2 Terror Suspects Attempt to Bomb US Buildings | ABC30 Fresno

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By ABC30

Friday, September 25, 2009

New York In Texas, Colorado, Illinois, and New York, the FBI has uncovered homegrown terror plots. 24-year-old Najibullah Zazi who federal agents said planned to bomb several New York City sites was back in court Friday.

The charge of lying to a federal agent in a terrorism investigation was dropped against Zazi in Denver, but he now faces more serious terrorism charges in New York. Officials said he shopped at beauty stores for bomb supplies.

He purchased unusually large quantities of hydrogen peroxide and acetone. Those same ingredients were used in the 2005 London bombings.

Richard Clarke, Former National Security Officer said: "I think this is as close as we've come since 9/11 to having a major terrorist attack on U.S. Territory."

Thousands of people were inside this 60-story skyscraper in downtown Dallas Thursday when the F.B.I. said 19-year-old Hosam Smadi, an illegal immigrant from Jordan, was trying to blow up the building. According to authorities, he parked what he thought was a powerful car bomb in the tower's basement.

But it was a sting operation. The bomb was fake.

"I mean, it's scary. It's definitely scary to think that it was that closed to happening," said Rachel Powers who works inside the building.

In Springfield, Illinois, the F.B.I. was coordinating another sting operation. In this case officials said Michael Finton, also known as Talib Islam, tried to blow up a federal courthouse with a van he thought was loaded with explosives. But they were phony

Federal authorities said the cases in Dallas and Illinois were unrelated but the arrests were coordinated so neither suspect would get cold feet as they attempted to conduct their operations.