Early Monday morning, law enforcement authorities raided three apartments in the Queens borough of New York City. The apartments housed a number of Afghan men who were allegedly engaged in suspicious activity. Thus far, the FBI and NYPD are saying that they did not uncover any explosives or other evidence of an “imminent” attack. The precise details of what prompted the raid remain murky. However, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security subsequently sent out an alert to local law enforcement agencies telling them to be on the lookout for suspicious signs. According to the Associated Press, which has obtained a copy of the alert, the intelligence warning “lists indicators that could tip off police to homemade hydrogen peroxide-based explosives, such as people with burn marks on their hands, face or arms; foul odors coming from a room or building; and large industrial fans or multiple window fans.” The AP says the alert also warned that “these homemade explosive materials can be hidden in backpacks, suitcases or plastic containers.” Congressman Peter King (R-N.Y.) reportedly told the AP that the searches in Queens were ordered after a suspect with alleged ties to terrorism visited New York. The AP reports the suspect, “who was under surveillance for possible links to the terrorism network, visited New York City over the weekend and then left the area.” The New York Daily News is reporting that the suspect in question is based in Denver. Moreover, the suspect is reportedly part of a larger cell comprised of at least five total suspects. The Daily News says “hundreds of FBI agents are on the ground in Colorado” conducting 24/7 surveillance on them. (If they didn’t know they were being monitored before, they certainly do now.) Anonymous sources cited by the Daily News say that intelligence and law enforcement officials believe the suspects were plotting a massive attack on the scale of 9/11. The Daily News also says the FBI is miffed at the NYPD for prematurely pushing for the raids in Queens, thereby preventing the FBI from determining what, precisely, the suspects had in mind. The NYPD denies this. (It is not clear how the FBI and others concluded they were preparing for a massive attack if they did not know what the suspects were planning, exactly.) These early reports may or may not turn out to be true, either in part or in whole. But it seems likely that U.S. officials have been seriously “spooked,” as the Daily News says. Over the next few days we will undoubtedly hear more about these suspects and what prompted the raids in New York and the surveillance in Denver. We will also learn, hopefully, of any ties between these suspect plotters and the al Qaeda terror network headquartered in South Asia. Was a major plot disrupted? It won’t be long until we find out.
