FBI accuses American-Pak boy of planning to bomb New York

Islamabad

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claims that an American national Talha Haroon, currently in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, is an activist of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) or Daesh, planned an attack on New York’s famous Times Square and Subway system. 

Haroon Rashid, father of Talha Haroon calls it a conspiracy against his son. “Pakistani security officials rammed into my house located in Quetta, Balochistan. They checked every corner of my house but could not find a single thing. After completing the search, they left and I realised immediately that they have taken my son, Talha Haroon them, “said Haroon Rashid, a Quetta based businessman while exclusively sharing the details of alleged abduction of his son on August 13, 2016 with, The News.

Haroon Rashid, 46, well-built healthy man with a beard and Sindhi cap on his head wearing Shalwar Qameez, was visibly upset sitting next to his younger son, Mohammad Yousaf, another American citizen who has especially flown to Pakistan for his brother.

Haroon Rashid has five children and two wives, one American and the other local Pakistani; he along with his family faced terrorism charges in 2002 while he was in Colorado, Denver, United States. After four years of legal battle in November 2006, the terrorism charges against the entire family were dropped. During the case, he was deported to Pakistan and never went back.

After 10 years, Haroon Rashid is facing another similar situation which he faced earlier. The situation this time is not against him rather against his elder son, Talha Haroon whom FBI has declared terrorist who is not only linked with Daesh or ISIL but, according to FBI, Haroon also planned attack on Times Square and Subway station New York, for which US wants extradition of the accused in Adiala jail.

According to Haroon Rashid, his son who was a high school student in Denver, United States moved to Quetta, Balochistan along with his mother on August 15, 2014. Later, his mother along with her other children went back to United States however Talha stayed with him. He wanted to enroll him in a seminary (madrisa) in Karachi which he could not due to family issues. Meanwhile, his son was picked from his home located in Quetta, in August 2016.

The documents of US Department of Justice, shared with Interior Ministry, a copy of which is also available with this correspondent, reveal that Talha Haroon is wanted by the US on five different counts including;

1)- Conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.

2)- Conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries.

3)- Conspiracy to bomb a place of public use and public transportation system.

4)- Conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists and

5)- Conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.

The documents also included an affidavit of Oscar M Gifford, a special agent, Air Force Office of Special Investigations Task Force Officer, FBI.

Oscar M Gifford, the FBI’s special agent in his statement, has further explained, which is also part of the proceedings, in southern district court of New York where a case is under way against Talha Haroon on the above mentioned counts.

In his statement Oscar M Gifford refers to an encrypted electronic communications between Haroon and an undercover law enforcement officer (whose real name is withheld and is mentioned as “UC”) and between another man whose code name is mentioned as CC-1, supported ISIL and were planning to carry out coordinated terrorist attacks in the name of ISIL in New York City. The FBI Special Agent claims that Haroon and CC-1 had identified New York City’s subway system (the NYC Subway System), Times Square and particular concert venues among other locations as primary targets of the attacks.

While making his point, the FBI agent in his statement claims, “In May 2016, Haroon and CC-1 took steps in preparation for executing the planned attacks. CC-1, who was located in a country outside the United States, purchased bomb-making materials, shipped them to the UC in the United States, and helped to secure a cabin within driving distance of New York City to use as a base for making the bombs and staging the planned attacks. Based on communications with the UC, Haroon,, a United States citizen residing in Pakistan, traveled within Pakistan in an effort to meet an explosives expert in furtherance of the plot, repeatedly expressed his desire and intent to participate in the attacks, and took steps to renew his Pakistani visa to enable him to travel to the US for purposes of carrying out the attacks,”. According to the FBI special agent Talha Haroon was linked to a man named Akhi (Akhi is an Arabic language word which means brother), who is a leader of ISIL. No name of ISIL leader has been shared in the documents shared with Pakistan.

The circumstances reflect that Talha Haroon was taken into custody after US authorities approached Pakistani officials however the family of Talha Haroon remained unaware about his whereabouts until November 2016 when he was first produced before Captain (R) Abdul Sattar Isani, Additional Deputy Commissioner General (ADCG), Islamabad in November last year.

Isani first sought his (Talha Haroon’s) willingness for extradition to US but when Talha Haroon claimed that he was badly tortured and not in touch with his family, the retired captain who is now discharging his duties as a civil servant allowed the young boy to contact his family.

“I received the call of my son in November and I was happy that at least he is alive, but Talha told me that he was badly tortured and even water boarded during his illegal detention” Haroon Rashid, the father of Talha, shared this in his painful voice. He also questioned when his son was taken into custody from Quetta, why he was not produced in Islamabad.

He shared that soon after listening to his son, he moved to Islamabad along with his family and now was fighting his case in Islamabad High Court as he did not want to hand his son over to the US authorities.

A document of Interior Ministry dated March 14, 2017 also available to The News reveals that Interior Ministry had approved the extradition of Talha Haroon to US authorities in light of an enquiry of ADCG Captain Abdul Sattar Isani which says that Talha Haroon is rightly wanted by the US authorities.

In another letter on the same date, it also comes forward that FIA was, “requested to take custody of Talha Haroon from Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi to hand him over to the US authorities under intimation to this (Interior Ministry).” 

In the said document it is not mentioned that who brought Talha Haroon to Rawalpindi and how Interior Ministry came to know about his presence in Rawalpindi jail.

The sources claim that US authorities also visited Talha Haroon in Rawalpindi jail on May 3, almost two weeks back. It is yet not clear what transpired between them in the said meeting.

Yousaf Haroon, the brother of Talha Haroon, was coincidently talking to his brother on that fateful night when his brother was taken into custody from Quetta. He told this correspondent that almost a month before the incident some FBI guys knocked at his door in Denver, USA and asked questions about his brother by that time his brother had been in Pakistan to visit his family. Yousaf is a student of computer science at a Denver college who had recently visited Pakistan for his brother.

Haroon Rashid has now hired services of Tariq Asad, a lawyer who is also president of Lal Masjid Foundation and often represents missing persons, Taliban and Lal Masjid clients in the courts.

“I have hired him as I have no money with me, they helped me and I welcomed it,” Haroon Rashid said.

“I am living in bad conditions here in Islamabad because of my son’s case, I don’t want to see my son going through the same journey which I went, ten years ago, he is innocent,” pleads Haroon Rashid as legal wrangling between him and the Interior Ministry goes on at Islamabad High Court.