Two Men Face New Charges in Terror Plot

By A. G. SULZBERGER
Published: February 25, 2010

Two men already in custody were indicted on Thursday on new charges of participating in a Qaeda plot to detonate explosives in the crowded New York subway system, and federal prosecutors suggested that more people would be charged in the case.

The men, Adis Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay, were accused of working with Najibullah Zazi to launch three coordinated bombings on Manhattan subways during rush hour.

Standing side by side in loose-fitting prison garb and thick black beards, Mr. Medunjanin, 25, and Mr. Ahmedzay, 25, pleaded not guilty to new charges of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, and providing material support for a terrorist organization.

The arraignment occurred during a previously scheduled hearing at United States District Court in Brooklyn on Thursday. The men face life in prison if convicted of the new charges.

“These are serious charges,” said Michael A. Marinaccio, the lawyer for Mr. Ahmedzay. “I appreciate that. My client certainly appreciates that.”

The charges come three days after Mr. Zazi pleaded guilty to those same charges. Mr. Zazi attended Flushing High School with Mr. Medunjanin and Mr. Ahmedzay, and traveled with the men to Pakistan — where they were recruited and trained by Al Qaeda, prosecutors charged.

Mr. Zazi has been cooperating with federal authorities. Until Thursday, he had been the lone individual to be publicly charged with participating in the subway bombing plot.

While speculation as to the identity of Mr. Zazi’s co-conspirators had centered on Mr. Medunjanin and Mr. Ahmedzay, they had not been formally implicated in the domestic terrorism plot until the new indictment.

Jeffrey H. Knox, the assistant United States attorney overseeing the case, told the court that it was likely that other defendants would be charged, adding, “although probably from overseas.”

Though the half-hour hearing was mostly procedural, Mr. Knox revealed a few new details about the plan, which he described as “three coordinated suicide-bombing attacks on Manhattan subways during rush hour,” similar to the 2005 attacks on the London mass transit system.

The planned attacks were “undertaken at the direction and under the control of Al Qaeda leadership,” Mr. Knox said.

Mr. Medunjanin and Mr. Ahmedzay — who were arrested in January — had originally faced charges related to a trip they took with Mr. Zazi to Pakistan in August 2008, during which Mr. Zazi said he was recruited and trained by Al Qaeda.

Before the new indictment, Mr. Medunjanin had been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and receiving military training from a terrorist organization. Mr. Ahmedzay had been charged with lying about his trip to Pakistan. Those charges remain, and additional charges may be filed, Mr. Knox said in court.

While the two men were before Judge Raymond J. Dearie, F.B.I. agents and police detectives from the Joint Terrorism Task Force executed a search warrant at Mr. Ahmedzay’s home, a law enforcement official said.

The men abandoned their attack plans in September days before they had been planning to carry it out, after realizing they were under government surveillance. Mr. Zazi was arrested later that month.

“The facts alleged in this indictment shed further light on the scope of this attempted attack and underscore the importance of using every tool we have available to both disrupt plots against our nation and hold suspected terrorists accountable for their actions,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in a statement.


William K. Rashbaum and Karen Zraick contributed reporting.


A version of this article appeared in print on February 26, 2010, on page A24 of the New York edition.