ABC News reports that authorities believe they have successfully disrupted a Denver-based terrorism plot that “is shaping up as the most serious attempt by al Qaeda to strike at the United States since the September 11 attacks”:
The accused al Qaeda bomb maker from Denver planned to use chemicals and hair care products he bought at beauty parlor supply stores to build a series of devastating bombs, according to a federal indictment made public today of 24-year old Najibullah Zazi.
According to court documents, Zazi “purchased unusually large quantities of hydrogen peroxide and acetone from beauty supply stores in the Denver metropolitan area.”
The chemicals in the products matched those listed in nine pages of hand written bomb-making instructions Zazi received when he attended an al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan late last year, according to officials. …
“We believe any imminent threat arising from this case has been disrupted,” said attorney general Eric Holder in a prepared statement. “We are investigating a wide range of leads,” he added. …
Authorities say Zazi and the other alleged terrorists actually tried to mix the chemicals at a hotel suite Zazi rented in the Denver suburb of Aurora on Sept. 6 and 7.
Court documents say Zazi sent text messages to the others, “each communication more urgent in tone than the last – seeking to correct mixtures of ingredients to make explosives.”
Officials told ABCNews.com that one of Zazi’s text messages included the phrase, “the wedding cake is ready,” which authorities believe was a code indicating the plot was nearing the attack phase.
The Denver Post has more.
Dude! The Post could get a Pulitzer. 🙂
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