Denver al Qaeda cell arrested

The FBI arrested Najibullah Zazi, 24, and his father Mohammed, 53, at their Aurora apartment at about 9:40 p.m. Saturday for their involvement in the 9-11 style terrorist plot against the United States.

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The FBI also arrested 37-year-old Ahmad Afzali in New York City Saturday night. All there were arrested for making a false statement. The charge carries a maximum of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to an arrest affidavit, Zazi drove a rental car from Colorado on Sept. 9, arriving in New York on Sept. 10. Zazi left his laptop computer and paperwork in the rental car when he turned in the vehicle.

Zazi's laptop computer contained nine-pages of handwritten notes of formulations and instructions regarding the manufacture and handling of initiating explosives, explosives charges, explosives detonators and components of a fuzing system.

Zazi told the FBI that he had never seen the document before and must have unintentionally downloaded the document as part of a religious book, which he says he later deleted because it contained talk of jihad.

Handwriting on the notes matches his handwriting. Handwriting analysts have confirmed that there are characteristics in common between the notes and with writing samples submitted by Zazi.

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The document was sent between three e-mail accounts in early December 2008. The FBI has strong evidence that the e-mail accounts belong to Zazi. Two of the e-mail accounts had the same nine-digit password, and the third e-mail account had a six-digit password matching the first six digits of the nine-digit password belonging to Zazi.

Zazi kept footage of New York's Grand Central Station at his apartment in Aurora, an east suburb of Denver. He had nine knapsacks. FBI agents are conducting round-the-clock surveillance on five suspects. FBI agents have conducted raids on several Queens, New York apartments. MORE

Brian Blackwell

QI Investigations

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