NEW YORK – An imam is set to face a judge on charges that he lied to FBI agents after a foiled homicide bomb plot to attack the New York City subway system during rush hour.
Ahmad Afzali is expected to appear Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn federal court. Prosecutors and Afzali's attorney indicated this week that a plea deal was likely.
Authorities arrested Afzali last year during the investigation of an admitted Al Qaeda associate, Najibullah Zazi.
Zazi has pleaded guilty to plotting to use homemade bombs in a "martyrdom operation" against the subways.
Prosecutors say Afzali alerted Zazi that he was under surveillance when he arrived in New York in September.
25-year-old Zazi faces charges including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and supporting Al Qaeda, which he said trained him in Pakistan.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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