The nascent terror plot that was halted by the FBI last week was discovered in part through Queens funeral director and imam Ahmad Wais Afzali, who had been working as an informant for the agency for over a year. Notes and a laptop seized from alleged would-be terrorist Najibullah Zazi indicate that several large New York City spaces were under consideration as targets in the plot, including Bryant Park, Grand Central Terminal, area stadiums, and other well-trafficked locations with low security. Zazi was in communication with Afzali before his trip to New York City from Colorado last week, and the FBI monitored the calls. The wiretapping was done with Afzali’s consent, but he is accused of later lying to authorities about what was discussed in them, and urging Zazi not to incriminate himself while on the phone. Afzali, Zazi, and Zazi’s father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, are due in court today. They are the only three suspects that have been arrested in relation to the plot.
