Bryant Neal Vinas

Bryant Neal Vinas (born December 4, 1982; also Ibrahim, Bashir al-Ameriki and Ben Yameen al-Kanadeeis) is an American convicted of participating in and supporting al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and the U.S.[1][2][3][4] After converting to Islam in 2004, he traveled to Waziristan, Pakistan, in 2007 with the intention of meeting and joining a jihadist group to fight U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

[2] After cooperating with law enforcement and testifying in two European terrorism trials, Vinas was sentenced in May 2017 to three months in prison additionally to the time that he had already served.

[8] He attended the Islamic Association of Long Island, a local Selden, New York, mosque, most members of which are Pakistani.

[1][2][8][9] Mosque president Nayyar Imam said he talked regularly to FBI and Homeland Security officials and that he kept "an eye like a hawk on this place".

[2] In September 2007, he quit his job and abruptly left his father's home, saying he wanted to study Islam and Arabic.

[1][6] On September 10, 2007, Vinas traveled to Lahore, Pakistan intending to join a jihadist group which fought U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

[8] During intake, he filled out an information form, listed his relatives, handed his passport over, and adopted an alias.

[11] Vinas took part with other masked fighters in an al-Qaeda propaganda video featuring Abu Yahya al-Libi, a leader and frequent spokesman.

[12] Zazi, from Queens, had also traveled to Pakistan (flying with friends to Peshawar in August 2008) to join the Taliban and fight against the U.S. military and its allies in Afghanistan.

He was arrested in September 2009, accused of planning suicide bombings during rush hour on the New York City Subway, and has pleaded guilty.

[1][3][6][20] His later admission of a plot to blow up an LIRR train inside Penn Station triggered a U.S. security alert over the 2008 Thanksgiving holiday.

[2][3][6] Vinas has cooperated with law enforcement and intelligence officials, providing information and playing the role of key prosecution witness in at least two terrorism trials in Europe.

[1][21] The cooperation from Vinas has been described as a major intelligence progress in understanding the process of Western-born potential jihadists getting through to terrorist training in remote areas of Pakistan.

Judge Nicholas Garaufis described that decision as difficult, noting the need to balance the weight of his crimes and his extremely valuable cooperation that allowed the government to disrupt al-Qaeda activities.