Abid Naseer (pictured above, right), a Pakistani man, was convicted by a jury in a federal court of plotting to bomb the New York City subway.
Naseer was first arrested in 2009 in Great Britain on allegations that he was part of a terrorist cell that plotted to blow up a shopping mall.
After being arrested by authorities in the US, Naseer pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and supporting al-Qaeda.
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He acted as his own lawyer in court and often referred to himself in the third person. He portrayed himself as a moderate Muslim in his defense.
Naseer stated “Abid is innocent” and that “he is not an al-Qaeda operative.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zainab Ahmedm, though, stated: “If the defendant hadn’t been stopped, hundreds of innocent men, women and children wouldn’t be alive today.”
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Five British MI5 agents appeared as witnesses in the court, one donning a fake beard and thick, dark glasses.
Much of the case revolved around a series of emails in which Naseer was participating. He stated that the banter was about seeking a bride, and that Naseer “wanted to settle down.” He then asked: “Is there anything wrong with that?”
The prosecutor, though, accused Naseer of using marriage terminology to cover up the attack plans. For instance, emails from an al-Qaeda contact asked: “How is your sweetie girlfriend? How is she? Are things getting closer to marriage?” When Naseer responded “I wish you could be here for the party,” he was referring to the attack, according to the prosecutor.
One witness, Najibullah Zazi, stated that he too had been in contact with the same person from al-Qaeda and was told to use “marriage” and “wedding” as code words for the attack.
What do you think? Was Naseer properly found guilty of the attack? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.