Colo. man faces more questions in terror investigation

September 18, 2009|Kristen Wyatt, Associated Press

DENVER - A man identified by law enforcement as having a possible link to Al Qaeda met with the FBI for a second day yesterday as part of a terrorism investigation in New York and Colorado.

Najibullah Zazi didn’t speak to reporters, but defense attorney Arthur Folsom said he did not expect his client to be arrested. If agents intended to jail Zazi, they probably would have done so already, he said.

An official familiar with the investigation told the Associated Press that Zazi had contact with a known Al Qaeda associate, but would not provide details on the location or nature of the encounter. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

But the defense lawyer said Zazi has never met with Al Qaeda operatives and isn’t involved in terrorism. “He’s simply somebody who was in the wrong place at the wrong time,’’ Folsom said.

Agents questioned Zazi for hours Wednesday and searched his apartment and the home of his aunt and uncle in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

The official said agents have been monitoring Zazi and four others in Colorado.

The case took a strange turn when Zazi rented a car and made a cross-country trip from Denver to New York, crossing into Manhattan last week the day before the Sept. 11 anniversary. He was halted in what was described as a routine stop at the George Washington Bridge before he was allowed to go free.

A relative says Zazi chose to drive to New York because he wanted to see the American countryside. Zazi says he went to New York to resolve issues with a coffee cart he owns.

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