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NYC Subway Bomb Plotter to Be Released From Prison

Prosecutors said Najibullah Zazi provided “unprecedented” assistance to the U.S. government for years.

A man who plotted to bomb New York City’s subways in 2009 was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday after aiding the government with al-Qaeda-related investigations and cases for years, the Associated Press reports. Najibullah Zazi’s sentence includes time he had already served in federal custody, meaning that he will be released in just a few days. Zazi, along with two others, plotted to bomb New York’s subways during rush hour on the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, after being radicalized and receiving explosives training from al-Qaeda in 2008. At the time of his arrest, Zazi faced up to life in prison after pleading guilty to terrorism charges.

U.S. District Raymond J. Dearie said the assistance Zazi provided in over 100 interviews with investigators was “unprecedented.” He will reportedly remain on supervised release for the rest of his life and will have to continue to cooperate with authorities. “I’m sorry for all the harm I have caused,” Zazi said, calling the 2009 plot a “horrific mistake.”