New York Man Convicted in Subway Bomb Plot

Adis Medunjanin faces life in prison
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 1, 2012 4:20 PM CDT
New York Man Convicted in 2009 Subway Bomb Plot
Adis Medunjani.   (AP Photo/U.S. Attorney’s Office)

A New York man has been found guilty in a 2009 subway bomb plot. Adis Medunjanin, who was also convicted of training with al-Qaeda and seeking to join the Taliban, could receive life in prison, the New York Daily News reports. The conviction comes after fellow plotters Zarein Ahmedzay and Najibullah Zazi, who attended high school with Medunjanin, testified against him. The trio traveled to Pakistan in 2008, where they trained with al-Qaeda and were sent home to launch an attack.

"In a somber and calculated decision the defendant...chose this path to come back to the United States (from Pakistan) and wreak havoc at home," a prosecutor told the court. Following his 2010 arrest, Medunjanin reportedly asked to be released to the Taliban in a prisoner exchange. The defense said Medunjanin's confused, "romantic version of jihad" had gotten the better of him, saying he aimed "to join the Taliban and stand up for what he believes in." Upon conviction, Medunjanin murmured to his parents: "It's OK." (More Adis Medunjanin stories.)

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