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Investigators Piece Together Zazi's Past

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Sep 27, 2009 4:23 pm US/Mountain

Investigators Piece Together Zazi's Past

Feds: Zazi Trips, Shopping Led To New York Terror Threat

NEW YORK (CBS) ― From New York coffee cart vendor to national terror suspect, Najibullah Zazi now sits behind bars in a Brooklyn jail cell for the third night, CBS station WCBS-TV reports.

Investigators are trying to piece together how an immigrant to New York – educated in Queens, who once worked the streets of the city – turned to terrorism.

Authorities are looking back at Zazi's roots growing up in Queens to see where he gained the alleged will, and skill, to kill.

"To me, this does look like the new face of terrorism in the United States," terrorism expert Jarret Brachman said.

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly spent Saturday in a briefing on the Zazi case, as others delved deeper into Zazi's past.

By most accounts, Zazi was a typical, hard-working immigrant, once a coffee cart vendor in the city.

Born in Afghanistan, Zazi moved to Queens as a teenager in the early 1990s. He went to Flushing High School, attended a nearby mosque, and worked at a corner store.

"He was a nice dude," Mark Kogn, who works at the nearby Arthur's Barbershop, said.

Kogn remembers Zazi as a regular at the neighborhood barbershop. Over time, he said Zazi became more religious.

"He would say, 'Oh, you'd have a better life, everything would be better for you, if you were Muslim,'" Kogn said.

It is unclear what triggered the shift from seemingly ordinary Queens high school student to terror suspect, but authorities say it prompted him to travel to Pakistan, where he allegedly learned bomb-making in al-Qaida training camps.



  • Najibullah Zazi Indictment
  • FBI Statement On Arrest Of Terror Suspects
  • Department Of Justice's Announcement Of Terror Arrests
  • Criminal Complaint And Arrest Warrant, Najibullah Zazi (pdf) 
  • Criminal Complaint And Arrest Warrant, Mohammed Wali Zazi (pdf)
  • Justice Deparment's Counter-Terror Post-9/11 Fact Sheet
  • "Did it happen in the mosque, did it happen on his own accord, did he browse Internet sites? I don't know that part yet," Brachman said. "This guy was squeaky clean, his English is native, so he's exactly what al-Qaida is looking for."

    Zazi's travels, and behavior, are ultimately what attracted the attention of authorities. When Zazi traveled from Denver to Queens over the September 11 weekend, that was the tipping point for investigators, and they moved in.

    The evidence against Zazi includes surveillance video of him purchasing large quantities of chemicals from beauty supply stores. Acetone residue was found in a vent over the stove of a suite Zazi rented at a suburban Denver hotel. There are also recordings of wiretapped phone calls where Zazi allegedly talked about recipes for bombs – bombs he allegedly planned to detonate on New York City commuter trains.

    As many as 12 Zazi associates are said to be under surveillance, and more arrests are considered likely.

    Zazi is in Brooklyn Federal Court on Tuesday for his arraignment. If convicted of the charges, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

    President Obama has praised the NYPD for their part in Zazi's arrest, crediting New York's Finest for their team efforts with other police departments and federal agencies.

    • (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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