Ahmad Afzali, an imam from Queens walks to Brooklyn federal court for tipping off confessed terror plotter Najibullah Zazi. ((Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images))
A federal judge in Brooklyn has ordered Queens imam Ahmad Afzali to leave the country in 90 days after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
Last September, Afzali was linked to terror suspect Najibullah Zazi. Zazi and two others are accused of plotting to blow themselves up on New York City subways.
In the courtroom, Afzali spoke softly about the suspects in the alleged bomb plot, but said it was never his intention to help them.
"Honest to God, it was not my intention to help those idiots," he said, adding that he only intended to help the authorities, who had asked him to cooperate with their investigation.
Afzali now admits he informed Zazi that the FBI was looking for him, even though he denied saying that months ago.
Although Afzali avoided jail time, he'll never again be able to return to the U.S., where his wife, three kids and elderly parents live.
Now, Afzali says he doesn't know where he'll move. He says he doesn't expect to go back to Afghanistan, where he was born, and that he'll start "shopping around" for a good country to host him.
Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist who covers criminal justice, terrorism and the courts for WNYC. She found her way into public radio after practicing law for five years, and can definitely say that walking the streets of New York City with a microphone is a lot more fun than being holed up in the office writing letters to opposing counsel.
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