Muslim arrested during his attempted terror to New York targets

By Lee Ha-na

A Muslim native of the Dominican Republic, Jose Pimentel was arrested in New York City last Saturday on charges of terrorism and criminal possession of a weapon.

Authorities have been watching his every move since May 2009 and finally cracked down on the al Qaeda supporter. He had been making pipe bombs and planned on unleashing his wrath on the city of New York by blowing up certain facilities and murdering U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to sources, Pimentel was a frequent visitor to the website, TrueIslam1, which is dedicated to teaching Islam. He also regularly read al Qaeda’s online magazine called Inspire, which is where he allegedly learned how to make a pipe bomb, reports CNN.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the charges against Pimentel, who is a U.S. citizen also known as Muhummad Yusuf, at a press conference on Sunday. A law enforcement official stated the suspect was in the middle of building three pipe bombs and was very close to having assembled them before he was arrested.

Investigators also said the some of the materials used were purchased at a Home Depot in the Bronx and included Christmas lights.

Pimentel is dubbed the “lone wolf” because he worked on his own with no known connections to any terrorist groups.