Judge releases failed NYC subway bombing ringleader – By John Gage (Washington Examiner) / May 2 2019
District Court Judge Raymond Dearie ruled Thursday that former al Qaeda trained would-be terrorist Najibullah Zazi had “earned” his release.
“This once unthinkable second chance has come your way and you earned it,” Dearie said.
Zazi will be released after 10 years of time served after his extensive cooperation with federal authorities to stop future terrorist attacks.
“I tried my best to correct my horrific mistake by cooperating with the government,” Zazi said in court. “I have a deeper knowledge of myself, and understanding of the true meaning of Islam and almost find it hard to imagine what I was involved with in 2009 and 2008.”
Zazi and two of his friends had planned a 2009 suicide bombing of the New York City subway, but were arrested while still in the process of obtaining bomb materials.
Court papers show that in 2008, Zazi was a 9/11 truther who thought America had faked the Sept. 11 attacks in order to invade Afghanistan. Zazi and two friends moved to Afghanistan and joined al Qaeda where they learned how to make bombs and suicide jackets.
Then-Attorney General Eric Holder called the plot “one of the most serious terrorist threats” since 9/11.
“In the government’s view, this assistance is far beyond substantive,” U.S. Attorney Doug Pravda told Dearie.
Pravda called Zazi’s cooperation with the U.S. “incredibly valuable.”
Zazi will be on supervised release and is required to cooperate with the government for the rest of his life.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/judge-releases-failed-nyc-subway-bombing-ringleader
