A Queens funeral director linked to alleged al Qaeda bomb-maker Najibullah Zazi was charged yesterday in a frightening terror plot that may have targeted New York stadiums, authorities said.
Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, an imam at a Flushing mosque, was a double-crossing government informant who lied to his handlers after his contact with Zazi, authorities charged yesterday.
He was peppered with questions from the FBI and NYPD after Zazi, 24, drove from Colorado to Queens.
Cops asked Afzali questions about Zazi, and showed him pictures of him.
A search of Zazi’s rental car in New York uncovered a digital image of notes, which authorities said appeared to be in Zazi’s handwriting, detailing instructions on handling and constructing explosives, federal officials said.
Authorities found on his laptop references to Fashion Week in Bryant Park and several sports stadiums, sources said.
Feds also found Zazi’s fingerprints on batteries and a scale in a Queens home they raided, authorities said.
The government later intercepted calls among Afzali, Zazi and Zazi’s father, Mohammed, during which the men allegedly discussed Afzali’s conversation with authorities. The men were later arrested for lying about the wiretapped calls, officials said.
“I was exposed to something yesterday from the authorities,” Afzali told Zazi, according to an affidavit. “And they came to ask me about your characters. They asked me about you guys.”
Afzali has worked as an informant for more than a year, officials said. His lawyer, Ron Kuby, said his client knew his conversations with Zazi and his father were being recorded.
“The government screwed up at this investigation, and now they are lashing out at the people who are trying to help,” Kuby said.
Additional reporting by Matthew Nestel and Sally Goldenberg