According to records from US Customs and Border Protection, on August 28, 2008, Najibullah Zazi flew to Peshawar in Pakistan, returning to the US in January 2009.

On Sep 11, the FBI claims to have recovered a laptop from him with pictures and instructions on the manufacture and handling of explosives.

If convicted, Zazi faces a potential sentence of life in prison.

Afzali, an imam at a mosque in Queens, is accused of lying about whether he warned the Zazis that federal investigators were asking about them. Afzali has reportedly served as a police informant.