Bryant Neal Vinas

Vinas lived on Long Island, with his parents and his sister, Lina. His parents divorced in 2000. Vinas graduated from Longwood High School in Middle Island, New York, in 2000. 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". On the other hand, a former FBI counter-terrorism official said "there could be a person in the mosque who has some radical thoughts and ideas who the imam knows nothing about", and that suspected extremists had in fact been identified at the mosque. Vinas began wearing Islamic robes and a skullcap, immersed himself in the Koran and studying Arabic, brought three Pakistani friends from the mosque to his father's home on one occasion, and encouraged his father to consider converting to Islam. Law enforcement officials believe he was radicalized through the internet, as his confiscated computer revealed that while in the U.S. he had visited jihadist websites. In September 2007, he quit his job and abruptly left his father's home, saying he wanted to study Islam and Arabic. ==Taliban and al-Qaeda==

Taliban On September 10, 2007, Vinas traveled to Lahore, Pakistan, intending to join a jihadist group which fought U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda training camp Later in 2007, he traveled to Waziristan, Pakistan. Vinas took part with other masked fighters in an al-Qaeda propaganda video featuring Abu Yahya al-Libi, a leader and frequent spokesman. He also had contact with Rashid Rauf, a Pakistani/British member reportedly involved in the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot to bring down U.S. flights. 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. Al-Qaeda leaders also discussed target locations in New York City with Zazi, including the New York City subway systems. Zazi returned to the U.S. in January 2009. He was arrested in September 2009, accused of planning suicide bombings during rush hour on the New York City Subway, and has pleaded guilty. The purpose was to help plan a bomb attack on an LIRR commuter train in New York's Penn Station. 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. Subsequently, he participated at the direction of al-Qaeda in two rocket attacks on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan in September 2008. Both attacks failed. ==Arrest==

He traveled again to Peshwar, Pakistan, in October 2008, this time in search of a wife, and to buy supplies and use the internet. It was there that he was captured in November 2008 by Pakistani troops, guided by U.S. agents who had been tracking him. ==Charges and guilty plea==

Vinas was charged with conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, providing material support to al-Qaeda, and providing "expert advice and assistance" (in relation to the information about the LIRR). As of July 2009, he was reported to be in the custody of United States Marshals in an undisclosed location in New York State. ==Sentencing==

In May 2017, Vinas was sentenced to three months in prison in addition to the time that he had already served. 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. The prosecution contended that an overly harsh sentence would discourage other potential cooperators from agreeing to talk. However, Vinas will remain under tight supervision for the rest of his life. ==References==