49 Facts About Najibullah Zazi

Najibullah Zazi is an Afghan-American who was arrested in September 2009 as part of the US al Qaeda group accused of planning suicide bombings on the New York City Subway system, and who pleaded guilty as have two other defendants.

Najibullah Zazi said he was recruited by al-Qaeda in Pakistan for a suicide "martyrdom" attack against the US, and that his bombing target was the New York City subway system.

Najibullah Zazi faced a possible life sentence without possibility of parole for the first two counts, and an additional sentence of 15 years for the third count.

In May 2019, it was announced Najibullah Zazi would be released from prison after serving 10 years due to extensive cooperation with law enforcement.

Najibullah Zazi was born in a village in Paktia Province, Afghanistan to a Zazai Pashtun family.

Najibullah Zazi was chief representative to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an Afghan warlord who was declared a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" by the US in 2003.

Najibullah Zazi struggled as a student at Flushing High School in Queens, eventually dropping out.

Najibullah Zazi claimed that several trips he made to Pakistan between 2006 and 2008 were to visit his wife.

Najibullah Zazi took lengthy notes and emailed them to himself, so he could access them upon his return to the US Al-Qaeda leaders discussed target locations with Zazi, such as New York City subways.

Najibullah Zazi gave money and computers to al-Qaeda before leaving Pakistan.

Najibullah Zazi met American Bryant Neal Vinas in Pakistan in 2008.

Najibullah Zazi was arrested in March 2010 in the Jihad Jane plot to wage jihad and murder Swedish artist Lars Vilks, collecting the bounty offered by an al-Qaeda affiliate for his assassination.

On January 15,2009, Najibullah Zazi returned to the United States Within days of his return, he moved to Aurora, Colorado, to live with his aunt and uncle.

Najibullah Zazi worked as a driver for a company named "Big Sky", and then for ABC Airport Shuttle, driving a 15-person airport shuttle van between Denver International Airport and downtown Denver.

Najibullah Zazi filed for bankruptcy in New York State on March 26,2009, with $51,000 in debts, and his bankruptcy was discharged on August 17,2009.

Najibullah Zazi lived with his aunt and uncle until July 2009, when his parents moved to Aurora from New York, and the three took up residence together.

Najibullah Zazi made some acetone peroxide for use as a detonator.

Najibullah Zazi went to New York, where he reportedly had planning sessions with other conspirators.

Afzali identified Najibullah Zazi, who had prayed at Afzali's mosque, and two of the other three photos.

Najibullah Zazi intended to finish building the bomb that weekend.

Najibullah Zazi rode the subway numerous times to try to determine where to set off the bombs.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the plot had been uncovered by Scotland Yard, which intercepted an e-mail from a senior al-Qaeda member in Pakistan to Najibullah Zazi, instructing him how to implement his attack.

Najibullah Zazi called Afzali, said his car had been stolen and he feared he was being "watched", and that the people watching him took his car.

When Najibullah Zazi realized they were under investigation, the group threw away their bomb-making materials.

Najibullah Zazi testified against fellow American al-Qaeda recruit Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh at his trial in 2017.

Najibullah Zazi testified he provided Al Farekh with military training when he arrived in 2007.

Najibullah Zazi was initially held as a federal inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn.

Najibullah Zazi was held without bail, and was initially scheduled to be sentenced June 25,2010.

Najibullah Zazi played on his high school football team and graduated from Queens College with a degree in economics in June 2009.

Najibullah Zazi worked as a building manager at a property management company.

Najibullah Zazi reportedly told authorities he trained with Zazi in the al-Qaeda camp in Waziristan, Pakistan.

Najibullah Zazi reportedly discussed possible target locations in Manhattan, including the subway system, Grand Central Station, the New York Stock Exchange, Times Square, and movie theaters to carry out suicide bombings during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.

Najibullah Zazi initially pleaded not guilty to a charge of making false statements to the FBI about his activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Najibullah Zazi told the court that two Senior Al-Qaeda leaders sought him out because of his familiarity with New York, that the leaders "said the most important thing was to hit well-known structures and to maximize the number of casualties," he made the decision to attack the subways, a decision that was based on the amount of explosives he could access.

Najibullah Zazi's motive was to end alleged wars against Islam.

On September 19,2009, authorities arrested his father, Mohammed Wali Najibullah Zazi, for destroying evidence.

Najibullah Zazi was released on $50,000 bond and was placed under house arrest.

Najibullah Zazi was convicted in July 2011 of destroying evidence and lying to investigators to cover up his son's plot.

American authorities arrested imam Ahmad Wais Afzali, who was charged with and convicted of lying to the FBI about a conversation in which Afzali informed Najibullah Zazi he was under surveillance.

Najibullah Zazi was an imam at a Queens mosque, and ran the Islamic Burial Funeral Service, a Queens funeral parlor.

Najibullah Zazi was charged with having told Zazi that he was being watched, and lying to the FBI in a matter involving terrorism.

Najibullah Zazi initially pleaded not guilty, faced up to eight years in prison and deportation if convicted, and was freed on $1.5 million bail.

Najibullah Zazi is believed to have pleaded not guilty to one felony count for participating with Zazi's father in the attempt to dispose of evidence.

Najibullah Zazi cooperated after being told that his parents could be charged with immigration fraud.

On February 22,2010, Zazi pleaded guilty to conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, and providing material support to a terrorist organization, before Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York Raymond J Dearie.

Najibullah Zazi refused to name which subway line was the target of the plot.

Najibullah Zazi said the intent of his suicide mission was to draw attention to activities of the US military in Afghanistan.

Najibullah Zazi faced a possible life sentence without possibility of parole for the first two counts, and an additional sentence of 15 years for the third count.

In 2019 Najibullah Zazi was sentenced to ten years in prison, and released.