Two Afghans accused of making false statements in a counter-terrorism
investigation have been ordered held in federal custody until a hearing
later this week.
Ahmad Wais Afzali, an imam based in New York City and a legal permanent
U.S. resident, appeared in a New York federal courtroom Monday. He was
ordered held without bail until Thursday.
Another legal permanent U.S. resident, Najibullah Zazi, and his father, a U.S. citizen (Mohammed Wali Zazi), appeared in court in (the western city of) Denver, Colorado.
Zazi was ordered to remain in custody until a hearing Thursday, while
his father was scheduled to be released on $50,000 bond. The father
will be confined to his home and monitored electronically.
All three men, arrested Saturday, could face eight years in prison if convicted.
New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says Zazi is believed to
have lied to authorities when he denied knowing about bomb-making
instructions that federal agents found in his car. Zazi has denied any
links to terrorism.
The New York police commissioner says authorities are alleging that
Zazi admitted to training at an al-Qaida facility in Pakistan. The
24-year-old was born in Afghanistan and moved to Pakistan as a boy
before relocating with his family to the U.S. about 10 years ago.
Zazi's lawyer says his client made his repeated trips to Pakistan to visit his wife.
A Justice Department official (assistant attorney general for national security David Kris) says authorities do not have specific information about any planned attack.