Queens terror raids / Denver-based 9/11 scale attack
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Queens terror raids part of FBI probe into Denver-based cell plotting attack on 9/11 scale
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DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
9.16.09
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A suspected Al Qaeda cell - the first uncovered in the U.S. since 9/11 - drew round-the-clock FBI surveillance Tuesday as authorities said they thwarted its plans for a major terror attack.
Scores of FBI agents inundated Denver as they closed the noose on the five-man cabal with ties to World Trade Center mastermind Osama Bin Laden's terrorist group, sources told the Daily News.
One of the suspects visited New York last week toting bomb-making plans after a trip to Pakistan - home to most of Al Qaeda's leadership, sources said.
The massive federal response was "an indication of just how serious a threat they see this as," said Frances Townsend, former counterterrorism adviser to ex-President George W. Bush.
Multiple sources told The News the FBI believes it has uncovered an Al Qaeda cell for the first time since 9/11, prompting the huge response.
"The FBI is seriously spooked about these guys," a former senior counterterrorism official told The News. "This is not some ... FBI informant-driven case. This is the real thing."
Najibullah Zazi, seen last week praying and chatting with other worshipers at the Masjid Hazrat-I-Abu Bakr Islamic Center in Queens, was one of the quintet under intense scrutiny, sources said.
He recently traveled to Pakistan, where Al Qaeda's major leaders - including Bin Laden - remain hunkered down.
A suspected Al Qaeda cell - the first uncovered in the U.S. since 9/11 - drew round-the-clock FBI surveillance Tuesday as authorities said they thwarted its plans for a major terror attack.
Scores of FBI agents inundated Denver as they closed the noose on the five-man cabal with ties to World Trade Center mastermind Osama Bin Laden's terrorist group, sources told the Daily News.
One of the suspects visited New York last week toting bomb-making plans after a trip to Pakistan - home to most of Al Qaeda's leadership, sources said.
The massive federal response was "an indication of just how serious a threat they see this as," said Frances Townsend, former counterterrorism adviser to ex-President George W. Bush.
Multiple sources told The News the FBI believes it has uncovered an Al Qaeda cell for the first time since 9/11, prompting the huge response.
"The FBI is seriously spooked about these guys," a former senior counterterrorism official told The News. "This is not some ... FBI informant-driven case. This is the real thing."
Najibullah Zazi, seen last week praying and chatting with other worshipers at the Masjid Hazrat-I-Abu Bakr Islamic Center in Queens, was one of the quintet under intense scrutiny, sources said.
He recently traveled to Pakistan, where Al Qaeda's major leaders - including Bin Laden - remain hunkered down.
posted by jillosophy at 9/16/2009 09:06:00 AM
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