NEW YORK — Terrorism suspect Najibullah Zazi pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, telling a federal judge that he planned to commit “martyrdom operations” and subways were among the targets.
The 25-year-old former Denver airport shuttle driver also pleaded guilty to counts of conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and providing material support for a terrorist organization, which he said was al-Qaida.
He faces a life prison sentence without parole in the plea deal.
When Judge Raymond Dearie asked him to define what he meant by “martyrdom operations,” Zazi said:
“To me it meant I would sacrifice myself to bring attention to what the U.S. military was doing to civilians in Afghanistan.”
Zazi was arrested last September after driving cross-country from Denver to New York in what authorities believed was the first al-Qaida-linked terrorist operation on U.S. soil since the Sept. 11 attacks.
Authorities say he received al-Qaida training in Pakistan and went on a buying spree of bomb-making chemicals in preparation for launching an attack in New York.
Zazi, who is being held without bail, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25.
Copy the Story Link
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.