A fresh charge-sheet relating to last year's New York subway bombing plot filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) reveals that al-Qaeda is still running terrorist training camps in Pakistan even though the Obama Administration has maintained that it is receiving significant counter-terrorism contribution from Islamabad.
In its 11-page charge-sheet filed in a New York federal court, the DoJ said the plot to bomb New York's subway system, uncovered in September 2009 involving Colorado resident Najibullah Zazi, was directed by the al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan. It also said the leadership plotted to use western operatives to attack targets in the United Kingdom.
The DoJ unsealed charges on Wednesday against the five al-Qaeda suspects, including Adnan Shukrijumah, who is also known as "Hamad," for receiving training from al-Qaeda in Waziristan in 2008 and early 2009 and plotting attacks on the U.S. and the UK.
Besides Shukrijumah, whose name is on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists with a $5 million on his head, other defendants are Adis Medunjanin alias "Mohammad;" Abid Naseer; Tariq Ur Rehman; and a fifth defendant known as "Ahmad," "Sohaib" or "Zahid." Each faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
U.S. prosecutors have accused al-Qaeda leadership of directing the accused to attack the New York subway system last year.
David Kris, Assistant Attorney-General for National Security, said these charges underscored the global nature of the terrorist threat and further reflected the effectiveness of mutual investigations and cooperation with our global partners in disrupting terrorism threats.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner, however, said the United States had received "significant counter-terrorism co-operation" from Pakistan.
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