Thaindian News

Apr 23 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A man who was charged in the attempted attack on the New York Subway system with bombs which were homemade has plans to plead guilty, according to law enforcement officials. The attack was supposed to take place around the eighth anniversary on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

As reported by the Associated Press, Zarein Ahmedzay is expected to plead guilty this afternoon(Friday) in a Brooklyn Federal Court. Ahmedzay is the second of three men who were arrested in connection to the foiled bombing attempt on the subways of Manhattan last September. It was reported that he and his friends had planned to “strap explosives to their bodies and split up, heading for the Grand Central and Times Square stations – the two busiest subway stations in New York City.” They planned to board trains on the 1, 2, 3, and 6 lines during rush hour and position themselves in the middle of the packed trains to “ensure the maximum carnage when they blew themselves up.”

The mastermind of the whole scheme, and admitted al-Qaida associate Najibullah Zazi also plead guilty. He was taken into custody on September 20 after leaving from New York to go back to his home in Colorado. He was tipped off that he was being watched by the FBI and other federal agents. He had allegedly planned the attack on September 14, 15, or 16 using chemicals taken from beauty products. US Attorney General has called the plot the “most serious” since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Zazi, 25, was born in Afghanistan but he is a legal US resident. He is scheduled for sentencing on June 25. He could get the maximum term, which is life in prison on the charges of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country. In addition he would get 15 years for confessing to providing material support to the Al-Qaeda Islamist network. It is possible that he won’t get the maximum, though, since his plea appears to be part of a bargain. This would give him more lenient punishment in return for cooperating with investigators.

Perhaps that is the reason for Ahmedzay’s decision to plead guilty. His purpose is unclear, however, since there was no immediate response to phone messages which were left with his attorney.