New York man arrested in bomb plot

Nov 21, 2011, 6:43 GMT

Washington - A New York man was arrested on charges of plotting to bomb police cars and post offices as well as US soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Sunday night announced the arrest of Jose Pimentel, 27, a convert to Islam also known as Muhammad Yusuf. The arrest was made Saturday.

'The suspect was a so-called lone wolf motivated by his own resentment of the presence of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as inspired by al-Qaeda propaganda,' Bloomberg said. 'He was not part of a larger conspiracy emanating from abroad.'

Pimentel, a naturalized US citizen from the Dominican Republic, had been watched by police for more than a year and was arrested as he neared the completion of at least three bombs, New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

Officials said he was a follower of the US-born Muslim militant Anwar al-Awlaki, who published bomb-making instructions in his online magazine Inspire. Kelly said Pimentel was in part motivated by al-Awlaki's killing in September in a drone strike in Yemen.

He was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Sunday. He was charged with possession of a weapon as a crime of terrorism, conspiracy, and soliciting or providing support for an act of terrorism. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.