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U.S. NEWS Saturday 8 June 2019

Continued from Front Square and targeting a se- corded conversation, ac-
Ashiqul Alam was arrested nior government official in cording to the documents.
Thursday after arranging Washington, according to "Imagine what the news
through an undercover the documents. channel would call me, the
agent to buy a pair of semi- He talked about wanting Looney Tunes Terrorist or
automatic pistols with oblit- to "shoot down" gays, re- the Blind Terrorist."
erated serial numbers, pros- ferring to them with a slur; Times Square, the heart of
ecutors said. Police Com- using a "rocket launcher, the Broadway theater dis-
missioner James O'Neill said like a huge one," to cause trict and packed with tour-
that development was "a havoc at the World Trade ists day and night, has been
clear indicator of (Alam's) Center; and obtaining an a target of attacks before.
intent to move his plot for- enhanced driver's license In 2010, Faisal Shahzad, a
ward." so he could walk onto a U.S. citizen who had gotten
Despite the grave allega- military base and "blow it explosives training in Paki-
tions, the 22-year-old Alam up," the documents said. stan, tried but failed to det-
is charged only with offens- Alam started speaking onate a car bomb there. In this courtroom drawing, Ashiqul Alam, fifth from left, makes his
initial court appearance and is arraigned at federal court in the
es related to the gun trans- with the undercover agent He was sentenced to life in Brooklyn Borough of New York, Friday, June 7, 2019.
action. Alam, wearing blue about his plans in August prison.q Associated Press
jeans and a purple T-shirt, and went with him on re-
did not enter a plea at an connaissance trips to Times
initial appearance Friday in Square and to a shooting
federal court in Brooklyn. range in Pennsylvania, the
Defense attorney James documents said.
Darrow argued that his cli- Alam "repeatedly ex-
ent should be released pressed interest in purchas-
on a $200,000 bond since ing firearms and explosives
his client has a solid back- for a terrorist attack in the
ground and the charges New York City area" dur-
he's facing so far don't in- ing conversations with the
clude terrorism. agent and spoke glow-
The defendant, a legal resi- ingly about past attacks on
dent born in Bangladesh, the city, the court docu-
moved to the U.S. as a ments said. Alam used his
child about 12 years ago, cellphone to take video
Darrow said. He has lived of Times Square and "ex-
in Queens with his parents plained to the undercover
while attending John Jay that he was looking for po-
College of Criminal Justice tential targets," according
and working two jobs, the to the documents.
lawyer added. Alam also allegedly dis-
But a federal magistrate cussed buying a silencer,
ordered Alam held with- ammunition and hand gre-
out bail after prosecutors nades, which he said could
argued that he was a dan- each "take out at least
ger to the community and eight people."
a flight risk. Family members In April, Alam told the un-
who attended the hearing dercover agent he was
left court without speaking planning to get laser eye
to reporters. surgery so he wouldn't
Court documents describe have to wear glasses dur-
months of plotting for an ing the planned attack, the
attack Alam told an under- documents said. "Let's say
cover agent would make we are in an attack, right,
them "legends." say that my glasses fall
Alam spoke of plotting to off. What if I accidentally
kill civilians and law en- shoot you? You know what
forcement officers in Times I mean?" Alam said in a re-