York terror probe, Najibullah Zazi, wants to cut deal with FBI - sources

BY James Gordon Meek In Washington, Judith Crosson In Denver and Rocco Parascandola and Larry Mcshane In New York
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Friday, September 18th 2009, 12:42 PM
The Afghan national at the center of a reputed Al Qaeda terror cell probe was trying to cut a deal Friday after two days of FBI grilling, sources told the Daily News.

Lawyers for Najibullah Zazi, 25, were negotiating with federal officials for an agreement where he could admit receiving military training - but deny plans to injure any Americans, sources familiar with the case said.

Zazi arrived at the FBI's Denver office Friday for a third day of questioning. He did a pair of eight-hour Q&A sessions with federal agents on the two previous days.

"Our strategy has not changed," his lawyer, Arthur Folsom, said before going inside Friday. "My client hasn't done anything. Our position is to answer the FBI's questions.

"They are asking him about everything -- the people he knows, people he's talked to, family members."

Two men were picked up Thursday for questioning in New York, but then released, a source involved in the probe said.

"We're still following all these guys," the source said. "And they know we're following them. The question is, 'Do we have everyone in the cell?'"

Zazi, whose trip from Denver to New York last weekend set off a series of police raids in Queens, filed for bankruptcy in March, court records show.

Between 2005 and 2008, he opened credit card accounts with Bank of America, Chase, Capital One, Discover and Citibank and ran up a debt of more than $50,000.

When he filed for bankruptcy, Zazi said he hadn't worked in two months.

While the interrogators focused on Zazi, authorities expanded their attention to include more potential suspects in a plot that raised concerns about the city's subway system.

When the probe began this week, five Colorado men cited as members of the cell were under a round-the-clock watch.

By Thursday, police sources said, that number had risen to as many as 12. A half-dozen were reportedly in New York, where Zazi arrived for a visit last week.

Sources said he returned to Colorado after slipping an FBI tail.

There were still no arrests three days after the NYPD raided a series of Queens apartments, taking the investigation public.

The were indications of how seriously authorities were taking the threat, which raised the specter of mass transit bombings in Spain and London.

The Homeland Security Department beefed up security in the nation's airports as a result of the Colorado-based probe, a senior official disclosed.

"Even a casual observer will notice a more visible presence of uniformed officers this week in the airports," the Homeland Security Department official told the Daily News.

www.nydaily.com

Between 2005 and 2008, he opened credit card accounts with Bank of America, Chase, Capital One, Discover and Citibank and ran up a debt of more than $50,000.

Bloggers have pointed out that these funds are from bailed out banks.

Your tax dollars are funding terrorism because your money is compensating for Banks that bank with terrorists.

Dixie

This is frightening. I live very close to one of the houses that arrested a suspected terrorist. I can't understand how a person could be so filled with hate to be in a country, living in a neighborhood and plan on killing innocent people in that neighborhood and/or in that country. Why are these people so crazy and hateful?

They are a disgrace to the good Muslims that live in our country peacefully.

SCREW OUR BANKING AND REGULATORY SYSTEM!! THIS WHOLE COUNTRY IS CORRUPTED!!