USA v. Alam, Ashiqul
Queens, NY

Homegrown

[EDNY] Ashiqul Alam repeatedly expressed a desire to purchase firearms and explosives for use in a terrorist attack. Alam identified two targets, either Times Square or Washington, D.C., in order to kill a senior government official. In January 2019, Alam conducted several "recon" trips to Times Square, using his cellular telephone to make a video recording of the area as he searched for potential targets. Alam considered multiple ways to conduct such an attack, including by using a "suicide vest" and by obtaining AR-15 assault rifles to kill law enforcement officers. He has not been charged with terrorism. Alam pled guilty in December 2021 to knowingly receiving a firearm with an obliterated serial number in Brooklyn, New York.