{"id":54385,"date":"2019-06-07T21:47:46","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T21:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=54385"},"modified":"2019-06-07T21:48:04","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T21:48:04","slug":"in-times-square-plot-bangladeshi-man-arrested-after-threatening-to-throw-grenade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=54385","title":{"rendered":"In Times Square plot, Bangladeshi man arrested after threatening to throw grenade"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"news-details-page\" class=\"widget storyContent article widget-editable viziwyg-section-37 inpage-widget-32\">\n<h6 class=\" print-only\">William K Rashbaum and Michael Gold, The New York Times<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x460x140 \">\n<div class=\"column-1\">\n<div id=\"article_notations\" class=\"widget storyContent article widget-editable viziwyg-section-37 inpage-widget-17 article_dateline\">\n<p class=\"dateline print-only\"><span class=\"label\">Published:<\/span>\u00a007 Jun 2019 11:09 PM BdST\u00a0<span class=\"label\">Updated:<\/span>\u00a008 Jun 2019 03:40 AM BdST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"column-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"gallery_page_customize\">\n<div id=\"single_gallery_customize\" class=\"widget slideshowFrontpage article widget-editable viziwyg-section-2 inpage-widget-904274\">\n<div id=\"slideshowFrontpage-904274\" class=\"inner\">\n<div id=\"gallery_slide_customize\">\n<ul>\n<li id=\"1\">\n<div class=\"gallery-image-box print-only\">\n<div class=\"media\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d30fl32nd2baj9.cloudfront.net\/media\/2019\/06\/07\/times-square.jpg\/ALTERNATES\/w640\/times-square.jpg\" alt=\"FILE -- Times Square in Manhattan, April 5, 2019. A Queens man who had discussed wanting to throw a hand grenade in Times Square was arrested on June 6, 2019 by federal authorities, two law enforcement officials said. (Jeenah Moon\/The New York Times)\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"caption\">FILE &#8212; Times Square in Manhattan, April 5, 2019. A Queens man who had discussed wanting to throw a hand grenade in Times Square was arrested on June 6, 2019 by federal authorities, two law enforcement officials said. (Jeenah Moon\/The New York Times)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"widget storyContent article widget-editable viziwyg-section-37 inpage-widget-29 article_lead_text\">\n<h5 class=\" print-only\">Around the anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks last year, Ashiqul Alam voiced his admiration for their mastermind, Osama bin Laden, and said he wanted to carry on bin Laden\u2019s legacy of violent extremism, court documents said.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"widget ad googlead widget-editable viziwyg-section-2 inpage-widget-1454364\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1517400187384-0\" data-google-query-id=\"CKisx5ir2OICFXzJ4wcd5WcEWQ\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/13592525\/desktop-english-below-leadtext_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"floatingContent-right \">\n<div class=\"widget relatedContents stories widget-editable viziwyg-section-37 inpage-widget-23 article_related\">\n<h5>\u201cHe did what he is supposed to do,\u201d Alam, 22, said, according to a criminal complaint. \u201cNow it\u2019s up to us.\u201d<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wrappingContent \">\n<div class=\"widget storyContent article widget-editable viziwyg-section-37 inpage-widget-21 article_body\">\n<div class=\"custombody print-only\">\n<p>That sentiment, expressed to an undercover law enforcement agent, kicked off a series of conversations about a potential terrorist attack in New York City that ultimately led to Alam\u2019s arrest on Thursday, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p>Alam, a green-card holder from Bangladesh who lives in Queens, was taken into custody after trying to buy two Glock pistols with defaced serial numbers from an undercover officer, officials said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"customInline-image-w640\">\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/d30fl32nd2baj9.cloudfront.net\/media\/2019\/06\/08\/ashiqul-alam-screenshot.jpg\/ALTERNATES\/w640\/ashiqul-alam-screenshot.jpg\" alt=\"New York Post has released this photo purportedly of Ashiqul Alam from Facebook\" width=\"640\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"belowinlineimage\">New York Post has released this photo purportedly of Ashiqul Alam from Facebook<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>His arrest was the culmination of months of work involving three undercover agents and several law enforcement agencies, which had begun monitoring him in August, authorities said.In meetings with undercover agents over 10 months, Alam discussed the possibility of carrying out suicide bombings in Washington, D.C., or in Times Square. He said he wanted to shoot police officers with AR-15 assault rifles and fire a rocket launcher at the new World Trade Center, the criminal complaint said.<\/p>\n<p>Despite his intentions, he posed no immediate threat, officials said. The whole time, law enforcement was \u201cmonitoring his plans and intervening to prevent those plans from escalating into deadly violence,\u201d Richard P. Donoghue, the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Two law enforcement officials, who asked that their names not be published because they were not authorised to discuss the case, characterised Alam\u2019s statements as \u201caspirational.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alam was formally charged Friday in US District Court in Brooklyn with purchasing firearms with obliterated serial numbers. He was not charged with terrorism-related crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Magistrate Judge Cheryl L Pollak ordered him permanently detained, citing the seriousness of the accusations.<\/p>\n<p>Alam\u2019s lawyer, James Darrow, of the Brooklyn federal defenders\u2019 office, said before the hearing that he had no comment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"customInline-image-w640\">\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/d30fl32nd2baj9.cloudfront.net\/media\/2019\/06\/07\/times-square-security-01.jpg\/ALTERNATES\/w640\/times-square-security-01.jpg\" alt=\"New York City Police Department (NYPD) vehicles patrol in Time Square after a man was arrested in an alleged plot to buy grenades for an attack on Times Square in New York, US, June 7, 2019. Reuters\" width=\"640\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"belowinlineimage\">New York City Police Department (NYPD) vehicles patrol in Time Square after a man was arrested in an alleged plot to buy grenades for an attack on Times Square in New York, US, June 7, 2019. Reuters<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The investigation of Alam began last August, when he met with an undercover agent, the complaint said. Between the initial meeting and his arrest, he repeatedly stated his interest in buying weapons and explosives for a terrorist attack in New York City. He also expressed his admiration for terrorist groups, including ISIS and al-Qaida, the complaint said.In September, for instance, he told an undercover agent that bin Laden\u2019s violent, extremist mission during the Sept. 11 attacks was \u201ca complete success,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>Accompanied by an undercover agent, he conducted several \u201crecon\u201d trips to Times Square, using his mobile phone to make recordings of the area while scouting potential targets, the complaint said.<\/p>\n<p>The reconnaissance was crucial, Alam told agents, because he would need to be prepared, the complaint said. \u201cLike in a war,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>In January, while travelling to a shooting range, Alam told an undercover agent that he wanted \u201cto die fighting,\u201d according to the complaint. On their return trip, he said he wanted to buy a gun.<\/p>\n<p>The same month, he said he would likely use that gun in an attack on Times Square, pointing specifically to Duffy Square, where tourists congregate around a red staircase and the TKTS booth, the complaint said.<\/p>\n<p>In subsequent meetings, Alam continued to tell the agent that he wanted to purchase firearms, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>At one point, in March, an undercover agent asked Alam what would make him happy, the complaint said. Alam responded, \u201cSeeing the flag of Islam on the twin towers or the Empire State Building.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next month, Alam said he was getting Lasik eye surgery, justifying the procedure by referencing his hypothetical attack, according to the complaint. \u201cLet\u2019s say we are in an attack, right, say that my glasses fall off,\u201d he said to an undercover agent. \u201cWhat if I accidentally shoot you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImagine what the news channel would call me,\u201d he added. \u201cThe \u2018Looney Tunes Terrorist\u2019 or the \u2018Blind Terrorist.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"customInline-image-w640\">\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/d30fl32nd2baj9.cloudfront.net\/media\/2019\/06\/08\/jackson-heights.jpg\/ALTERNATES\/w640\/jackson-heights.jpg\" alt=\"FILE - The corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 82nd Street in the Jackson Heights neighbourhood of New York, Nov 21, 2016. (Hiroko Masuike\/The New York Times)\" width=\"640\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"belowinlineimage\">FILE &#8211; The corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 82nd Street in the Jackson Heights neighbourhood of New York, Nov 21, 2016. (Hiroko Masuike\/The New York Times)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Alam\u2019s neighbours in the branching, seven-story apartment complex he called home in the Jackson Heights neighbourhood in Queens, described him as a standoffish young man who tried to project a powerful image.Mohammed Islam, 18, said one thing that stuck out about Alam was his walk \u2014 a macho strut that projected aggression.<\/p>\n<p>Otherwise, Alam was \u201cvery quiet,\u201d Islam said. \u201cEvery time I saw him he was alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Islam said he saw between 10 and 15 federal agents go into Alam\u2019s fifth-floor apartment on Thursday. They were carrying guns and wearing vests, he said.<\/p>\n<p>The agents came in and out of Alam\u2019s apartment for around three hours, Islam said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"customInline-image-w640\">\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/d30fl32nd2baj9.cloudfront.net\/media\/2019\/06\/07\/times-square-security-02.jpg\/ALTERNATES\/w640\/times-square-security-02.jpg\" alt=\"New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers patrol in Time Square after a man was arrested in an alleged plot to buy grenades for an attack on Times Square in New York, US, June 7, 2019. Reuters\" width=\"640\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"belowinlineimage\">New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers patrol in Time Square after a man was arrested in an alleged plot to buy grenades for an attack on Times Square in New York, US, June 7, 2019. Reuters<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The bustling, tourist-clogged area around Times Square in midtown Manhattan has been the site of attempted attacks in recent years.In 2017, a man\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bdnews24.com\/bangladesh\/2017\/12\/11\/suspect-held-in-new-york-blast-is-reportedly-bangladeshi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">detonated a pipe bomb<\/a>\u00a0in the crowded subway corridor that connects the busy Port Authority Bus Terminal to Times Square. The bomb blast terrified commuters but the only person seriously injured was the person who planted it.<\/p>\n<p>The bomber,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bdnews24.com\/world\/2017\/12\/12\/new-york-blast-suspect-went-from-limo-driver-to-accused-subway-bomber\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Akayed Ullah<\/a>, who said he was inspired by the Islamic State group, was found guilty of federal terrorism charges last year.<\/p>\n<p>Months prior, in May, a different man ploughed his car into Times Square\u2019s crowded sidewalks, killing an 18-year-old woman and injuring 20 other people.<\/p>\n<p>The driver, Richard Rojas, was charged with murder and attempted murder. He told a police officer that he had smoked marijuana laced with PCP, or angel dust, on the day of the deadly rampage, according to the criminal complaint against him.<\/p>\n<p>In 2010, an attempted car-bombing in Times Square was stopped when a sidewalk vendor saw smoke coming out of an SUV and called police. The car, parked near Broadway, was packed with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertiliser.<\/p>\n<p>Police took the would-be bomber, Faisal Shahzad, into custody at Kennedy Airport, where he had boarded a flight to Dubai.<\/p>\n<p>Shahzad pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in the case and was sentenced to life in prison. He told the court was a \u201cproud\u201d terrorist at his sentencing.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a9 2019 New York Times News Service<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>William K Rashbaum and Michael Gold, The New York Times Published:\u00a007 Jun 2019 11:09 PM BdST\u00a0Updated:\u00a008 Jun 2019 03:40 AM BdST FILE &#8212; Times Square in Manhattan, April 5, 2019. A Queens man who had discussed wanting to throw a hand grenade in Times Square was arrested on June 6, 2019 by federal authorities, two [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":54386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[45,2,5,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=54385\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Times Square plot, Bangladeshi man arrested after threatening to throw grenade - Bornomalanews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"William K Rashbaum and Michael Gold, The New York Times Published:\u00a007 Jun 2019 11:09 PM BdST\u00a0Updated:\u00a008 Jun 2019 03:40 AM BdST FILE &#8212; Times Square in Manhattan, April 5, 2019. 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