New York Subway Bomb Plot: Scotland Yard Najibullah Zazi Mustafa Abu al-Yazid: Brits Stop NY Subway Bomb Plot

In America, we often wonder how our emails and telephone calls are being monitored. We know they are, or they can be under the Patriot Act, and it makes us very uncomfortable, or maybe "furious" is a better word. I don't know how communications monitoring is handled in Britain, but today's news tells us that a New York subway bomb plot was stopped because a monitored, but seemingly abandoned, email address suddenly flared to life, with connections to Osama bin Laden . Scotland Yard intercepted information that led to the arrest of Najibullah Zazi. The Brits stopped an attack on New York's subway system which, if successful, is believed would have been the most lethal attack on America since 9-11.

Najibullah Zazi

Najibullah Zazi is a 24-year-old Aurora, Colorado airport shuttle bus driver. He was born in Afghanistan and is living in the U.S. legally as a permanent resident. He was arrested on September 19, 2009, along with his father, but details about how information was obtained to bring about his arrest are just being released.

The head of al-Qaeda's Afghanistan operation, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, used a "middleman" to contact Zazi. The plot developed from that contact, with Najibullah Zazi planning to use "homemade backpack bombs." Because of the connection to al-Yazid, who is known to be close to Osama bin Laden and at one time head al-Qaeda's finance committee, Zazi is not considered to be a "lone wolf" terrorist. Al-Yazid

Najibullah Zazi is charged with "conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction."

Zazi, from Denver, Colorado, is understood to have been given instructions by a senior member of al Qaeda in Pakistan over the internet.

This report explains:

Najibullah Zazi, 24, is accused of conspiring to use home-made bombs for a large scale terror attack, possibly on a city transit system.

He was arrested after testing bomb-making materials similar to those used in the 7/7 blasts in London [52 died, many severely injured].

Zazi is believed to have received weapons and explosives training at a terror camp in Pakistan.

He was held in Denver, where he lived, a week after returning under FBI surveillance from a trip to New York.

Another part of the story is that the U.S. was really, really upset that Britain did not stop the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi last August. Intelligence in both countries are friendlier now.

This plot, like numerous others stopped due to diligent and intense intelligence, will soon be just a blip on history's radar screen. I don't know what Najibullah Zazi's fate will be. We know it probable that others are plotting to take down the New York subway system this minute, but it won't be Najibullah Zazi. Fortunately, I haven't heard media claims that Zazi is a victim of PTSD (post-traumatic-stress syndrome) and just "snapped." Media elites live and work in New York City, and surely some in those NY newsrooms take the subway. Take down the subways, and even a limo can't get through. Thanks to master sculptor and super news snoop, David Lemon.