Shukrijumah seems to be a busy, busy Misunderstander of Islam. “US officials: Al-Qaida operative tied to NY plot,” by Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo for Associated Press, June 30 (thanks to Block Ness):
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. counterterrorism officials have linked one of the nation’s most wanted terrorists to last year’s thwarted plot to bomb the New York City subway system, authorities said Wednesday.
Current and former counterterrorism officials said top al-Qaida operative Adnan Shukrijumah met with one of the would-be suicide bombers in a plot that Attorney General Eric Holder called one of the most dangerous since the 9/11 terror attacks.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have named Shukrijumah in a draft terrorism indictment but on Wednesday the Justice Department was still discussing whether to cite his role. Some officials feared that the extra attention might hinder efforts to capture him.
Shukrijumah’s involvement shows how important the subway bombing plot was to al-Qaida’s senior leadership. Intelligence officials believe Shukrijumah is one of the top candidates to become al-Qaida’s next head of external operations, the man in charge of planning attacks worldwide.
Current and former counterterrorism officials discussed the case on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about it.
Shukrijumah, 34, has eluded the FBI for years. The Saudi-born terrorist studied at a community college in Florida, but when the FBI showed up to arrest him as a material witness to a terrorism case in 2003, he already had left the country. The U.S. is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture….