Feds: US man gave al-Qaida NYC subway information

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By TOM HAYS and DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer Tom Hays And Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writer – 39 mins ago

NEW YORK – Authorities revealed Wednesday that an American — charged with providing information to al-Qaida on the New York transit system and attacking a U.S. military base in Afghanistan — has been a secret witness in the fight against terror both here and overseas.

Court papers unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn identified the defendant as Bryant Neal Vinas, also known as "Ibrahim."

His identity had been kept secret since his indictment late last year, and federal prosecutors refused to discuss his background Wednesday.

But a law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the case, said Vinas provided critical information that led to a security alert about the New York City subway system last year.

Federal authorities issued an alert around Thanksgiving last year saying the FBI had received a "plausible but unsubstantiated" report that al-Qaida terrorists in late September may have discussed attacking the subway system around the holidays. The origin of that report, the source said, was Vinas.

Prosecutors charged Vinas in a rocket attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in September 2008. Court papers allege he also gave "expert advice and assistance ... on the New York transit system and Long Island Railroad."

For five months last year, Vinas received "military-style training" from al-Qaida, according to court papers.

Also, a defense attorney in a terrorism case in Belgium said prosecutors there traveled to New York earlier this year to interview Vinas. The lawyer said Vinas had provided a statement against the French and Belgium defendants charged with traveling to Pakistan to volunteer to fight with al-Qaida.

Vinas' defense attorney didn't immediately return a telephone message Wednesday.

___

Barrett reported from Washington, D.C.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090722/ap_on_re_us/us_american_al_qaida

[samanthajane13]

Feds: US man gave al-Qaida NYC subway information
By TOM HAYS and DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writers Tom Hays And Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writers – 38 mins ago

NEW YORK – An American man charged with giving al-Qaida information on the New York transit system and attacking a U.S. military base in Afghanistan has been a secret witness in the fight against terror here and overseas, authorities revealed Wednesday.

His revelations have given counterterrorism investigators a rare look at the day-to-day operations of al-Qaida — from meetings of top terror officials to training with explosives — in the lawless region bordering Pakistan, which the U.S. military has struggled to penetrate, people familiar with the case said.

Court papers unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn identified the defendant as Bryant Neal Vinas, nicknamed "Ibrahim" or "Bashir al-Ameriki," who grew up on Long Island.

His identity had been kept secret since his indictment late last year. Court papers show he pleaded guilty in January in a sealed courtroom in Brooklyn and remains in U.S. custody in New York.

Federal prosecutors refused to discuss Vinas' background Wednesday, and no court appearances were scheduled. But a law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the case, said Vinas provided critical information that led to a security alert about the New York City subway system last year.

Authorities issued an alert around Thanksgiving last year saying the FBI had received a "plausible but unsubstantiated" report that al-Qaida terrorists in late September may have discussed attacking the subway system around the holidays. The origin of that report, the official said, was Vinas.

The official described Vinas as a militant convert who was captured last year in Pakistan.

Prosecutors charged Vinas in a rocket attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in September 2008. Court papers allege he also gave "expert advice and assistance ... on the New York transit system and Long Island Railroad."

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a statement Wednesday that there was never an imminent threat to the system.

"As part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the MTA has been in constant communication with local and federal authorities as the investigation involving Bryant Neal Vinas developed," the statement said.

People familiar with the case say Vinas told counterterrorism investigators that he met senior al-Qaida members while staying at a network of hideouts on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where he trained from about March 2008 to August 2008.

Vinas named several of the terror group's officials and described their activities, including rocket and mortar strikes against U.S. forces in the area, said the people, who spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to disclose details of his statements. Vinas also revealed discussions among terrorists about potential civilian targets in Europe and described training in weapons and explosives, they said.

Vinas received "military-style training" from al-Qaida, according to court papers.

Also, a defense attorney in a terrorism case in Belgium said prosecutors there traveled to New York earlier this year to interview Vinas. The lawyer, Christophe Marchand, said Vinas had provided a statement against the French and Belgium defendants charged with going to Pakistan to volunteer to fight with al-Qaida.

Marchand denied his client was a terrorist or knew Vinas.

"He never talked about meeting an American — never," the lawyer said.

Vinas' attorney, Len Kamdang, wouldn't comment, other than requesting "the public withhold judgment in this case until all of the facts become available."

A woman who answered a family phone number found in public records said she was the Vinas' mother and had not seen her son since he moved out 10 years ago at age 18.

"He's a stranger to me," she said before hanging up without giving her name.

There was no answer at the door at a family address, a two-story home with a manicured lawn and landscaping on a cul-de-sac in Patchogue, about 55 miles east of Manhattan.

Vinas' Peruvian-born father, Juan Vinas, told Newsday in a recent interview that federal agents had interviewed him. He said he didn't know where his son was.

"The FBI asked me all kinds of questions about him, but they don't tell me nothing," he said.

The president of the Islamic Association of Long Island, a mosque in nearby Selden, said he recalled a "very quiet, polite, smiley" young Hispanic man called Ibrahim, who was a frequent but unassuming presence at the mosque for about a year, starting roughly 2 1/2 years ago.

He turned up four to five times a week for services but never participated in any social activities at the mosque, said president Nayyar Imam. He said Ibrahim apparently converted to Islam and changed his name before he began coming to the mosque.

"He's the last person in the mosque you would think about" getting involved in terrorism, Imam said.

In sealing the courtroom for the January guilty plea, a judge said that a public plea could harm a confidential investigation involving national security.

The Vinas case is a rare instance of an American al-Qaida recruit cooperating with Western authorities.

In 2004, Mohammed Junaid Babar, of Queens, admitted that he had traveled to the province of Waziristan to supply cash and military equipment to the terror network. Babar, who hasn't been sentenced, became a witness against three British Muslims eventually cleared of charges they scouted out potential targets on behalf of suicide bombers who killed 52 commuters on London's transit system in 2005.

___

Barrett reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press writers Adam Goldman, Frank Eltman, Jennifer Peltz and AP researcher Judith Ausuebel in New York contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090723/ap_on_re_us/us_american_al_qaida

[samanthajane13]

Feds: NY man witness in top terror cases overseas
By TOM HAYS and DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writers Tom Hays And Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writers – 49 mins ago

NEW YORK – An American-born al-Qaida recruit has become one of the counterterrorism world's most valuable informants, giving investigators a rare look at al-Qaida's day-to-day operations in a lawless region bordering Pakistan which U.S. officials have struggled to infiltrate, investigators say.

Bryant Neal Vinas, who grew up in the New York City suburbs of Long Island, was charged in New York court papers unsealed Wednesday with giving al-Qaida "expert advice and assistance" about New York's transit system and with a rocket attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan last year.

The identity of the 26-year-old Vinas, nicknamed "Ibrahim" or "Bashir al-Ameriki," has been kept secret since his indictment late last year. Court papers show he pleaded guilty in January in a sealed courtroom in Brooklyn and remains in U.S. custody in New York.

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the case, said Vinas provided critical information that led to a security alert about the New York City subway system last year. The official described Vinas as a military convert captured last year in Pakistan.

Authorities issued an alert around Thanksgiving last year saying the FBI had received a "plausible but unsubstantiated" report that al-Qaida terrorists in late September may have discussed attacking the subway system around the holidays. The origin of that report, the official said, was Vinas.

Vinas was also interviewed this year in New York by prosecutors in Belgium pursuing an anti-terror case involving Malika El Aroud, the widow of a man involved in killing anti-Taliban warlord Ahmed Shah Massoud two days before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, an official at the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.

Vinas' testimony was being submitted to a closed court custody hearing on Friday in Belgium, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case.

El Aroud and five others have been in custody since their arrest in December and are charged with belonging to a terrorist organization, which Belgian officials say is part of an al-Qaida group plotting new attacks either in Europe or elsewhere.

A defense attorney in that case, Christophe Marchand, said Vinas had provided a statement against the French and Belgium defendants charged with going to Pakistan to volunteer to fight with al-Qaida.

Marchand denied his client was a terrorist or knew Vinas.

"He never talked about meeting an American — never," the lawyer said.

Other people familiar with the case say Vinas told counterterrorism investigators about meetings with top al-Qaida members while staying at a network of hideouts on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where he trained from about March 2008 to August 2008.

Vinas named several of the terror group's officials and described their activities, including rocket and mortar strikes against U.S. forces in the area, said the people, who spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to disclose details of his statements. Vinas also revealed discussions among terrorists about potential civilian targets in Europe and described training in weapons and explosives, they said.

Vinas received "military-style training" from al-Qaida, according to court papers.

Vinas' attorney, Len Kamdang, wouldn't comment, other than requesting "the public withhold judgment in this case until all of the facts become available."

There was no answer at the door Wednesday at a Vinas family address in Patchogue, about 55 miles east of Manhattan on Long Island.

A woman who answered a family phone number found in public records said she was Vinas' mother and had not seen her son since he moved out 10 years ago at age 18.

"He's a stranger to me," she said before hanging up without giving her name.

Vinas' Peruvian-born father, Juan Vinas, told the Los Angeles Times in a recent interview that federal agents had interviewed him. He said he didn't know where his son was.

"The FBI asked me all kinds of questions about him, but they don't tell me nothing," he said.

The president of the Islamic Association of Long Island, a mosque in nearby Selden, said he recalled a "very quiet, polite, smiley" young Hispanic man called Ibrahim, who was a frequent but unassuming presence at the mosque for about a year, starting roughly 2 1/2 years ago.

He turned up four to five times a week for services but never participated in any social activities at the mosque, said president Nayyar Imam. He said Ibrahim apparently converted to Islam and changed his name before he began coming to the mosque.

"He's the last person in the mosque you would think about" getting involved in terrorism, Imam said.

___

Barrett reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press writers Adam Goldman, Frank Eltman, Jennifer Peltz in New York and Constant Brand in Belgium contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090723/ap_on_re_us/us_american_al_qaida

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AP Sources: US man was 'gold mine' of terror intel
By ADAM GOLDMAN and DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writers Adam Goldman And Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 17 mins ago

NEW YORK – When the American-born al-Qaida recruit Bryant Neal Vinas was captured in Pakistan late last year, he wasn't whisked off to a military prison or a secret CIA facility in another country to be interrogated.

Instead, the itinerant terrorist landed in the hands of the FBI and was flown back to New York to face justice.

Months before President Barack Obama took office with a pledge to change U.S. counterterrorism policies, the Bush administration gave Vinas all the rights of American criminal suspects.

And he talked.

While an American citizen captured in Pakistan certainly presents a unique case, the circumstances of Vinas' treatment may point to a new emphasis in the fight against terror, one that relies more on FBI crimefighters and the civilian justice system than on CIA interrogators and military detention.

"This was by the numbers. It was a law enforcement operation and it worked," said a senior law enforcement official, one of several authorities who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly discuss the case.

The official said Vinas provided "an intelligence gold mine" to U.S. officials, including possible information about a suspected militant who was killed in a Predator drone strike last November.

Another law enforcement official said that under questioning, the 26-year-old Vinas gradually provided a "treasure trove" of information, allowing U.S. counterterrorism officials to peer deep inside the inner workings of al-Qaida.

The FBI first learned about Vinas after Pakistani police arrested him in November 2008 in Peshawar, a city teeming with Taliban militants and al-Qaida operatives along Pakistan's northwest border with Afghanistan.

Vinas, born in Queens and raised as a Roman Catholic on Long Island, was turned over to the FBI. Authorities have long been concerned about al-Qaida's interest in recruiting outsiders who can blend in easily. It was not the first time an American had gone to Pakistan for Jihad. Others had preceded him such as the imprisoned "American Taliban," John Walker Lindh and convicted terrorist Jose Padilla.

At first after his capture, Vinas appeared scared and dejected. When he was brought back to the United States, an official said, he "started to turn the corner" and trust them, little by little.

One of the first leads he gave investigators was admitting to his own role in helping al-Qaida plan an attack on U.S. soil.

"I consulted with a senior al-Qaida leader and provided detailed information about the operation of the Long Island Rail Road system which I knew because I had ridden the railroad on many occasions," Vinas later told a judge in a secret guilty plea to terrorism charges. Vinas said the terrorists wanted to launch a bomb attack on the train system.

It was Vinas' information about those conversations, officials said, that led authorities to issue a security warning last year around the Thanksgiving holidays about a possible plot against New York City-area transit systems.

Once Vinas was placed in U.S. custody, FBI agents spent a period of months conducting approximately 100 interviews with the man, a Muslim convert who spoke Arabic, Dari and Urdu.

Vinas, whose father hails from Peru and his mother from Argentina, told officials he left for Pakistan in September 2007, arriving in Lahore. He made his way to Peshawar.

Intelligence experts say that his terror bosses first sent him on a mission to fire missiles at a U.S. base in Afghanistan, most likely a way for them to test his loyalty. The first attack was not launched because of radio problems and the second failed to hit the base, according to Vinas.

After the botched mission, he agreed to become a suicide bomber and returned to Peshawar for more religious training.

In March 2008, Vinas later told his FBI interrogators, he turned up in Waziristan, a mountainous border region in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden and other terror leaders are suspected of hiding out.

There, he met a former Belgian taxi driver of Moroccan origin who "spouted off ideas about the possibility of attacking soccer stadiums in Europe, but didn't give a plan or details," according to a sworn statement Vinas later gave to Belgian prosecutors. The man also had been giving "speeches during Friday prayers at his local mosque where he served as the imam."

In Waziristan, the Belgian had taken training in constructing electric circuits used in combat operations such as improvised explosive devices and suicide jackets. Vinas told authorities he also took terror training in Waziristan, taught to handle weapons and plastic explosives, including C-3, C-4 and Semtex.

Vinas learned about voltage meters and battery tests and bomb circuits — the ingredients for a remote-detonated bomb — and how to rig an explosives-laden jacket for suicide bombers.

"The students familiarized themselves with seeing, sensing and touching different explosives," he told investigators.

Vinas described all this to the FBI, pinpointing the locations with photographs and maps and aiding bureau sketch artists. He answered every question FBI agents posed to him, one official said, and the information was shared with the intelligence community.

If it was "worthwhile and worth sharing, we put it out immediately," the official said.

Vinas' most important contribution, authorities said, was disclosing the locations of safe houses and suspected terrorists, officials said.

One of the operatives Vinas discussed with investigators was an al-Qaida recruiter, Abdullah Azzam, according to one official who spoke to The Associated Press about the case.

Azzam died in an airstrike on Nov. 19, about the time Vinas was taken into custody. Officials declined to say whether Azzam or others that Vinas discussed with authorities were targeted in Predator airstrikes with his assistance.

Vinas pleaded guilty Jan. 28 to conspiring to murder U.S. nationals. He faces life in prison, but his cooperation will likely earn him a reduced sentence.

___

AP writer Devlin Barrett reported from Washington.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090726/ap_on_go_ot/us_american_al_qaida