Counterterrorism officials say that "an elusive and feared senior Qaeda operative" met with one of the suspects in last fall's thwarted subway terror plot. According to the AP, "Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have named Shukrijumah in a draft terrorism indictment, but yesterday the Justice Department was still discussing whether to cite his role. Some officials feared that the extra attention might hinder efforts to capture him."
In September, the federal and local authorities raided homes in Queens, due to concerns of a Madrid-style terror attack. The feds later charged Najibullah Zazi, a former Queens resident and lower Manhattan coffee vendor, and two of his associates, with terrorism. Zazi admitted ties to Al Qaeda and, earlier this year, pleaded guilty to a "martyrdom" plan for suicide bombings on numerous subway lines.
According to the Times, "The elusive senior Qaeda figure with whom Mr. Zazi had contact is the Saudi-born Adnan G. el-Shukrijumah, 34, long described by law enforcement officials as a hardened operative who was all the more feared because of his fluency in English and knowledge of New York City... The State Department offered a reward of up to $5 million several years ago for information leading directly to the capture of Mr. Shukrijumah, but he has managed to avoid capture since the F.B.I. issued an alert for him in 2003. Mr. Shukrijumah was identified as a senior terrorism figure by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed during his intensive interrogation, and concern about him grew with the discovery that he had received flight training in the United States about the same time as the 9/11 hijackers. A bulletin warning that he might try to cross American borders with a Saudi, Canadian or Trinidadian passport was issued in 2003."
