Uncle: Bomb plotter lied about chemicals

Subway bomb plotter Najibullah Zazi told a suspicious relative that he had bought large quantities of bleach, nail polish remover and other chemicals to mix a Pakistani fertility potion, according to testimony Tuesday at his father's cover-up trial in Brooklyn federal court.

"He told me he's making medicine to have a baby," said Naqib Jaji, an uncle whose garage in Denver Zazi was using to store the chemicals, goggles and a scale. "If I knew he's making a bomb, I'd have called the government and gotten the police on him."

Jaji, appearing as a government witness against the father, has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during its probe of the family and the plot. But he insisted he didn't know in advance that Zazi was making bombs and said he partially bought Zazi's story about the babies.

"I was 50/50," he said. "I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth. He told me this was a prescription that he got from a doctor back home."

Jaji's testimony came on the second day of the obstruction of justice trial of Zazi's father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, 55. The elder Zazi is charged with getting family members to destroy his son's chemical stash in Jaji's garage one day before an FBI search in 2009, lying to the FBI and urging relatives to lie.

Najibullah Zazi pleaded guilty last year to planning to set off bombs in New York City's subways with two Queens friends after visiting an al-Qaida training camp in Pakistan. He is now cooperating with the government.

Mohammed Zazi, a former New York City cabdriver who moved to Denver in 2009, is not charged with any role in his son's plot.

Jaji, the husband of Mohammed Zazi's wife's sister, was the second family member to testify for the government. Jaji said that he became panicked about the chemicals in his garage when the federal investigation became public in September 2009, and was present when his wife, her sister and a nephew poured them into toilets.

The house still smelled of bleach when the FBI came to search the next day, he said. The nephew, Amanullah Zazi, testified Monday that Mohammed Zazi ordered the disposal. Jaji did not confirm that, but testified that his brother-in-law urged him to deceive the FBI on other matters.

In other testimony Tusesday, an FBI agent testified that Mohammed Zazi lied to him about a conversation with a Queens imam who tipped off the elder Zazi about the investigation. The agent also disputed defense claims that Mohammed Zazi struggled with English during the questioning.

Prosecutors said they expect to complete their case Wednesday. Defense lawyers said they have dropped plans to call Najibullah Zazi as a witness. Judge John Gleeson said closing arguments may begin Wednesday afternoon.