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State Department Issued Student Visa to Fed Terror Plotter, Possible al-Qaeda Ties Uncovered

Oct. 18, 2012 7:17pm

State Department Issued Student Visa to Fed Terror Plotter Despite Possible Ties to al Qaeda

Bangladeshi Quazi Ahsanullah displays a photograph of his son Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis as he weeps in his home in the Jatrabari neighborhood in north Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo credit: AP

Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafi, who was arrested on Wednesday in an FBI sting operation after he tried to blow up the Federal Reserve building with what he thought was a 1,000 pound car bomb, was in the United States on a State Department-issued student visa, the department confirmed on Thursday.

And while he was reportedly in contact with al-Qaeda before he entered the United States in January to attend Southeast Missouri State University and student cyber security, the State Department system that checks visa applicants found no reason to deny him entry into the country, Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin reports.

“The suspect did have a student visa to attend a legitimate academic program in the United States, for which he was qualified,” State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland defended on Thursday.

“Visa decisions are made in accordance with applicable law and department regulations. Each case is looked at on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all of the information contained in U.S. government databases and in consultation with other government agencies,” she added.

More from Foreign Policy:

The State Department has its own database for vetting visa applications, called the Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS), which keeps a list of those foreigners who should not be granted a visa. There are 39 million records in that system but Nafis wasn’t one of the, Nuland said.

The State Department’s visa vetting program last came into question after the failed terror plot in December 2009 by “underwear bomber” Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. In that case, the plotter’s father had warned the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria that his son was dangerous. In this case, the plotter’s father has said he can’t believe his son was an aspiring terrorist.

[...]

In fiscal year 2011, the State Department issued 476,000 type “F” student visas worldwide, 1,136 of them for Bangladeshis.

However, there seem to have been plenty of warning signs that were missed.

Nafis spoke of his admiration for Osama bin Laden, talked of writing an article about his plot for an al-Qaida-affiliated magazine, and said he would be willing to be a martyr but preferred to go home to his family after carrying out the attack, authorities said. And he also talked about wanting to kill President Barack Obama and bomb the New York Stock Exchange, a law enforcement official said.

Jim Dow, a 54-year-old Army vet and the suspect’s former classmate at Southeast Missouri State, also said Nafis spoke admiringly of bin Laden to him. At the same time, “he told me he didn’t really believe bin Laden was involved in the twin towers because he said bin Laden was a religious man, and a religious man wouldn’t have done something like that,” Dow said.

He said Nafis gave Dow a copy of the Quran and asked him to read it. But he “didn’t rant or rave or say crazy stuff,” Dow said.

“What really shocked me the most was he had specifically spoken to me about true Muslims not believing in violence,” Dow said.

Federal investigators, often accused by defense attorneys of entrapping and leading would-be terrorists along, said the 21-year-old Nafis made the first move over the summer, reaching out for accomplices and eventually contacting a government informant, who then went to federal authorities.

They said he also selected his target, drove the van loaded with dummy explosives up to the door of the bank, and tried to set off the bomb from a hotel room using a cellphone he thought had been rigged as a detonator.

During the investigation, he and the informant corresponded via Facebook and other social media, talked on the phone and met in hotel rooms, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Investigators said in court papers that he came to the U.S. bent on jihad and worked out the specifics of a plot when he arrived. While Nafis believed he had the blessing of al-Qaida and was acting on behalf of the terrorist group, he has no known ties, according to federal officials.

Nafis, who at the time of his arrest Wednesday was working as a busboy at a restaurant in Manhattan, was jailed without bail. His attorney has not commented on the case, but in other instances where undercover agents and sting operations were used, lawyers have argued entrapment.

Investigators would not say exactly how he initially contacted the government informant.

CBS News has some additional details:

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, whose department had a role in the arrest as a member of a joint federal-state terrorism task force, said the entrapment argument rarely prevails.

“You have to be otherwise not disposed to do a crime,” Kelly said. “And if it’s your intent to do a crime, and somehow there are means made available, then generally speaking, the entrapment defense does not succeed.”

Nafis’ family in Dhaka, Bangladesh, denied he could have been involved – he was incapable of such actions and came to America to study, not to carry out an attack, his parents said. His father, a banker, said Nafis was so timid he couldn’t venture out onto the roof alone.

“My son couldn’t have done it,” Quazi Ahsanullah said, weeping.

Belal Ahmed, a spokesman for the university, said Nafis was a terrible student who was put on probation and threatened with expulsion if he didn’t bring his grades up. Nafis eventually stopped coming to school, Ahmed said.

Ahsanullah said his son persuaded him to send him to America to study, arguing that a U.S. degree would give him a better chance at success in Bangladesh. “I spent all my savings to send him to America,” the father said.

Nafis moved to Missouri, where he studied cybersecurity at Southeast Missouri State University. He also became vice president of the school’s Muslim Student Association and began attending a mosque.

But he withdrew after one semester and requested over the summer that his records be transferred to a school in Brooklyn. The university declined to identify which school.

 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Comments (63)

1 2
  • FatManChew
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 11:21pm

    We’re groped and prodded when we try to fly with our families but this same government can’t figure out what a terrorist is?

    Report this comment

    FatManChew  
  • resme
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 11:12pm

    This just in: FBI foils FBI Terror Plot, Shocking!!!!!!

    Report this comment

    resme  
  • WAKEUPUSA2012
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 11:07pm

    My God, Blaze please. This guy was a PATSY. AL CIA DA aka al qudea is owned and operated by the west. NATO is taking over countrys all over the middle east that are peaceful, and they are openly using al qudea to do it. Giving them weapons. Damn come on becky. The Fed bomber was a useful idiot. Set up.

    Report this comment

    WAKEUPUSA2012  
  • Secret Squirrel
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 10:22pm

    .
    Maybe it’s time we limited visas to certain countries who are our enemies.
    Coming to the US is a great opportunity.
    We don’t need terrorists, yard men, or fanatics.
    Diversity is not a suicide pact.

    Report this comment

    Secret Squirrel  
    • yougottabekidding
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 10:55pm

      Wana bet?

      Report this comment

      yougottabekidding  
    • yougottabekidding
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 11:20pm

      You know some where along the line they are going to miss one of these members of the peacefull religion and they will be successful. Lets hope the wacko they miss gets the one place that will be good for the world – UN.
      How much will this post cost when Hillary signs for the UN to take over the internet. What fist ammendment?
      Kinda strange that our SOS (not a good acronym is it) has a husband that has the global inititive.

      Report this comment

      yougottabekidding  
  • lefty5005
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 10:14pm

    Man, the State Department is batting a thousand. Hillary is running a tight ship…eh.

    Report this comment

    lefty5005  
  • blackyb
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 9:59pm

    He could have just come across the borders. He could have voted and had citizenship the way Obama wants it.

    Report this comment

    blackyb  
  • coyote1hell
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 9:19pm

    Buh’Rack..said..???huh..??? thouht he was another of my Muslim..Brohood guys…so did Holder…hmmm…

    Report this comment

    coyote1hell  
  • taxpro4u03
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 8:56pm

    If WE as a people have learned anything (credibility-wise) it is simply to ‘accept’ that the exact opposite of the ‘story’ is the ‘reality,’ and work it backwards from there to substantiate the ‘story…’.- Situational awareness is something that has to be learned, so why aren’t we teaching it? “Paranoia” is one thing – common sense is another. If we see a ‘snake,’ and cannot identify it — we walk away from it, and leave it the heck alone. Can’t teach common sense. We’re born with it… it IS, however, ‘indoctrinated’ OUT of us if we allow it to be. (It is the PARENTS responsibility, along with the assistance of a caring community — remember those days before we all got ‘skeered?’)

    Report this comment

    taxpro4u03  
    • bgotts27
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 9:47pm

      If I see a snake and cannot positively identify it, I kill it. Then I have peace and time wherewith to identify it.

      Report this comment

      bgotts27  
    • yougottabekidding
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 11:04pm

      bgotts27

      FORWARD = 180 degree turn then go with determination

      I’m with you. Left alone vipers tend to multiply and kill the “good snakes”.

      Report this comment

      yougottabekidding  
  • helllsbellls
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 8:24pm

    It`s true. People know to come to America for a better life if they are not born into wealth, and even if they have wealth. If they don`t stop letting every Tom, Dick and Harry enter from areas that don`t like us, or hate us, America will not remain the great country it still is. God Bless America and Israel and keep both safe through these hairy times. Let us come out on the right side of this election so we can start to get this boat turned around in the other direction. R&R. Hells Bells.

    Report this comment

    helllsbellls  
  • AlwaysAmazed
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 8:21pm

    Is it racist if I want to keep all people named Mohammad (and then some) out of North America? If so, call me a racist…

    Report this comment

    AlwaysAmazed  
    • AlwaysAmazed
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 8:41pm

      Here is one of ‘those’ emails that comes to your inbox from time-to-time:

      Unhappy Muslims

      THESE MUSLIMS ARE NOT HAPPY!
      They’re not happy in Gaza..
      They’re not happy in Egypt..
      They’re not happy in Libya..
      They’re not happy in Morocco..
      They’re not happy in Iran..
      They’re not happy in Iraq..
      They’re not happy in Yemen..
      They’re not happy in Afghanistan..
      They’re not happy in Pakistan..
      They’re not happy in Syria..
      They’re not happy in Lebanon..

      SO, WHERE ARE THEY HAPPY?
      They’re happy in Australia..
      They’re happy in Canada..
      They’re happy in England..
      They’re happy in France..
      They’re happy in Italy..
      They’re happy in Germany..
      They’re happy in Sweden..
      They’re happy in the USA..
      They’re happy in Norway..
      They’re happy in Holland..
      They’re happy in Denmark..
      Basically, they’re happy in every country that is not Muslim
      and unhappy in every country that is!

      AND WHO DO THEY BLAME?
      Not Islam..
      Not their leadership..
      Not themselves..

      THEY BLAME THE COUNTRIES THEY ARE HAPPY IN!

      AND THEN; They want to change those countries to be like….
      THE COUNTRY THEY CAME FROM WHERE THEY WERE UNHAPPY!

      Excuse me, but I can’t help wondering…
      How damn dumb can you get?

      Report this comment

      AlwaysAmazed  
    • DADDYWOREAWHITEHAT
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 9:50pm

      @always
      That’s just brilliant right there. I love it!

      Report this comment

      DADDYWOREAWHITEHAT  
    • lefty5005
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 10:19pm

      Alwaysamazed,
      Reminds me of my ex old lady, always miserable except when she was around me and then she tries to blow me up with her verbal abuse.

      Report this comment

      lefty5005  
    • lefty5005
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 10:21pm

      I don’t think it is racist to not want a group of people that are inclined to blow everyone to smithereens around…maybe the Democrats like being blown to smithereens.

      Report this comment

      lefty5005  
  • OperationNorthwoods
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 8:15pm

    This is the same State Department that let the underwear bomber on the plane after he couldn’t get a passport because he was on terror watch lists. The government needs these demented people to scare the population out of their liberties.

    Report this comment

    OperationNorthwoods  
  • deltaecho
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 8:03pm

    Landslide coming.

    Report this comment

    deltaecho  
  • Tigress1
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 8:01pm

    Are they sure this man is really his father? Was Quazi adopted or something? He doesn’t look anything like his father. Quazi looks Asian, while his father looks black.

    Report this comment

    Tigress1  
  • thom1
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:52pm

    Why in the hell are we letting any Muslims into this country? I don’t care if they are Doctors, students, or janitors. We are at war with Islam plain and simple. Keep them the ferk out.

    Report this comment

    thom1  
  • term limits for congress
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:50pm

    Obviously, he watched a video and became enraged. He is, therefore, not responsible for his actions.

    Report this comment

    term limits for congress  
  • soybomb315_II
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:49pm

    So let me get this straight…FBI saw a guy post hateful and strange things about the US government on the internet. So FBI befriends the guy, encourages development of a plot, and then gives him fake explosives to carry out the attack. Ultimately the FBI foils him in the action and busts him as a terrorist.

    And then republicans and Theblaze act like the government should have done MORE????

    This is unreal

    Report this comment

    soybomb315_II  
  • 4xeverything
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:48pm

    I feel so safe…it’s good to know that the feds are on top of this..this being the safe time in history that it is. Maybe we could just let every radical into the country and catch them that way. You know, let them come to us and start their war here on our soil. I love the logic they use when allowing everybody and their 27 brothers in! AAAAHHHHH!

    Report this comment

    4xeverything  
  • The_Pointy_End
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:35pm

    “Ahsanullah said his son persuaded him to send him to America to study, arguing that a U.S. degree would give him a better chance at success in Bangladesh. “I spent all my savings to send him to America,” the father said.”

    I feel for his parents – they were trying to give their son a better life and the little sociopath spent their life savings with no intentions of obtaining a degree. He used his parents money to get to America to do Jihad, not to better his life and theirs.

    Report this comment

    The_Pointy_End  
    • Eleutheria
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:52pm

      The troglodyte prophet Muhammad condones lying to infidels, even if they are your parents.

      Report this comment

      Eleutheria  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:33pm

    Once again we see another failure of the system, our nations enemies have manages to make it inside the gates and there is no telling how many other plots are already being worked upon.

    Questions to be asked and needing answered:

    Was this a chance failure of the system as may happen now and then (a Murphys law moment)?
    Was it deliberately done (an insider approved the VISA knowing his background)?
    Was this done with the approval of the White House (who supports extremists)?
    Why were no red flags raise over this man coming into the nation?
    Why were no steps taken to stop him, even with FBI involvement, before he got to the end of the plan to detonate an inert device?

    Report this comment

    Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • justangry
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:32pm

    I wonder why Paul Ryan didn’t support Ron Paul’s bill to stop issuing student visa to countries known to support terrorism.

    Report this comment

    justangry  
  • PatriotDadOfSix
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:32pm

    If I’m the first to comment..we have problems in America. This story should be HUGE! Are we so desensitized that the largest planned take down before or after 9/11/01 gets little or no coverage? Now I’m worried for this republic.

    Report this comment

    PatriotDadOfSix  
  • FEMALL
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:31pm

    Thank goodness Hillary has the former Mrs. Anthony Weiner Wagger, Huma, to start an investigation as to just how this happened.

    Report this comment

    FEMALL  
  • SCREW-WINDOWS
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:31pm

    Does anyone else feel uneasy with the fact they had to wait until he pulled the trigger to take him down ?

    Report this comment

    SCREW-WINDOWS  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:38pm

      Yes, me.

      What I wonder is if the FBI used the delay in picking him up (the attempted detonation) to see how many other groups or individuals he may have been linked to as well – the logistics and command and control network, the financing and so forth.

      Now, this may have been the case of a lone terrorist agent sent in, possibly as a decoy for another and more deadly attack; yet we may never fully know.

      Report this comment

      Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • SCREW-WINDOWS
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:56pm

      Thanks Snow just think of the plots they don’t know about or don’t have a man inside.

      Report this comment

      SCREW-WINDOWS  
    • hidden_lion
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 8:58pm

      the financier was the FBI. They instigated the plot, they provided him the materials (fake or not) and they let him try to detonate a bomb. It is the same story over and over. The FBI is the terrorist.

      Report this comment

      hidden_lion  
    • VanGrungy
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 10:53pm

      needed for air tight case

      Report this comment

      VanGrungy  
  • hidden_lion
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:27pm

    Of course they did gave him a visa. they only terrorists the FBI can catch are the ones they import or create. It is a sad state of affairs. Besides, they should have let him blow the fed.

    Report this comment

    hidden_lion  
  • progressiveslayer
    Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:25pm

    “What really shocked me the most was he had specifically spoken to me about true Muslims not believing in violence,” Dow said. Yes the savages are taught to lie to advance their agenda,the destruction of America.

    Report this comment

    progressiveslayer  
    • 2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:34pm

      Sounds strikingly similar to someone else I know.

      Report this comment

      2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:36pm

      History is repleat with examples that the most effective of assassins and murderers are the fanatical; for in not fearing death, they are capable of doing anything to achieve their mission.

      For ones of such a zealot outlook as the Islamist extremists, or most religious extremists of any bent, lies, deception, coersion and the like are fair in their playbook – the ends justify the means so long as they succeed in their mission.

      The thing is though, I can all too easily see one or more strikes occuring in a manner to enflame the wrath of the American people – say churches get bombed, synagogues torched, etc.

      It can happen all too easily.

      Report this comment

      Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on October 18, 2012 at 7:39pm

      @2Minutes:

      Yes, Obama.

      Report this comment

      Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
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