There was a ghostly feeling in New York City yesterday on October 16, 2012.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced that the FBI was successful in thwarting the attempted bombing by Bangladeshi national Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis (Nafis).  The man, with suspected ties to al Qaeda, attempted to build a 1,000 pound bomb and detonate it next to the New York Federal Reserve Bank in lower Manhattan.  

Court documents indicate Nafis planned to take out several high ranking officials and the New York Stock Exchange, but he ultimately decided to bomb the Federal Reserve Bank because he believed the best way to “destroy America” was to target its economy.  

While the plans were just beginning on U.S. soil, Nafis was approached by an FBI undercover agent who acted as an al Qaeda member.  The undercover agent supplied Nafis with between 20 and 50 pound bags of fake explosives, and Nafis constructed a bomb after he bought other detonating devices and conducted surveillance in lower Manhattan.  

On the morning of the attempted bombing, Nafis met with the agent and they began to drive to a warehouse in the Eastern District of New York.  He explained he had a second plan in case the police were trying to stop the bombing.  When they arrived at the warehouse, Nafis attempted to make a 1,000 bomb out of fertilizer.  He loaded the material in the van and the drove to New York Federal Reserve Bank.  

During the drive, he armed the device and eventually parked the van next to the Bank.  Nafis and the undercover agent walked across the street to a hotel where Nafis then recorded a video statement that stated, “We will not stop until we attain victory or martyrdom.”  He tried to detonate the bomb by using his cell phone, but the attempted detonation was unsuccessful.  He was arrested immediately.  

Nafis is charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide information to al Qaeda.  

FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Mary E. Galligan stated, “It is important to emphasize that the public was never at risk in this case, because two of the defendant’s ‘accomplices’ were actually an FBI source and an FBI undercover agent.  The FBI continues to place the highest priority on preventing acts of terrorism.”

Source:  Federal Bureau of Investigation