FBI
The FBI has arrested two women it says were planning to detonate an improvised explosive device in New York City. Noelle Velentzas, 28, and Asia Siddiqui, 31, are in custody. The criminal complaint alleges that Velentzas had “repeated contact with members” of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Siddiqui was allegedly close to Samir Khan, an AQAP leader and editor of Inspire magazine. Both women were inspired, prosecutors allege, by AQAP, the self-proclaimed Islamic State, and the Boston Marathon bombers, and are said to have planned to build bombs like the Tsarnaevs. Authorities say Velentzas once pulled a knife from her bra and demonstrated how to stab someone to show Siddiqui what she would do if attacked. “Why can’t we be some real bad bitches?” Velentzas said, according to court documents.