Digital Fingerprints Led Feds to Zazi

Investigators Followed a Digital Path to Track Down the Incriminating Evidence on Suspected Terrorist

(ZDNET)  This report was filed by Larry Dignan at ZDNet.com

The indictment of suspected terrorist Najibullah Zazi, who is charged with acquiring and preparing bombs similar to the ones deployed in the 2005 London subway attacks, rides substantially on Zazi’s Internet surfing habits.

Federal prosecutors say that Zazi was trained in Pakistan and shuttled between Queens, N.Y. and Denver in an attempt to prepare bombs. The Feds allege that Zazi was involved in an Al Qaeda conspiracy to attack the U.S.

As you read the indictment and order for permanent detention you can almost picture the various connected databases and monitoring techniques at work. Simply put, Internet surveillance and information technology sleuthing played a big role in the Zazi case. FBI agents arrested Zazi in Colorado.

Jeffrey Knox, an assistant U.S. attorney, tells the tale in the permanent detention document.

Here’s a look at the key linchpins where IT crossed paths with detective work.

The Customs Databases
Zazi flew from Newark Liberty International Airport to Peshawar, Pakistan on Aug. 28, 2008. Something triggered in a database, given that Zazi, 24, was going to Peshawar, known as a terrorism hotbed.

Pakistan Email Accounts
Here’s where the surveillance kicked in. Knox notes in the order for detention:

Zazi is associated with three email accounts (”Email Account 1,” “Email Account 2″ and “Email Account 3″) that were active during his time in Pakistan. One of the accounts is directly subscribed to Zazi, and all three accounts contain slight variations of the same password. The government will establish at trial that these accounts were used in furtherance of Zazi’s efforts to manufacture explosive devices. Among other things, during a consent search of two of the three accounts, agents found jpeg images of nine pages of handwritten notes containing formulations and instructions regarding the manufacture and handling of different kinds of explosives. Based on email header information, these images had been emailed to Email Accounts 2 and 3 in early December 2008, while Zazi was in Pakistan. As discussed below, the same notes were transferred onto Zazi’s laptop computer in June 2009.

Customs Databases Again
Zazi flew back to the U.S. via JFK International Airport in Queens on Jan. 15, 2009.

You Are Your Internet Search History
Knox continues:

A lawfully-authorized search of Zazi’s laptop computer reflects that Zazi transferred the bomb-making instruction notes onto his laptop and/or accessed the notes on his laptop in June and July 2009. The FBI’s search of the laptop also reflects that Zazi conducted several internet searches for hydrochloric acid during the summer of 2009, and “bookmarked” a site on two different browsers for “Lab Safety for Hydrochloric Acid.” Zazi also searched a beauty salon website for hydrocide and peroxide.

Turns out Zazi and cohorts went shopping at various beauty supply stores for these ingredients. The Feds say that Zazi rented an Aurora, Colo. hotel room on Sept. 6 and 7 and tried to put the ingredients together.

The Cell Phone Tap
According to the permanent detention request:

Also on September 6 and 7, Zazi attempted to communicate on multiple occasions with another individual - each communication more urgent in tone than the last - seeking to correct mixtures of ingredients to make explosives. Included in the communications were requests related to flour and ghee oil, which are two ingredients listed in the bomb-making instructions. Zazi repeatedly emphasized in the communications that he needed the answers right away.

Internet Search History Take 2
Knox writes:

A lawfully-authorized search of Zazi’s laptop computer reflects that the next day, Sept. 8, Zazi searched the internet for locations of a home improvement store within zip code 11354, the zip code for the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, New York. He then searched the home improvement store’s website for muriatic acid, which is a diluted version of hydrochloric acid and, as discussed, could constitute the third component of TATP, which is comprised of hydrogen peroxide, acetone and a strong acid like hydrochloric acid. Zazi viewed four different types of muriatic acid. He viewed one particular type - Klean Strip Green Safer Muriatic Acid - multiple times. This product claims to have lower fumes and is safer to handle than standard muriatic acid.

Too Little Too Late: Ditching the Hard Drive
According to cell phone taps, Zazi started to realize he was being tracked after renting a car to New York. Zazi purchased an airline ticket and returned to Denver on Sept. 12. After laptop searches revealed scans of handwritten bomb making instructions, Zazi removed the hard drive. According to Knox:

After Zazi’s laptop was searched in New York, and after Zazi returned to Colorado with his laptop, agents executed a search warrant at his Aurora residence. Agents recovered the same laptop that had previously been searched and found that the hard drive had since been removed.

There are still gaps in the account and specifics about how the Feds followed Zazi’s Internet habits. But it’s safe to say that the case would be a lot harder to prove if it weren’t for Zazi’s search habits and digital fingerprints.

[brucearnold]

On 9/11/01, the all-powerful bankers behind New World Order globalization unleashed their oil and money hungry military-industrial dogs of war to orchestrate the fall of 3 (not 2) WTC towers--the third, not struck by a plane, housing 3 floors of damning SEC records. On that day, we lost 3000 lives (with 1000s more to follow) plus 4 commercial airliners (with all on board) ... and stood by helplessly as something (not wide enough to be a 757) bored a hole in the side of the Pentagon. Yet even today, two elections and a new administration later, our Big Brother government expects us to believe that all of that masterfully-plotted and perfectly-timed destruction was accomplished by 15 Saudis and 4 of their cousins using nothing more than box cutters and big balls. If you believe that, or if you believe we have been told anything close to the Truth about 9/11, then I ask you to Google "911 truth" and "911 peak oil", and objectively evaluate what you find at websites like AE911Truth.org.

[hamiltoningrate]

///////////////////////////// THANK YOU PRESIDENT BUSH AND VP CHANEY

Thank you, once again, goes to President Bush and VP Chaney, who worked hard to put the framework in place to protect our freedoms from these dangerous ISlamic Terror Addicts.

President Bush had to fight every one of the Democrats, the mass drive by media, and all "progressives" including the present President, to have these measures .



/////// CBS ??? Where are the deserved accolades now ??? CAN YOU SAY, YOU were wrong in opposing these measures ???



Thank you, Bush and Chaney, you are true Patriots. Thank you for keeping us safe.

[sjc_1]

Al Qaeda works as sort of a terrorist venture capital organization. People bring in ideas and if they look good they get funded. This guy and others may have submitted this and got money to carry it out. Whether it was testing the waters or not is a matter of speculation. I think they know that we look at many more areas than before 9/11.

[legacyabq]

So this guy most have been dumber then a box of rocks..

I mean, how did they know about the purchases, did he use his own credit card?!? LMAAO

And seriously, why bother making a complex explosive?

Someone could easily buy blackpowder and a steel pipe anywhere in america.. Or, make nitrocellulose. They actually showed how to make nitrocellulose on a KIDS SCIENCE SHOW a couple of years back; I watched it personally.

Good police work I guess, but it seems fishy. Like fake. Maybe this guy is a patsy or a public stunt by the powers that be.

Either that or hes dumb. But what about the next guy? You dont have to take out a whole building to terrorize; he was going on a train according to the article. Thats what scares me.. Small attacks, like you see in Pakistan and Afghanistan markets.

[hungry1968-16]

by reasonablemanatlast September 25, 2009 11:40 AM EDT
I second the praise of AK Coyote. However, with the advice provided by CBS news in their "detailed" reporting, we have provided the bad guys with a primer of how to avoid the silly mistakes made by Zazi. In our zeal to distribute and understand the details, we just complicated the puzzle. Writers...use your head! Some things are better left unsaid (even when they sell copy).






I agree with this, but this is more a condemnation of our legal system than anything.

Seriuosly, why should the press have access to this info in the first place?

[magoo2u1]

"Al Qaeda ain't this stupid. Zazi is a idiot and Al Qaeda exploited him."
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
You could be right. The way to test defenses is to send out a decoy-we did it during the "cat and mouse" days of the cold war with the USSR. Send a plane or a ship out to see how long it takes them to react. It could well be that they hoped it would come off but they learn a little about our capabilities when it doesn't. There are parts of the patriot act I don't care for but "BRAVO" to the guys on our team that nabbed this ******. Now , put him in pot and bring it to a slow simmer.....

[koolwarez]

Bin Ladens newest video even has his reasons for 9/11. Here's a quote and link:
"From the beginning, we have stated many times ... that the cause of our disagreement with you is your support of your allies, the Israelis, who are occupying our land in Palestine. Your stance along with some other grievances are what led us to carry out the events of 9/11."

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/09/25/binladen.message/

[pieterhartog]

@koolwarez. 911 was definitely real. The question is though what other forces were involved in enabling this. I challenge you to read for example the 911summary.com website, which is not from some radical activists but real credible people. About Osama bin Laden; I actually think they would have found Bin Laden already with multi-billion dollar operations. The US army / navy is capable of tracking the most obscure people in the most obscure locations. For some reason, it must not be their highest priority.

[koolwarez]

But you would think it would be a high priority to track and kill him before he could speak of such involvement with the US government. I don't agree with how they investigated 9/11 sure. But to say the government had anything to do with it seems a little far fetched. With people questioning the 9/11 investigation the way they are, now all it would take is Bin Laden to lie and say the government had something to do with it and all hell will break loose.

[koolwarez]

Bin Laden just released this video, I'll provide a link and a quote:
"From the beginning, we have stated many times ... that the cause of our disagreement with you is your support of your allies, the Israelis, who are occupying our land in Palestine. Your stance along with some other grievances are what led us to carry out the events of 9/11."

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/09/25/binladen.message/

[pieterhartog]

koolwarez, to he honest, I don't know what to think of the latest video from Bin Laden. It is reported on Al-jazeera too, which would indicate it is taken serious in the middle east as well. But at the same time it's just audio with a picture. Imitating voices based on existing voice fragments is apparently easy to do.
I'd like to think things like 9/11 and the war on terror are just 'simply' terrorist headed by Bin Laden, or 'simply' that 9/11 was enabled by high government officials. There are too many valid and unanswered questions to only blame terrorist and Bin Laden for 9/11, but somehow Al-Qaeda is involved as well.
I appreciate your replies, but I'm stopping this discussion now; got to do stuff around the house.

[pieterhartog]

Terrorist are bad and Al Qaeda is real. However, it's a great coincidence again that when new funding is needed for the war in Afganistan, all of a sudden the FBI does probes and sting operations and makes a big public hoopla about terrorists in our country. Great for public support to pump billions of dollars more in the war industry.
Check out www.911summary.com for a critical look at the thing that is used as a motivation to keep the war machine going.

[koolwarez]

@pieterhartog 9/11 was real, stop spreading conspiracy theory's. Don't you think if Bin Laden had any help from the government he would have already made a statement about it. Come on it's common sense.

[koolwarez]

The real idiots are the legal system for explaining how Zazi was detected and caught. Geeee the next person who attempts this will know exactly what to expect.

[ToolMangler1]

I thought you knew, MSM is the Greatest teacher the the terrorists have.
I love to watch NCIS among others (and so do they).

[ibsteve2u]

Disrupting the enemy's command and control system is always a primary goal in warfare.

Making the enemy too paranoid to use any of the high-speed methods of communicating is a win for the U.S. of A. - especially when their paranoia is justified.

Bottom line, of course, is that the information that CBS details represents only common sense conclusions based upon the data set that is publicly available.

[reasonablemanatlast]

I second the praise of AK Coyote. However, with the advice provided by CBS news in their "detailed" reporting, we have provided the bad guys with a primer of how to avoid the silly mistakes made by Zazi. In our zeal to distribute and understand the details, we just complicated the puzzle. Writers...use your head! Some things are better left unsaid (even when they sell copy).

[ibsteve2u]

You assume that CBS is both the first to report such methodology and the organization that has published the most details.

Wrong on both counts.

In fact, anybody with a bare minimum of knowledge of how TCP/IP works, knows how easy it is to get a router to tell you what is going through it, where it came from and where it is going.

"Sniffers" have been around for a long time (I remember using Network General's EXPENSIVE Compaq 3 based system way back in the early '90s), and military et al electronic eavesdropping systems and programs existed long, long before that...highly sophisticated ones, when compared to the primitive capabilities that existed in the civilian world, in my experience.

Only a fool would assume that those systems have not remained far ahead of the civilian curve: DARPA could have originated the phrase "Get 'er done!".

lollll...that knowledge on my part is why when I say some of the things that I say on the 'net, I often pause to wonder which software that will trigger...

And that is also why I enjoy provoking the righties into being honest about their motives and desires.

[koolwarez]

Al Qaeda ain't this stupid. Zazi is a idiot and Al Qaeda exploited him. Al Qaeda is simply testing the water to see how we react to such a attack. The next attack won't be as simple to stop.

[pete_in_az]

Agreed. Somebody with an advanced understanding of formulating explosives from common oxidizers, fuels, and accelerants would have no problem showing up here, assembling bombs in a matter of hours, and taking down the NY subway system full of passengers within minutes with nothing more then wrist watches for timing devices and the will to martyrdom in Jihad.

Believe me it is that easy. Until a fundamental shift in thinking occurs it is only a matter of time

[galtmotors]

Cook the scuzzy little rodent.

Nick
http://www.wastedcarbon.com