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In Times Square Plot, Man Arrested After Threatening to Throw Grenade In Times Square Terror Plot, Man Arrested After Threatening a Bomb Attack
(about 3 hours later)
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A Queens man who had discussed wanting to throw a hand grenade in Times Square was arrested late Thursday by federal authorities, two law enforcement officials said. A Queens man who repeatedly expressed admiration for the Islamic State and said he wanted to bomb Times Square was arrested late Thursday by federal authorities, the authorities said.
The officials suggested that the man, identified by one official as Ashiqul Alam, 22, posed no immediate threat to Times Square, and they characterized his statements as “aspirational.” The man, Ashiqul Alam, 22, told undercover agents on several occasions that he wanted to buy firearms and explosives to use in a terrorist attack, according to a statement from the United States attorney’s office in Brooklyn.
Mr. Alam was expected to appear in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on Friday afternoon, where he would be formally charged in a criminal complaint, the officials said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case. Mr. Alam posed no immediate threat to Times Square, officials said, in part because he was trying to purchase weapons from undercover officers.
Mr. Alam, a green-card holder from Bangladesh who lives in Jackson Heights, is not being charged with any terrorism-related crimes, one of the law enforcement officials said. He was arrested after he tried to purchase a weapon, though it was not a grenade or another explosive device, officials said. “What he did not know was that he was buying weapons from government agents, who were monitoring his plans and intervening to prevent those plans from escalating into deadly violence,” said Richard P. Donoghue, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a statement.
After the authorities learned of Mr. Alam’s statement about throwing a grenade, they dispatched an undercover agent who spoke with him about the weapons purchase, one law enforcement official said. Mr. Alam was expected to appear in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on Friday afternoon, where he would be formally charged with purchasing firearms with obliterated serial numbers, officials said.
Mr. Alam, who had been under surveillance for some time, spoke to the undercover agent about purchasing a firearm or firearms with the serial numbers defaced, the official said. His lawyer, James Darrow, of the Brooklyn federal defenders’ office, said he had no immediate comment.
He was arrested by F.B.I. agents and New York Police Department detectives from the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Two law enforcement officials characterized Mr. Alam’s statements as “aspirational.” They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.
A police spokesman confirmed the department’s involvement but referred further comment to the F.B.I. Mr. Alam, a green-card holder from Bangladesh who lives in Jackson Heights, has not been charged with any terrorism-related crimes.
A spokesman for the United States attorney’s office in Brooklyn, which will prosecute the case, declined to comment. A spokesman for the F.B.I. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He was arrested on Thursday shortly after trying to purchase two Glock semiautomatic pistols with the serial numbers defaced for $400, according to the criminal complaint against him.
Between last August, when an undercover agent began meeting with Mr. Alam, and his arrest, he spoke often about his admiration for terrorist groups, including ISIS and Al Qaeda, the complaint said.
In one meeting last September, he expressed his approval of the September 11 attacks and Osama bin Laden, saying that the deceased Al Qaeda leader’s mission was “a complete success,” according to the complaint.
Days later, Mr. Alam said he saw himself as carrying on bin Laden’s mission, the complaint said.
“He did what he was supposed to do,” Mr. Alam said, according to the complaint. “Now it’s up to us.”
Over the next several months, Mr. Alam spoke to an undercover agent about using a suicide vest to kill a government official in Washington, using AR-15 assault rifles to kill police officers, and using a bomb on the new World Trade Center or in Times Square, the complaint said.
Mr. Alam conducted several “recon” trips to Times Square, in which he used his cellphone to make recordings of the area while he searched for potential targets, according to the complaint.
At one point, an undercover agent asked Mr. Alam what would make him happy, the complaint said. Mr. Alam responded “seeing the flag of Islam on the Twin Towers or the Empire State Building.”
In April, Mr. Alam underwent Lasik eye surgery, justifying the procedure by referencing his hypothetical attack, according to the complaint.
“Let’s say we are in an attack, right, say that my glasses fall off. What if I accidentally shoot you?” He asked an undercover agent, the complaint said.
“Imagine what the news channel would call me,” he added. “The ‘Looney Tunes Terrorist’ or the ‘Blind Terrorist.’”
New York’s police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, said it was the job of the police and federal authorities to detect and prevent terrorist attacks before they are carried out.
“Mr. Alam discussed guns, suicide vests, hand grenades, and surveilled crowded New York targets such as Times Square,” he said in a statement.
The bustling, tourist-clogged area around Times Square in Midtown Manhattan has been the site of attempted attacks in recent years.The bustling, tourist-clogged area around Times Square in Midtown Manhattan has been the site of attempted attacks in recent years.
In 2017, a man detonated a pipe bomb in the crowded subway corridor that connects the busy Port Authority Bus Terminal to Times Square. The bomb blast terrified commuters but the only person seriously injured was the person who planted it.In 2017, a man detonated a pipe bomb in the crowded subway corridor that connects the busy Port Authority Bus Terminal to Times Square. The bomb blast terrified commuters but the only person seriously injured was the person who planted it.
The bomber, Akayed Ullah, who said he was inspired by the Islamic State, was found guilty of federal terrorism charges last year.The bomber, Akayed Ullah, who said he was inspired by the Islamic State, was found guilty of federal terrorism charges last year.
Months prior, in May, a different man plowed his car into Times Square’s crowded sidewalks, killing an 18-year-old woman and injuring 20 other people.Months prior, in May, a different man plowed his car into Times Square’s crowded sidewalks, killing an 18-year-old woman and injuring 20 other people.
The driver, Richard Rojas, was charged with murder and attempted murder. He told a police officer that he had smoked marijuana laced with PCP, or angel dust, on the day of the deadly rampage, according to the criminal complaint against him.The driver, Richard Rojas, was charged with murder and attempted murder. He told a police officer that he had smoked marijuana laced with PCP, or angel dust, on the day of the deadly rampage, according to the criminal complaint against him.
In 2010, an attempted car-bombing in Times Square was stopped when a sidewalk vendor saw smoke coming out of an S.U.V. and called the police. The car, parked near Broadway, was packed with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertilizer.In 2010, an attempted car-bombing in Times Square was stopped when a sidewalk vendor saw smoke coming out of an S.U.V. and called the police. The car, parked near Broadway, was packed with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertilizer.
The police took the would-be bomber, Faisal Shahzad, into custody at Kennedy Airport, where he had boarded a flight to Dubai.The police took the would-be bomber, Faisal Shahzad, into custody at Kennedy Airport, where he had boarded a flight to Dubai.
Mr. Shahzad pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in the case and was sentenced to life in prison. He told the court was a “proud” terrorist at his sentencing. Mr. Shahzad pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in the case and was sentenced to life in prison. He told the court was a “proud” terrorist at his sentencing.