NEW YORK – A 27-year-old al-Qaeda sympathizer has been arrested and charged over an alleged terrorist plot targeting New York police vehicles, postal facilities and US troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced late Sunday.
Jose Pimentel, of Washington Heights in the northern end of Manhattan, was described as a “lone wolf” and was “not a part of a larger conspiracy,” according to Bloomberg.
Pimentel was arrested 3:30 pm Saturday without incident at his Washington Heights apartment. He had been under police surveillance since 2009, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a press conference with Bloomberg.
Bloomberg said the suspect was motivated by his own resentment of the presence of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The mayor said the man represented exactly the kind of threat US intelligence agencies have warned about.
Pimentel has been charged with conspiracy to build a bomb for terrorist purposes and possessing a weapon. He is described as a Dominican with an anti-American grudge. Pimentel converted to Islam recently and had planned to change his name.
The NYPD’s Intelligence Division was involved in the arrest. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Pimentel spend most of his years in Manhattan and lived about five years in Schenectady.
District Attorney Cyrus Vance said Pimentel was motivated by an al Queda publication named “Inspire” magazine where he learned how to build bombs.
Kelly said that Pimentel seemed more determined and motivated after terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, leader in Al Qaeda’s outpost in Yemen, was killed by an air strike on September 30.
Boruch Hashem
Thank G-d!!!
G-d will help, but yes we must keep a vigilant eye and sharpen our shmiras eynayim 🙂
Its crazy that these terrorists are still around, but with hashems help we’ll have more stories of stopping them like this one.
so we know that work is going on with this.
HaShem runs it but people have to do their work and He helps.