Man in terror probe skips FBI questioning Saturday

[David]

AP


DENVER – A man under investigation in a terrorism probe in New York and Colorado apparently didn't report for a fourth day of FBI questioning Saturday.

Najibullah Zazi was supposed to go to the federal building in Denver on Saturday morning, but Wendy Aiello, a spokeswoman for Zazi's defense team, told The Denver Post that Zazi wouldn't be meeting with the FBI.

Aiello and Zazi's attorney, Arthur Folsom, didn't return repeated phone calls. A voice message left by Aiello said Zazi's attorneys would be issuing a statement later Saturday.

The FBI had no immediate comment.

The Post quoted Aiello as saying Zazi and Folsom had decided to postpone another meeting with the FBI "given the progress of negotiations so far."

Zazi's defense team has denied reports that Zazi was considering a plea deal related to terror charges.

"At this time no offer is being discussed," Aiello told The Associated Press late Friday.

Zazi, a 24-year-old airport shuttle driver, insists he is not involved in terrorism and has no links to al-Qaida. He is not under arrest. He completed a third day of questioning Friday and was allowed to return to his suburban Denver apartment.

Folsom had dismissed as "rumor" remarks by a senior U.S. intelligence official in Washington that Zazi played a crucial role in an intended terrorist attack.

The official told the AP on Friday that Zazi has indicated he is directly linked with al-Qaida. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence matters, said Zazi played a crucial role in an intended terrorist attack but that it was not immediately clear what the targets were.

The official said the plot was being directed from outside the United States.

"Absolutely no way. It's a rumor," Folsom said Friday.

The FBI has searched Zazi's apartment and his uncle and aunt's home in suburban Denver. Authorities have not said what they found and have made no public statements on the investigation.

Another official familiar with the investigation told the AP on Thursday that agents have been monitoring Zazi and four others in Colorado as part of a terrorism investigation.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Friday that the FBI was "working this case around the clock" in New York, Denver and other parts of the country but that there was no imminent threat.

Authorities say Zazi rented a car and drove from Denver to New York, crossing into Manhattan on Sept. 10. Zazi said he went to New York to resolve some issues with a coffee cart he owns in Manhattan.

On Monday, FBI agents and police officers with search warrants seeking bomb materials searched three apartments and questioned residents in the Queens neighborhood where Zazi stayed.

A joint FBI-New York Police Department task force feared Zazi may have been involved in a potential plot involving hydrogen peroxide-based explosives like those cited in an intelligence warning issued Monday, according to two other law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation.

Folsom has repeatedly denied any such claims.

Zazi was born in Afghanistan in 1985, moved to Pakistan at age 7 and emigrated to the United States in 1999. He returned to Pakistan in 2007 and 2008 to visit his wife, Folsom said.







Najibullah Zazi arrives at the offices of the FBI in Denver for questioning on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009. Zazi, identified by law enforcement as having a possible link to al-Qaida, was questioned by agents for hours on Wednesday and returned Thursday afternoon for further questioning. The FBI searched Zazi's apartment and the home of his aunt and uncle, both in the east Denver suburb of Aurora.