Suspects in terrorism probe appear in court (Roundup)

Sep 21, 2009, 21:24 GMT

Washington - Three Afghan men arrested by US authorities in a terrorism probe appeared in federal courts in New York and Denver Monday to hear charges of making false statements to investigators in a matter involving international and domestic terrorism.

The three were arrested over the weekend after federal agents conducted raids over a possible plot to detonate bombs on public transportation targets.

Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, appeared in court in New York, while Mohammed Zazi, 53, and his son Najibullah Zazi, 23, appeared in Denver, Colorado.

All three face up to eight years in prison if convicted of the false statement charges.

According to officials, the younger Zazi has admitted attending an al-Qaeda facility on a trip to Pakistan last year, where he received training in the use of weapons and explosives. Court documents say that the younger Zazi drove to New York last week with a computer that contained instructions on bomb assembly and then later lied about the origins of the instructions.

'The government alleges each of you made a false statement in a matter involving domestic or international terrorism,' US Magistrate Judge Craig B Shaffer told them. Legal analysts said the false statement charges may be a ploy by investigators to keep the suspects in jail while they try to build stronger charges against them.

The younger Zazi was ordered held without bail. His father remains in jail pending the establishment of an electronic monitoring system to ensure he does not flee.

Afzali, an imam at a mosque in Queens, is accused of lying about whether he warned the Zazis that federal investigators were asking about them. Afzali has reportedly served as a police informant. He was ordered held without bail.

Afzali's attorney, Ron Kuby, said his client has been cooperative with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, NY1, a local news channel, reported.

'Why in the world, since he knew the conversation was being recorded, and we know he knew because he said it on the recording, why in the world would he lie to the FBI,' Kuby said outside the courthouse.

According to records from US Customs and Border Protection, on August 28, 2008, Najibullah Zazi flew to Peshawar in Pakistan, returning to the US in January 2009.

On September 11, the FBI claims to have recovered a laptop from him with pictures and instructions on the manufacture and handling of explosives.

Najibullah Zazi reportedly told FBI agents that he had no knowledge of the bomb-making information, but later admitted to attending the courses on weapons and explosives at an al-Qaeda training facility in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan in 2008.

The alleged terrorist plot, which came to light last week after raids in Queens, may have been targeting a major transportation centre in the New York area, sources close to the investigation told broadcaster CNN.