8/6/2019 Statement by NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly on May 11th Terror Arrests

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Statement by NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kellyon May 11th Terror Arrests

At approximately 6 p.m. yesterday, detectives from the New York City Police Departments Intelligence Division apprehended two Queens residents, Ahmed Ferhani andMohammed Mehdi Mamdouh, after Ferhani purchased two Browning, .380 semi-automat

ic pistols, a Smith and Wesson handgun, ammunition, and a hand grenade in an und

ercover operation that culminated with his arrest at 58th Street near the West Side Highway.

Twelve detectives in six unmarked police vehicles converged on a gray, late model Toyota Corolla occupied by Ferhani. Mamdouh was arrested by three detectivesat about the same time on the corner of West 57th Street and Ninth Avenue.

Just before Ferhani was apprehended, he said he wanted to obtain more handguns,silencers, a box of hand grenades, bullet-resistant vests, and police radios. By way of explanation, Ferhani said - using an expletive - that he was fed up with the way Muslims were being treated around the world. Theyre treating us like dogs, he said.

Ferhani, a 26-year-old native of Algeria who currently resides in Queens, conspired with 20-year-old Mamdouh to bomb a synagogue in Manhattan. They did not identify the synagogue by name.

Mamdouh, a native of Casablanca, is a livery-service dispatcher. He came to theUnited States with his parent in August of 1999. By virtue of his parents natur

alization, Mamdouh is a United States citizen.

Ferhani is unemployed. In addition to discussing the bombing of synagogues quote, one after another, he also expressed interest in bombing the Empire State Building.

Seven months ago New York City undercover officers encountered Ferhani, who expressed interest in killing Jews. He also said, we will blow up a synagogue in Manhattan and take out the whole entire building. On the same day, after Mamdouh said, quote, I hate Jews, Ferhani replied, I want to kill them.

Like the plotters in the Herald Square bomb plot, Ferhani discussed growing a beard and payos to disguise himself as a Hasidic Jew. We were concerned that hispurchase of the guns and a grenade was part of a plan to attack Jews in the city. We decided to make the arrest at this time because of Ferhanis interest in obtaining weapons and his expressed desire to construct increasingly powerful bombs.

Also, no matter how good the surveillance theres always a chance a suspect may elude authorities. We did not want to risk losing track of Ferhani and Mamdouh when we knew the danger they posed, especially to New Yorks Jewish community.

We established no direct ties between them and Al Qaeda or other operational terrorist groups. Ferhani and Mamdouh were lone wolves, not unlike Matin Siraj andJames El-Shafay, who plotted to bomb the Herald Square subway station shortly b

efore the Republican National Convention in 2004. As Im sure you recall, lone wolves were also involved in the plot to bomb a synagogue and a Jewish community center in Riverdale in 2008.

These arrests come at a time when the Department of Homeland Security, in the wake of Bin Ladens death, has reminded law enforcement in an unclassified report of

the threat posed by lone wolves.

Ferhani supported Palestinians against Israel and expressed interest in going to

8/6/2019 Statement by NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly on May 11th Terror Arrests

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Gaza to fight. He claimed that once, when he was jailed at Rikers, he met a Palestinian inmate who instructed him on how to make a bomb using a light bulb, alead that is still being investigated.

He said he did not consider Hamas or Al Qaeda to be terrorist groups, and was prepared to die for jihad. Ferhani also discussed renting a farmhouse where he and others could fire weapons and have discussions without risk of being monitored

.

He immigrated to the United States in August 1995 from Algeria with two siblings and his parents, who claimed asylum. He has resided since then in Queens withhis family.

As a result of his asylum claim, he was granted permanent resident status by immigration authorities. However, because of his failure to appear before an immigration judge to answer questions about arrests, his case was under review for possible deportation.

I want to commend Commissioner Cohen and his team for their outstanding work in

this case. The exchange of guns with suspects is always a dangerous enterprise, as illustrated last night in an unrelated undercover gun trafficking case.

I also want to thank District Attorney Vance and his outstanding team who worked so hard with us to bring these dangerous individuals to justice.

As for our undercover officers, obviously they cannot be identified. I can say,however, that NYPD undercover officers were instrumental in thwarting not only

this plot and the one to bomb Herald Square, but also in identifying Carlos Almonte and Mohammed Alessa, who were arrested at Kennedy Airport last year en routeto Somalia for terrorist training.

While there are no specific plots targeting New York City in the wake of Bin Lad

ens death this latest case reminds us that we must remain vigilant every day using officers and detectives like those who helped bring this case to a safe and successful conclusion.