Chilling New Al Qaeda Plot Uncovered

The lead article in today’s New York Times is titled, “Terror Suspect is Charged with Preparing Explosives.” It describes the arrest of an Afghani-American who had apparently prepared explosive chemicals after training and instruction in an Al Qaeda camp in Pakistan.

Unlike some of the phony Bush arrests, this plot appears to be the real thing. In addition to his training in Pakistan, the arrested man, Najibullah Zazi, was preparing the same chemical used in the London subway bombing, TATP. He had purchased a large number and volume of the necessary chemicals at beauty supply stores and had already begun to “cook” some of them to prepare the explosive.

The details of the plot are chilling, and of even more concern is the fact that he was a legal resident of the United States and thus able to move about relatively freely to accomplish his goals. One factor buried in the interior of the article is of particular concern: the FBI had botched the investigation by informing an imam in Brooklyn who immediately warned Mr. Zazi that he was under suspicion.

This forced the FBI to make a hasty arrest before learning the full scope of Mr. Zazi’s plans, including any accomplices. Another item buried in the interior of the article: several backpacks were found in Mr. Zazi’s apartment. In my opinion, these could have been the vehicles for simultaneous explosions, the preferred method of Al Qaeda, and suggest that several individuals are still at large.