Najibullah Zazi has been indicted on a charge of conspiracy to use a weapons of mass destruction — explosive bombs — the Justice Department has announced.
Zazi, who lives outside Denver, had previously been charged with making false statements to investigators, after he was questioned by the FBI in connection to that New York City terror probe.
In a motion filed in the Eastern District of New York and the District of Colorado, prosecutors allege:
In furtherance of the conspiracy, Zazi received detailed bomb-making instructions in Pakistan, purchased components of improvised explosive devices, and traveled to New York City on September 10, 2009 in furtherance of his criminal plans.
It was soon after that New York City trip that law enforcement conducted a raid on a Queens apartment that Zazi had visited, tipping off the media to the probe.
The government adds:
Zazi remained committed to detonating an explosive device up until the date of his arrest, as exemplified by among other things, traveling overseas to receive bomb-making instructions, conducting extensive research on the internet regarding components of explosive devices, purchasing — on multiple occasions — the components necessary to produce TATP [Triacetone Triperoxide] and other explosive devices, and traveling to New York City on September 10, 2009 in furtherance of the criminal plan.
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