New York City police arrested and charged a United States citizen and Al-Qaeda sympathizer with Terrorism, thwarting a plot to have pipe bombs made to kill government workers, elected officials and other people in the New York and Long Island area. According to Mayor Bloomberg, twenty seven year old Jose Pimentel was a “lone wolf” devoid of affiliation to foreign terrorist organizations with planned to target police, postal facilities and more.
New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly stated that Pimentel was a follower of radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi, who was apparently killed in a U.S. raid earlier this year. He followed an online article by Awlaqi that included articles such as the infamous “How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom” by Samir Khan. Khan, a Long Island high-school student from Westbury was slain earlier this year. According to Kelly, Pimentel, a Dominican Republic born American Citizen, Pimentel “talked about changing his name to Osama Hussein, to celebrate his heroes, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.”
Pimentel desired to kill servicemen, particularly of the Army and USMC, returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. He hoped to bomb post offices in and around Washington Heights, as well as random police cars throughout the area, and police stations as far west as New Jersey.
Commissioner Kelly feels that what set him off was al-Awlaqi’s death. For those who do not know who al-Awlaqi was, he was suspected of being involved with several attacks on the United States, as well as infamously recruiting Americans for his cause. He and Samir Khan, the Long Island student, perished together in Yemen this past September by successful drone attacks.
Jose Pimentel’s mother, fifty six year old Carmen Sosa had a lot to say about the circumstance. “I want to apologize to the City of New York. “I love the city. I’ve been here since 1987 and I’m very disappointed with what my son was doing. I didn’t raise him that way. I feel very bad about the situation. I thank the police. They did what they’re supposed to do.”
Sosa said that she began to see changes in her son five years ago as he became brainwashed by Islamic extremism, stating “My son was a normal American guy. He did what young people do. Then he became a Muslim and he changed. It was not always like that, “in beginning, he wasn’t a fanatic. He prayed and went to the mosque.” Now, the only place Pimentel will pray is behind bars.
